I was treated to a screening of the first two episodes of the new Showtime series Nurse Jackie a few days ago and holy crap, I think I have to add a new favorite show to my list. Already a staunch follower of Dexter, which led to my subsequent obsession with the book series on which it is based, the last thing I need is another awesome show to add to my list of things to watch. Alas, Edie Falco delivers such a great performance in Nurse Jackie, that I have no other choice.
Nurse Jackie is a classic anti-hero and Falco tears into the role with quick wit, a close-cropped haircut and convincing pathos in the spirit of any great compelling-yet-morally-flawed television character. Those tend to be my favorites. After spending years playing the frustrated mafia wife to James Gandolfini’s perpetually unfaithful Tony Soprano, it surely must be a refreshing turn for Falco to flex her acting muscles and get a chance to be the one who gets to be naughty.
And it’s quite an acting muscle indeed. I already was impressed by her turn on 30 Rock as the polished politician engaged in a romantic relationship with Alec Baldwin, which revealed her comedic timing and ability to transform herself so easily out of the Carmela Soprano persona she’d conveyed so convincingly for so long. In her new Showtime series, Falco reveals that she’s more than just a skilled supporting character actress and in fact, I’ll be very curious to see what this first season holds for Nurse Jackie.
It’s worth mentioning that the entire cast of the show plays a charming array of supporting characters. Each one, from the doe-eyed first year nursing student who finds herself alternately throwing up and attempt to win over her coworkers with muffins, to the impeccably dressed female doctor with whom Jackie shares a close friendship, hint at some promising storylines down the road.
My personal favorite is Peter Facinelli, who plays a hapless doctor with an uncanny talent for diagnosis that is overshadowed by his nervous tic of acting out in inappropriate sexual advances when exposed to stress and his determination to maintain an uber-cool “Hey bro” persona. Between his role as Dr. Carlisle in Twilight film series and his new gig on Nurse Jackie, prepare to see lots of him in a lab coat over the next few years—and to love it.
Nurse Jackie premieres on Showtime on June 8 at 10:30 PM.
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