Cast: Melissa George, Dave Annable, Shelley Conn, Don Hany, Maya Erskine, Jamie Kennedy, Joshua Leonard, J. Louis Mills, Rudy Martinez, D.L. Hughley
Team: Jill Gordon, Amy Brenneman, Brad Silberling, P Susan Carlson, Eric Carlson, Kelly Meyer, Kathy Magliato
Inspired by the life of Dr. Kathy Magliato and based on her book of the same name, Heartbreaker is a medical soap that follows the outspoken Alex Panttiere, one of the rare female heart transplant surgeons. Alex brings an innovative eye to treating patients week to week while also balancing the complications of her professional and romantic life.
The tinkering continues. The latest post-upfronts scheduling change to the fall lineup is at NBC, where actress Melissa George‘s pregnancy has prompted the network to shift the medical drama to midseason.
Heartbreaker filled one of the network’s enviable post-Voice time slots on the original fall schedule, planned for Tuesdays at 9 p.m. That spot now will go to another doctor drama, Dick Wolf‘s Chicago Med. Come November, that means Chicago Med will be partnered with 10 p.m. parent series Chicago Fire. (The first two months of the season see Neil Patrick Harris variety show Best Time Ever in the slot.)
It’s the second of likely several changes to the complete fall schedule. Just last week, ABC announced a move for Quanitco and a delay for Kings and Prophets.
NBC’s moves allow George, pregnant with her second child, some extra time before and after giving birth. Both shows are still set to start production in midsummer.
Tonally, there’s no real change for NBC. The network, like CBS, was eager to get a medical drama on the fall lineup and ordered the two hospital-set pilots to series in May. Chicago Med marks the second spinoff of Chicago Fire, following Chicago P.D., and means that superproducer Wolf will occupy four full hours on NBC’s fall schedule.
That puts him one hour ahead of Shonda Rhimes on ABC. Her fourth Shondaland series on the net, The Catch, is set for midseason.
