Red Band Society Premiere Recap

The only ones not plagued by illness in the show are the supporting-cast adults, who also seem to be ripped right from the pages of a Glee script. The Mr. Schu counterpart is easy-on-the-eyes Dr. McAndrew (Dave Annable, seen above), who I'm certain is going to deliver some difficult diagnoses and life lessons a la Will Schuster. And Octavia Spencer as Nurse Jackson has the same bite as Jane Lynch's Sue Sylvester (her Starbucks cup is labeled "Scary Bitch"), but with a more visible soft side. We've even got a lovable Emma in the form of Nurse Brittany (Rebecca Rittenhouse).

But despite all its similarities, Red Band falters in one area that I thought Glee had down pat: balancing humor with the more serious life-issues stuff. Both the morbid jokes (Dash telling Nurse Brittany he's afraid to die a virgin, Kara trying to order a kale salad to her hospital room, Leo to Emma: "Why are you so skinny?") and the sentimental life moments (Leo to Jordi: "Your soul is you, and they can never cut into your soul") felt somewhat forced and abrupt. But to be fair, I know it can take a few episodes for a show to get its footing, so I'm willing to wait it out to see if both the balance and transitions become less clunky.

One thing the premiere nailed: Leaving me with several questions I want to see answered, including:

Will Dr. McAndrew be able to save Jordi's leg? How did Charlie end up in a coma? And what did his dad have to do with it? Will Kara get the heart transplant she needs? Why are all the hospital rooms enormous and nicer than most New York City apartments?

Those alone are plenty to keep me tuning in next week. The Glee parallels are a bonus right now—but I do hope the show finds its own identity (and soon).

So let's hear it—what did you think of Red Band Society? Thumbs up or down?