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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Emily Ashby

CHICAGO HOPE follows the tumultuous ups and downs in the personal and professional lives of the medical staff of a private charity hospital in the Windy City. Created by David E. Kelley (Boston Legal), the critically acclaimed series ran for six seasons and went through many cast changes during its run. Early episodes starred Mandy Patinkin as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon who struggled with his wife's mental incapacity; Hector Elizondo as Dr. Phillip Watters, whose personal life was also full of tragedy; and Adam Arkin as neurosurgeon Dr. Aaron Shutt, while later seasons featured new characters like recovering gambling addict Dr. Jack McNeil (Mark Harmon), straight-talking Dr. Billy Kronk (Peter Berg), charitable Dr. Dennis Hancock (Vondie Curtis-Hall), and heart surgeon Dr. Kate Austin (Christine Lahti). Each episode follows a handful of cases that raise tricky ethical questions for the doctors and nurses who treat them. And paralleling the medical drama are the soap opera-like storylines focusing on the cast's chaotic personal lives, which include homosexuality, addiction, family tragedy, and a virtual gridlock of love triangles.

Is It Any Good?

3

While it's not as gripping as its better-known counterpart, ER, Chicago Hope's strong character-based drama makes it fairly compelling -- though its mature content and occasional graphic trauma make it iffy for young teens.

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