Clive Owen
Andre Holland
Jeremy Bobb
Juliet Rylance
Eve Hewson
Michael Angarano
Chris Sullivan
Cara Seymour
Eric Johnson
David Fierro
Maya Kazan
Leon Addison Brown
Grainger Hines
Matt Frewer

Created by:
Jack Amiel
Michael Begler

2014-
Drama
Cinemax
TV-MA

“The Knick” cuts through the period piece genre with fearlessly modern sensibilities. Well, at least, the pilot does. The costumes, language, and set all fit New York City in 1900. But the music and hand-held camerawork give it a nice, modern energy. That combination makes “The Knick” an engrossing ride.

Steven Soderbergh brings his strong aesthetic to this show; he’s the director of all ten episodes of the first season. We’ll see how the writing plays out in subsequent episodes, but the first episode has lines that are crafted with clarity. You know exactly what this world is, instantly. That world is presented without apology, and it’s easy to understand. You get it. In addition, the use of sound (outside of the music) is effective: Just listen to the sound of the gurney being rolled into the operating room, for instance.

Just so you know, “The Knick” is very explicit, but not sexually (at least, not in the first episode). They explore many different adult themes: drug use, racism, sexism, and so on. In addition, health care in the year 1900 is dog-eat-dog: hospitals pay off officials for patients, surgery is largely a crapshoot, etc.

Overall, “The Knick” provides a cold, clear, honest, and brutal take on the medical drama genre. It has a strong sense of place, deft pacing, and confident writing and acting. It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking; it just has to be watchable and well-made. And we have that in spades. …

The next two episodes of “The Knick” are no exception. I’m drawn in from start to finish. I don’t want it to end. But be forewarned: The surgical scenes and medical cases are unapologetically thrown in your face. They will make you cringe numerous times, but it’s more than worth it. …

The first season of “The Knick” is confidently crafted and expertly presented. Everyone, both in front of and behind the camera, does a great job. It’s thoroughly engrossing stuff. This is what I’m talking about!

Verdict: Great

About: (Source: theknick)

Set in downtown New York in 1900, ‘The Knick’ is a new Cinemax drama series from Academy Award and Emmy-winning director Steven Soderbergh. It is centered on the Knickerbocker Hospital and the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff who work there, pushing the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. Soderbergh directs all 10 episodes of the series’ first season.

Academy Award and Emmy nominee Clive Owen stars as Doctor John Thackery, a brilliant surgeon pioneering new methods in the field, despite his secret addiction to cocaine. He leads a team of doctors including his protégé Dr. Everett Gallinger; the young Dr. Bertie Chickering Jr. and Dr. Algernon Edwards, a promising surgeon who’s been recently thrust upon him. The lively cast of characters at the hospital also includes Cornelia Robertson, the daughter of its benefactor, Captain August Robertson; surly ambulance driver Tom Cleary; Lucy Elkins; a fresh-faced nurse from the country; the crooked hospital administrator Herman Barrow; and Sister Harriet, a nun who isn’t afraid to speak her mind.