Drama
House of David
House of David bringing David’s dramatic story to life, recounting the rise of his house and the downfall of King Saul’s.
When life gives you lemons, become a doctor! That’s not how the saying goes, I know. But that’s the motto 50-year-old Carol Kenney is living by.
After Carol’s husband left her to “find himself,” Carol decided to step out of retirement as a former high school science teacher to pursue her lifelong dream: becoming a doctor. Sure, it’s not the conventional, slow-paced life most retirees dream of following a lifetime of hard work and raising kids. But it’s all Carol has ever wanted. And now she’s starting fresh as an intern of internal medicine at Loyola Memorial Hospital.
As the oldest intern around, Carol’s got some wisdom, and years, on most of the doctors and interns around her. Still, not everyone embraces her high-energy approach to life, or her endless stories and gleaming optimism. Least of all chief resident Dr. Jacobs. Luckily for Carol, she knows how to win people over. So she starts by whipping out her teacher skills to guide her fellow interns, like conceited Daniel, insecure Caleb and uncertain Lexie.
Together, these four learn what it means to glean wisdom, to stop and listen, and to place patient care at the top of their never-ending to-do lists.
Emmy Award winner Patricia Heaton, best known for her long stint on CBS’ hit series Everybody Loves Raymond and ABC’s The Middle, returns to CBS to play Carol Kenney in her new sitcom. And anyone who’s familiar with her style on those two shows won’t be too surprised by her latest role here.
Heaton has always excelled playing likeable, down-to-earth, normal characters whom normal folks in Middle America will likely relate to easily. And though her character here is different in some ways, Carol Kenney once again embodies that kind of easy likability.
As does the show itself. Unlike so many sitcoms and medical dramas, Carol’s Second Act mostly steers clear of the kind of content pitfalls that often torpedo such shows. Yes, there’s some light profanity, a bit of innuendo and an occasionally crude reference. Carol’s not perfect. But at least in the early going, the new show avoids fixating on bloody medical procedures, nonstop boundary-pushing vulgarities and explicit sexual content.
Instead, Heaton’s latest comedic effort focuses on the value and wisdom of getting older, the importance of diverse perspectives and the hope that can be found in a second chance.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Internal medicine intern Carol Kenney starts her first day on the job at Loyola Memorial Hospital as the “old” intern. Carol struggles to follow orders from her boss, Dr. Jacobs. Fellow interns Caleb, Lexie and Daniel find their footing together as they care for patients at Loyala Memorial.
One patient is diagnosed with cancer and admitted to the hospital after a car accident. Lexie jokes that her dog died of parvo. Caleb says he got tapeworm while living abroad. Carol jokes about a few students who seemed like “serial killers” and about an uncle who died of alcoholism. A doctor is assigned to collect stool samples and talks about a patient’s appendix bursting.
Carol jokes about her marriage falling apart and her husband’s journey to find himself. Male and female interns hit on Carol’s attractive daughter. A pharmaceutical representative wears a cleavage-baring dress and delivers ED pills to hospitals, which are referred to crudely in this episode’s only real “groan-worthy” moment.
A doctor gives a patient morphine. Carol jokes that had she not become a doctor, she could “get into pot” like the rest of her retired friends. God’s name is misused once. A tough doctor is called a “hard a–.”
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
House of David bringing David’s dramatic story to life, recounting the rise of his house and the downfall of King Saul’s.
Despite some paranormal themes, ‘Vampirina: Teenage Vampire’ is about as squeaky clean as you can get. Well, for a show about vampires, anyway.
The Chosen Adventures is not Scripture. But for those who don’t mind a little talking sheep with a lot of strong life lessons, this show might be a nice fit for your family.
The Neighborhood, like all neighborhoods, isn’t free from problems. But it feels relatively safe.
