Does Fox’s New Medical Drama ‘Doc’ Spell the End of ‘The Resident’?
Hopes for a seventh season of The Resident may have just been squashed. Fox announced April 3 that it has ordered a U.S. version of Italian hit medical series Doc, set to premiere in the 2023-2024 season.
From executive producers Barbie Kligman (Magnum P.I., Secrets and Lies, Private Practice), Hank Steinberg (For Life, Without a Trace), and Erwin Stoff (I Am Legend, The Matrix) comes Doc, a “heroic” new story based on Italy’s Doc — Nelle tue mani (“in your hands”). The Italian series featured The White Lotus Season 2 stars Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò and debuted in 2020. It follows Dr. Andrea Fanti, who has to adjust to a world of strangers after losing 12 years of memories as the result of a brain injury.
Fox has given Doc a straight-to-series order. The U.S. iteration, which Fox says provides “storytelling excellence,” will center “on the hard-charging, brilliant Dr. Amy Elias, Chief of Internal and Family Medicine at Westside Hospital in Minneapolis,” the logline describes.
“After a brain injury erases the last eight years of her life, Amy must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of patients she’s treated, colleagues she’s crossed, the soulmate she divorced, the man she now loves, and the tragedy that caused her to push everyone away,” it continues. “She can rely only on her estranged 17-year-old daughter, whom she remembers as a 9-year-old, and a handful of devoted friends, as she struggles to continue practicing medicine, despite having lost nearly a decade of knowledge and experience.”
“This moving and heroic medical drama is the very definition of storytelling excellence and what audiences have come to expect from FOX,” Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming, FOX Entertainment, said in a statement announcing the series. “Doc explores the raw emotion, redemption, and resilience of the human spirit in ways we rarely see, and for that, we credit the creative leadership of Barbie, Hank, and Erwin, who we know will bring this story to spectacular life, this extraordinary source material and our deeply valued partners at Sony.”
“We are thrilled with Barbie and Hank’s inspiring take on the emotionally captivating and globally acclaimed Italian series, and we couldn’t have a better partner in FOX to bring the format to the U.S.,” Katherine Pope, President, Sony Pictures Television Studios added.
It’s hard to imagine there will be space in the Fox slate for two medical dramas, despite fan pleas for another season of The Resident, which aired its Season 6 finale on January 17 and has yet to be cancelled or renewed. The cast and creators also expressed hopes for more. Showrunner Andrew Chapman had his “fingers crossed” for a renewal after the January finale.
“We just don’t know. I don’t think that Fox knows,” Chapman told TV Insider. “I don’t think anybody really knows. They hold out the possibility, but they won’t pick us up yet. We probably won’t know until April or May. They want to see how the rest of their shows do, et cetera, et cetera. Your guess is honestly as good as mine.”
Tom Griscom/FOX
If you thought the finale felt like a series-ender, that was intentional. As Chapman went on: “Given that we really don’t know and didn’t know whether this was going to be a series finale, creator Amy Holden Jones and I really thought hard about how we would construct storylines that would give closure to the season, but if it had to be a series finale, would give our audience and our fans some closure to the whole series, too.”
In the absence of an official announcement regarding the show’s fate, The Resident remains in limbo. Fox’s newest dramas, Accused and Alert: Missing Persons Unit, have both been renewed for second seasons. Notably, both are crime dramas, so perhaps Fox is willing to have multiple shows in similar genres. But only time will tell.
Doc will be co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and FOX Entertainment Studios. Kligman serves as showrunner and executive producer. Steinberg (Channel Road Productions) and Stoff (3 Arts Entertainment) are executive producers. Doc — Nelle tue mani premiered on Italy’s Rai 1 in 2020 and ranked as the network’s No. 1 series premiere since 2007. Since then, the format has been sold in 12 countries with seven versions already made. It was created by Francesco Arlanch and Viola Rispoli and produced by Lux Vide, a Fremantle Company.
Doc, Series Premiere, 2023, Fox
Conversation34 Comments
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That would be a no for me. Rather have the Resident!!!!
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The Resident please! People really love the show! We need to see another season!
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Ummm...so they are possibly going to get rid of an established show with an already huge fan base for a show that's a "copy" with no following yet? New shows are hit or miss, yes and for me I haven't watched a lot of the new shows in the past 2 years because they either didn't grab my attention enough with the trailers/teasers or I would decide to check out the first few episodes(most didn't get past the first) and they just weren't worth continuing. Another reason is that I get into one and it's not even renewed past it's first season! I don't want a copycat version of someone else's medical drama, I want The Resident/Connor!
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My guess is they are looking for new, hungry talent to work for the union minimum.
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Keep The Resident. Great storylines and cast.
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Horrible! The residents was a great show loved all the characters. What a mistake 😕
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No!!! The Resident is/was my favorite show. I will not watch Doc
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It's so sad keeping us in limbo like this. They know millions of fans want the resident to return but of course they don't care. Why don't we matter? It's our show we got hooked for 6 seasons and just like that they want to rip out our hearts and we need Conrad to fix us 😻 Come on guys GIVE US OUR SHOW BACK! PLEASE 🥺
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Let me get this straight. They'll waste money on a nearly identical medical show, especially in an age where new series (of any kind) hardly ever make it past one season? Particularly on FOX, since they canceled both Almost Human and Alcatraz after only one season. It's why I never get into a new show on their network. But they'll get rid of The Resident, which has lasted six seasons and already has a fanbase? No thank you. While this doesn't look good for the show, it also doesn't make any sense why FOX won't announce The Resident's fate one way or the other.
Amy keeps saying she hasn't heard a word from FOX yet, even though sets and props were sold off. That's not how networks handle cancellations. They tell the creator, cast and crew first, so why is FOX keeping Amy in the dark? And, they're still promoting The Resident on social media. They need to say something already. Dragging out the announcement is ridiculous and unnecessary. What is FOX waiting for? They're handling this terribly.
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They've been selling props? Some props kinda make sense. I agree and I don't I'll watch the new one. Fox drives me nuts!! I really hope they'll keep it. Even if they change the time. Like have it running on off times, when their"main ones take breaks". I bet the resident still still have more views. I wonder if their waiting to see how the pilot for the new one goes first. Which is so wrong for the cast,crew, and writers of the resident.
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If CBS can have an entire night of FBI, why can't Fox have 2 medical shows a week??
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Agreed. There's certainly room for both, if FOX cancels another show. They still have seven shows in limbo, including The Resident. Although it's really more like five, since 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star are guaranteed renewals.
The problem is two-fold:
1) FOX's scheduling. They don't program 10:00 PM, since that's always been the local news. As a result, they air at least five less hours of primetime than CBS, ABC and NBC.
2) Money.
a) Ratings are actually fine, all things considered. They've slipped, but The Resident only trails the 9-1-1s in actual numbers. The Cleaning Lady was renewed with worse ratings, but that's because FOX co-produces it with Warner Bros. It's also much newer.
b) After six seasons, The Resident's getting more expensive to keep. Contracts need to be renegotiated, meaning salary. It's not a co-production, so that makes it easier to cancel. FOX pays Disney a licensing fee to air it. They can use lower ratings to argue the cost is too high.
Just look at what CBS did to Magnum P.I. They cancelled it, because they felt the licensing fee was too high, considering ratings had dropped. And, that's a co-production. While CBS is the lead production studio, NBC Universal actually owns the IP. That's why NBC saved it. Just like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, when FOX cancelled it after five seasons.
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It's happened before on popular shows.... Maybe another network will pick it up? Lonestar cracks me up. It's all about acceptance of all differences yet Texas is anything but, as far as gov goes. Just my opinion. I do enjoy both though. Personally I think they could have both medical shows going. It's still going to be expensive for Fox if the contracts are still in effect. They still have to pay them
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It better not. Fox is so wrapped up with what's going on with Trump so I blame him. The Resident is not on because of him 😂 Wow he just ruins everything now he's butting into my tv shows, it's not fair.
If The Resident does not come back I'm going to treat those fox people like a shark 🦈 and punch them in the nose. 😂🤣 How dare they take our show away!
Please hear us. Bring it back and you will have your high ratings, you'll see. Thanks.
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“Doc” sounds so predictable. I really have no desire to get to know another ensemble of medical personnel. I’m guessing the budget will be lower than paying the staff on The Resident with any raises for which they are eligible.
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Please don't cancel the residents I love that show I look forward to seeing it every week.. we need another season of the resident, not a new show
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The Resident is my favorite show. If it gets canceled I'm done with Fox. They always do this crap!
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The Resident is my Favorite show. Please don't cancel it. It's one of those shows that keep getting better with each season.
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Can you just stop!! Why do networks take away shows with great ratings and something that hasn’t been proven. “Stay with the devil you vs the devil you don’t know“. Please keep the Resident 🙏
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No!! We love The Resident!! I will not watch so called Doc!! Hell no!!!
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If the resident does not return, I will not watch the new show.
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Sounds like it's all about the Benjamin's. Established show actors get more money as long as the show goes on 💰
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It should not be the end of The Resident. Assuming the writers bring the same quality of content for another season, there is no reason 2 medical shows can't survive. We have how many fire station shows??
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My wife and I looked forward to watching " The Resident ". However we have grown weary of the five shows and wait six months format. Hard to maintain ratings when you disengage your audience like this. It was a great show but they never fully vested themselves.
Sorry Fox, but you screwed yourselves out of a winner.
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The ratings aren't actually the problem. They're stronger than most shows on FOX across the board. The Resident is 3rd in audience, trailing only 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star. While they're 8th in demo, there are four animated shows ahead of them. If you take out all of those animated shows, they're 4th in demo, behind 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star, and Accused.
The issue here is financial. Contracts are up after six seasons, The Resident is not owned by FOX, and salary renegotiations mean everyone is due for a raise. That means the licensing fee FOX pays to Disney is also up for renegotiation. If FOX thinks it's too high and Disney thinks otherwise, they have a tougher time reaching a deal. That's what happened with Magnum P.I. CBS couldn't reach a deal with NBC Universal, because they thought the licensing fee was too high, since ratings had slipped (not by much, though). NBCU already owns the IP, so they chose to save it by moving it over to NBC. They did the same thing with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, when FOX cancelled it after five seasons. CBS is still the lead production studio for Magnum P.I., but they no longer have to pay a licensing fee.
This is about money, not ratings. However, you're right about FOX screwing The Resident by constantly moving it around, forcing it into long hiatuses, and handing out variable episode counts. They've never promoted it well either, even when it first started.
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Resident is my show I will not be watching Doc good luck FOX
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I won’t be watching Doc. It sounds boring and predictable. The Resident has a great ensemble cast that people already care about. The stories are interesting and current. I think/hope you are making a huge mistake Fox.
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I read sometime ago that The Resident had been canceled.
It's so unfair to bring a new show on with the same background as the one the cancel
Keep The Resident.going it is one of the best shows on TV.
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I hardly watch network TV anymore and no idea about either of these shows
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Please renew THE RESIDENT it is a GREAT show we are vested and loyal fans. Please FOX listen to the FANS❗️
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I think it TOTALLY SUCKS if The Resident is cancelled. I've been watching it since the beginning. Truthfully I won't be watching the doc. There's enough crap on TV like that. Come on, keep The Resident.
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Thank you for what I already knew. Did you see the laughing emojis?
It was a joke ok? ✌️
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What? I'm not telling anyone what to say. Good lord, calm down.
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You attacked what I said that was not a reference to the show. Please leave me alone if I could block you I would. We're all entitled to our opinions. Bye!
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