Simply A Masterpiece

One of my all time favorites.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

(Summary of Review at end) Originally as what (i believed) was supposed to be a medical version of Burn Notice, Royal Pains developed into something much different. It lasted much longer than most would have guessed. Make no mistake, the show is consistently high quality and appeals to a wide arrange of viewers.I'll start off with the bad parts: RP rarely steps out and takes large leaps. It struggles to hit high points and take on really emotional or dramatic ideas. Cheesy, overused scenarios and dialogue occurs frequently. The show lets go/resolves it's strongest plot changes early on and can become dry. Royal Pains fills its cast up with strong recurring characters, but decides to throw them into the wayside too early, and dedicates too much to it's secondary main characters lives (Examples: Jill becomes borderline annoying in the early seasons, and Divya's dry backstory and predictable future occupies 1/3-1/2 of the story for most of the show after season 3). Some of the things that I believe that they could have definitely pulled off for longer and improved the show with (MILD SPOILER WARNING): Making Boris' disease more of the main plot and having Hank deal with that aside from his daily work, making the antagonists last throughout the series to spice up the plot (aka Hank's concierge competition), and having recurring characters from past seasons be more involved with the end.Even though it seems as if I just put the show on blast, these things do not destroy the show or even really hurt it much at all. They just end up limiting the potential of what was a very good initial plot/pitch.Before you give up on me, let me touch on the good parts of this show. Ultimately, the thing about this show is that it is a complete optimistic and joyous experience. It is not only entertaining, but will leave you smiling often and looking forward to enjoy the next lighthearted experience that the characters bring ever episode. Mark Feuerstein (Hank) and Paulo Castanzo (Evan) are incredible throughout the entirety of the series. The characters grow immensely. They are charming and actually feel like family, creating a more homey experience for the viewer. The additions of Henry Wrinkler (Eddie Lawson) was somewhat predictable, but overall brightens up the show a lot more. Other main characters like Dr. Scani, Paige, Boris, and Raj were all very positive points to the show. Recurring characters like Tucker, Keller, and Newberg are also very important in creating the optimism that makes this show what it is. The show's ending, although very predictable, is very satisfying and Disney-like, leaving it's viewers (including myself) happy. Medical scenarios, terminology, procedures, etc. are all very well done (not on the same league as many other med dramas, but nonetheless solidly true). Hank actually really feels and acts like a legitimate, likable physician as well.RP would have much been much better off keeping it's season 1 formula (Burn Notice-esque) with a new case every episode with Boris' disease being the main plot, slowly worked on throughout each episode, but ended up with a different tone that is still very satisfying.SUMMARY: Royal Pains is a light, positive, and consistently high quality production that will leave you happy and entertained. It's dry plot, missed opportunities, and lack of emotional/dramatic scenarios is what holds it back from being a top notch show. Mark Feuerstein (Hank Lawson) excels every single episode and is largely responsible for the success of this show. Undoubtedly a worthy watch.

I binge watch this show over and over again. I loved it the first time I watched it and now I am watching it from the pilot for the 5th time. I will never not love this show. The laughs are there and so is the drama. Some problems seem to be too easily diagnosed but it is still fun to watch.

Some of my other recent picks would be Nurse Jackie and Nip and Tuck. Thus far we are into season 5, and have developed a strong interest in the characters. I'd say that The Hamptons must be one of the most unhealthy places to live given the frequency of rare diseases - however they are luckily nipped in the bud by the good doctor and team. Hank, Evan, Divia are the core of the solid cast. Henry Winkler is fabulous as the father. The back story of Boris is thus far a constant and developing, as are the amorous relationships of the core cast members (not among the cast members yet). The new "nerdy" doctor is a welcome addition whose social ineptness plays well against the stellar social and communication skills of the others. At this point the stars seem to be bringing him and Divia together but it remains to be seen if they collide and explode!The settings is amazing, and the acting excellent - we look forward to each episode. The frequency of patients falling down and convulsing does get a bit hilarious at times - but I guess that's part of its charm, and doesn't detract from it's top standing in my mind.

This is a very charming series unfortunately without much depth of plot or character development. Anyone stepping onto a ladder will inevitably fall and lapse into a seizure requiring complex emergency medical treatment. Once a character has been stabilized, they will subsequently be diagnosed with a rare disease and will eventually be cured after suffering numerous heart attacks, more seizures, various bacterial infections and so on. Almost no one dies.The show is mostly ruined by Paulo Costanzo as "Evan". I don't know if Castanzo's mother is the producer, but the show gave him way to many scenes in exchange for his contribution to the series, which is a minus nothing. Constanzo "infects" mostly every scene with his distracting lack of talent. Costanzo's "humor" is a hybrid mix of Seinfeld and Pee-wee Herman, both of which Costanzo channels in virtually every scene. Costanzo's delivery and timing are predictably predictable and downright annoying. Just as Evan annoys the characters in the show, similarly he annoys the audience with his predictable, unfunny antics, stupid facial expressions, using too many words, and childish Pee-wee manic behavior.Here is my prescription. To enjoy the show you need to edit out Evan. When you see Evan entering a scene in one of his little pastel suits, and silly hat du jour, together with his little, puffy pee-we pout -- quickly FAST FORWARD through the entire scene until he is gone. Trust me, you will have missed nothing.