‘Code Black’ Will Deliver a ‘Medical NASCAR’ Thrill Ride (VIDEO)

Medical NASCAR is how Luis Guzmán, who plays senior ER nurse Jesse Sallander, describes a code black situation, when patients exceed hospital staff in the ER. Just like there are “so many people in the pit, there are so many minutes in the ER to stabilize someone in the gurney before they’re off to the [operating room],” adds Marcia Gay Harden, who plays Sallander’s hard and reckless counterpart, Leanne Rorish.

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To make the show as authentic as possible, the cast and crew filmed in LAS+USC Medical Center, a historic L.A. county hospital. And the cast went through intensive medical bootcamp and shadowed real ER doctors at night. The show itself also has no glamour (so don’t look for soft Grey’s Anatomy lighting)—just grit and grime.

Watch the video above to meet the rest of the Code Black cast

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Code Black, premieres Wednesday, Sept. 30, 10/9c, CBS

Questions? Ask Critic Matt Roush!

TV critic (and occasional TV therapist) Matt Roush answers viewer questions and concerns in his Ask Matt column each week. Wondering about plots, characters and twists on your fave shows? Submit your query to Matt via the form below: