Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2010-11 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at ABC's short lived medical drama Off the Map!
The Details:
Premiered: January 12, 2011 on ABC
Starring: Jonathan Castellanos, Valerie Cruz, Caroline Dhavernas, Jason George, Zach Gilford, Mamie Gummer, Martin Henderson, Rachelle Lafevre
Created by: Jenna Bans
What I Thought Then:
"Overall, it's an ordinary show in an extraordinary setting."
"Some of the dialogue felt forced and some parts were cliche for a melodramatic medical show."
"If they can get the dialogue and cases to be as imaginative as the setting and scenery, it could be a good show."
"Simply transplanting Grey's Anatomy to South America will not work for this show. It has potential, but it's not there yet."
What Others Said:
"This enjoyable series... is sort of Doctors Without Borders - who are also without too many clothes." - Tom Gliatto, People Magazine
"You might think the title means the show hasn't quite found its path yet. You'd be right. But it's got a shot to get there, with an engaging ensemble cast and a novel premise that could prove useful." - David Hinckley, New York Daily News
"So what we have here is another show in which pretty, mildly tortured people perform deeds of medical derring-do while trying to figure out how they, and various parts of their individual anatomies, might fit together." - Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News
"Everything is all up in your grill. The touching moments aren't just touching, they're mauling. The life lessons aren't just suggested, they're shouted at you." - Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe
"In practice, Off the Map plays like a rote example of "It's _______, but set in ________!" school of programming, in which the background is much more interesting than the foreground." - James Poniewozik, Time Magazine
What I Think Now:
I wasn't a big fan of Off the Map back in 2011 but it especially bothered me now in the era of The Pitt. While I still think the idea of an exotic location medical show is a good idea, there was nothing that set this show apart from the myriad failed medical dramas before and after this show. The location is not enough to set it apart unfortunately because it hits all the tropes: the cocky doctor, the personal traumas, the heart-tugging story of a patient and his deceased wife. Now, The Pitt was not immune to some of these tropes. There are certain things every medical drama is susceptible to. But to see how organically it can fit into a story on The Pitt, it's frustrating to see it in a "check the boxes" kind of way. Even Chicago Med has more inventiveness than Off the Map did in its pilot. The performances were forgettable across the board. Zach Gilford, who was fresh off Friday Night Lights at the time, was especially disappointing and it looked like he didn't even want to be there. Only guest star Michael McKean made any sort of real impression. This was a big miss for me.
What Happened to the Show:
Off the Map premiered at an interesting time. Grey's Anatomy was still going strong and this was from Shondaland (Jenna Bans created the show with Shonda Rhimes as an executive producer). But it was sort of in-between Grey's being a breakout hit and Scandal cementing the Shonda brand for a time. On top of that, this was before the TGIT days so ABC did not air Off the Map before or after Grey's or Private Practice. It was sent to Wednesdays at 10pm, a slot that had already not been kind that season to The Whole Truth and was a problem for several seasons prior with shows like Eastwick and Happy Town. The series premiere aired on an unusual night that had part of the evening preempted by a President Obama speech following the Gabby Giffords shooting in Tucson so ABC aired ten minutes of repeats of The Middle and Modern Family as part of the night. The show received poor reviews (49 on Metacritic) and premiered to mild numbers and it never got better from there. It lasted through the spring but was cancelled after 13 episodes. It doesn't frequently get mentioned in the Shondaland pantheon.
Final Episode: April 6, 2011
Episode Count: 13
Where to Watch: Available for purchase on YouTube, Prime Video and DVD
I'm excited to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide! You can read my regular work at Benjamonster's TV!
