What makes a good EMS TV Show?

the Happy Medic

the Happy Medic

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We all know TRAUMA on NBC failed because of the unrealistic portrayal of EMS, but nothing else is portrayed realistically on TV, so what got us all so riled up?

There have been a number of neat EMS shows that failed, but I was wondering what you all think makes a good EMS TV Show.

Is it a ride along reality show, a sit com, a drama, good characters, cool system...
Something else?

How do you want to see EMS portrayed on TV?
 
I loved the Trauma show! I hated to see it go. However, my favorite one out right now is "Untold Stories of the ER". I must say some of the things on that show have happened to us exactly, or either something very close to it! I love the reality-based EMS shows...the ones that don't sugar-coat what happens in the field, and the ones that don't show just "before and after".
 
CoEMS.

Welcome to EMTLife Justin!
 
I kind of liked Trauma but most of the personal drama was not interesting or annoying. I disliked the subplot about the paramedic who really, really, really didn't like gay people.

I tried to watch a few episodes of Rescue Me and it was too crude for me to enjoy. It's currently on Netflix Instantplay if anyone else has been wanting to see it.

The odds of a show being good at drama and good at portraying EMS are very low; I'd rather watch a show like Untold Stories of the ER that focuses on portraying EMS well and read or watch something else for drama.
 
I really enjoyed Paramedics on TLC (Discovery?) a few years ago. It was along the lines of Trauma: Life in the ER on the same channel. IMHO, best show so far. It had realistic portrayals of our job, along with a few behind the scenes segments. Not everyone was a "Ilovemyjobit'sthebestjobintheworld" Pollyanna, but you could tell the ones who really enjoyed it, versus those who were just looking for a paycheck until The Next Big Thing came along.
 
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What makes a good EMS show? Well... start with a bromance between a Cali Fire/Medic and a UK Medic... :P

Welcome to EMTLife from Transportjockey! :)
 
Stories from EMS (EMERGENT Medical Services)

Aloha, Justin, e como mai (welcome!)

If I had the money, I'd do a show that has nothing to do with the system as it is.

First, I'd design a new EMT, a new Paramedic (both of whom are trained to act as Community Resource Specialists) within a new system (DONE: click here!)

The purpose would be to illustrate a WORKABLE vision for the future, one that really takes into consideration what medicine has become (the hypocricies, conflicts and pain it causes, all warped by corporate and legal directives), the human beings providing the services (their emotional, moral, psychic and spiritual lives -- as if medics REALLY TALKED TO EACH OTHER AND SUPPORTED EACH OTHER ABOUT THIS :censored::censored::censored::censored:!), and the patients (as if they were more than puzzles to be solved).

So the idea would be to show a brand new way of doing things IN ACTION, a Three-tiered system that helps people get to where they really need to get to instead of one destination, the ER.

But where I'd like to go from there is to introduce a conflict for THEM. I'd like to watch the story about how they, within this new system, want to change it even more so that the COMMUNITY as a whole takes more responsibility for their own, how they help to re-empower the "consumers" of health care, restrict the influence of corporate and legal cabals, and just for kicks, have people actually experiencing the true ebb and flow of life -- birth, changes, connection, suffering and death -- with EACH OTHER rather than acting as passive witnesses within the confines of the institution.

COPYRIGHT 2010, Russ Reina
 
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I honestly wouldn't care about the setting as long as it's interesting. I wouldn't expect an EMS based show to do depict the field 100% just as I don't expect House, ER, Chicago Hope, or any other medical show to do medicine justice.
 
I personally loved Trauma! I mean yes, it wasn't 100 percent accurate, but its a TV drama. They have to spice it up with love triangles and interesting characters in order to get the ratings from non-EMS viewers as well. And as the weeks went by, I believe each episode got a tiny bit better at portraying EMS. I'd like to see a new series much like Trauma in the future :D
 
Welcome to the boards! :P

Personally, I really enjoy the premise your running with CoEMS. Ya'll are doing an amazing job.

I'm not a huge fan of prime time drama television. Real life stories interest me more than anything.

I really enjoyed Paramedics on TLC (Discovery?) a few years ago. It was along the lines of Trauma: Life in the ER on the same channel. IMHO, best show so far. It had realistic portrayals of our job, along with a few behind the scenes segments. Not everyone was a "Ilovemyjobit'sthebestjobintheworld" Pollyanna, but you could tell the ones who really enjoyed it, versus those who were just looking for a paycheck until The Next Big Thing came along.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%

Although dated, Rescue 911 did a fairly decent job as well.
 
What about the show about the two medics from LA county the first show about EMS in the 70's you know the show with Johnny and Roy.
 
Trauma didn't fly because the female lead had no depth... she was a horrible actress and wasn't hot enough to compensate for her lack of acting skillz.

also, the story lines were way too incestuous... there weren't enough main characters to keep the audience's interest... the plots just kept going round and round the same five people and nothing ever HAPPENED in the lines of change or character development. there were simply not enough male/female leads to have any legit love stories go down.

the story lines had no depth. audience was never rewarded with any real character growth or development.

in a nutshell, trauma needed better writers.

look at house, nurse jackie, sopranos for examples of well written medical/drama styles that would fly for an EMS type show base example...
 
also, if you're looking for a cheap yet highly watchable and addictive EMS show, some sort of elimination/survivor type thing... an EMS apprentice almost... i bet that would be popular.

have them all live in a house, go through a preceptorship and get voted off. they can do medical terminology competitions, c-spine physical challenges, put NPAs up their noses .... yuk yuk

reality shows aren't nuanced and they surely aren't going to win respect with the hoi polloi, however they get mad eyeballs and hella ratings. think America's next top model... for paramedic students... or something along those lines.
 
i would have to say something along the lines of cops with a camera crew following every move.
 
I like the old reality shows back in the "eighties!" I remember watching Emergency when I was a kid on Friday nights. I knew then that I wanted be be a medic. The good old days!:rolleyes:
 
the Happy Medic said:
We all know TRAUMA on NBC failed because of the unrealistic portrayal of EMS, but nothing else is portrayed realistically on TV, so what got us all so riled up?
Click to expand...
It did not fail because of an unrealistic portrayl of EMS. It failed because nobody watched it. The general public and TV execs don't care about authenticity.

A realistic portrayal of EMS would bore people to death. How many intoxes and repeat medical emergencies before people change the channel? There is only so many asthma attacks people can watch.

HIPPA will make it hard to do a COPS style EMS show. Trauma: Life in ER type shows aren't done anymore for that reason.

An EMS show like RENO 911 might get ratings but everyone here would complain it doesn't portray the professionalism of EMS very well.
 
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EMERGENCY!!!!!

Squad 51, this is Rampart. Can you send us some EKG?
 
I think trauma failed because every week it was some major insane crisis happening. I mean really what city has a plane crash, followed by a boat crash - with a baby being borned in a helicopter, followed by a bridge collapse? And where are all the super hot EMT guys wanting to have sex in the back of the ambulance?! How come I never got to work with them!



My fav has always been Trauma life in the ER on TLC, I love that one. And I loved 3rd watch on NBC, it was a cop/fire/EMS show but I enjoyed that. I do like Rescue Me but I just dont have the time for that right now.

It its a fictional show, make it real, make it outside of NY, and keep away from the cliches. I hate when Im watching a show and I can guess either the next line or where the plot is going.

If its a reality based, Trauma life in the ER got it best, Just follow them around and have the explain whats wrong. As much as I would love to see something like that for EMS the whole patients have rigths thing gets in the way.
Stupid patient rights :P
 
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