Parents' Guide to Emily Owens, M.D.

So . . . a fresh-faced group of interns encounter professional and personal challenges during their first year as M.D.s, often exacerbated by simultaneously navigating tricky social relationships with their new coworkers. If the plot sounds familiar, then you must be a Grey's Anatomy fan. So much of this show is borrowed from Grey's -- even down to the voice-over narrative from the titular female character and her outspoken sidekick -- that it's impossible to watch without drawing comparisons between the two shows. And if you do that, you'll find this one lacking in the sensational action and gripping medical cases that Grey's boasts.

Happily, though, Emily Owens, M.D. makes a minor but crucial adjustment to the plot's direction that makes it a more appropriate choice for the teen set. It's not often that a serious drama states up front that it's making a commentary on high-school social dynamics, but this one does, and by casting the stereotypical players ("in" crowd, mean girls, jocks) as adults, it better spotlights the fallout of their actions on those around them, in particular a semi-outsider named Emily Owens. It's impossible not to like Emily and to feel for her when she's at the heart of cruel rumors or mean-spirited pranks, and because this show raises these issues in such an unusual manner (and with so little iffy content in the mix), the messages have the potential to reach their teen targets more effectively.