A Young Doctor's Notebook

Name: A Young Doctor's Notebook
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: December 6, 2012
Rating: 82

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Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews

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Series Details & Credits

SKY | Ovation TV | Sky Arts 1 | Sky Arts | Release Date: December 6, 2012

Summary: A doctor (Jon Hamm) recalls his time a small Russian village in 1917 and gives advice to his younger self (Daniel Radcliffe) in this black comedy series based on short stories by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama

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Critic Reviews

Sonia Saraiya

Aug 19, 2014

Season 2 Review: Fortunately, it continues to be fascinating. Read full review

Jacob Shamsian

Aug 13, 2014

Season 2 Review: Notebook showcases Radcliffe's gift for deadpan humor, while Jon Hamm plays the doctor's older self with melancholy gravity, warning him off the dope. [22/29 Aug 2014, p.100] Read full review

Curt Wagner

Oct 2, 2013

Season 1 Review: Believe it or not, that stomach-turning gore is part of this four-part gem's charm. A Young Doctor's Notebook gets the balance between tragedy and comedy just right. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Oct 2, 2013

Season 1 Review: The scenes in which the older and younger versions interact, with Hamm counseling and cajoling the panicked and miserable Radcliffe as a Ghost of Torment to Come, crackle with a surreal bite.... Not for the squeamish, Notebook is worth bookmarking if you've an adventurous streak. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

Oct 2, 2013

Season 1 Review: The show may be for niche tastes, but it doesn't overstay its welcome and it manages to go to some demented and surprisingly emotionally places. And then it's done. Read full review

Mike Hale

Oct 2, 2013

Season 1 Review: It’s polished, manic, funny and a bit thin; visually, it’s like a toned-down version of the comic-book expressionism of Terry Gilliam.... The two actors are wonderful in their scenes together. Read full review

Mary McNamara

Oct 2, 2013

Season 1 Review: The tone may veer a bit wildly from grim to hilarious for an American audience's taste, but once Hamm and Radcliffe settle into their roles (and Hamm into his accent), it could very well live up to its U.K. rep and provide Ovation with some skin in the game. Read full review

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FilipeNeto

Aug 8, 2020

I'm not given to watch series or mini-series, but sometimes I give them a chance. And I was very happy to have done that with this mini-series of two seasons, each one with four short episodes. It was very slightly based on tales, deeply sarcastic and a little self-biographical, by MikhailI'm not given to watch series or mini-series, but sometimes I give them a chance. And I was very happy to have done that with this mini-series of two seasons, each one with four short episodes. It was very slightly based on tales, deeply sarcastic and a little self-biographical, by Mikhail Bulgakov, a very little-known Russian author who graduated in medicine and became a deeply critical voice to the Russian communist regime, characteristics that we can see very well in this series.

The series focuses on the figure of Dr. Vladimir Bomgard, a young doctor recently graduated from the best medical school in the Russian Empire, with an academic curriculum to make anyone envious, but who is sent to run a hospital in the middle of the Siberia in 1917, months before the outbreak of the Russian Revolution. In addition to missing the civilized world that Moscow represents, the young doctor will have to face the rivalry of his predecessor's memory, the late Leopold Leopoldovich, forcing him to fight to establish himself and be accepted. At the same time, we will see events that take place decades later, when the already prestigious Dr. Bomgard is investigated by the communist authorities and will reread the pages of his youth diary. On a mental journey, the mature doctor goes back to the past in order to confront or help his younger self in the difficulties he went through, especially his terrible addiction to morphine.

The series is very good, despite its dark and deeply sarcastic humour that, decidedly, does not please all audiences. Many people will consider it simply barbaric or even in bad taste. Each episode reveals how inhuman medicine could have been a little over a hundred years ago, in a place where everything was lacking to the point of a doctor, no matter how good his intentions might be, compared himself to a butcher. I also liked the way in which ego and alter-ego argued and sometimes fought, as the mature doctor tries to prevent the young doctor from making mistakes or being, simply, an insensitive idiot.

The cast is dominated by Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm, in the role of the two versions of the main character. Radcliffe is perfect for his character and knows very well how to be sarcastic and cruel without letting that stop us from sympathizing with his character. On the other hand, Hamm is not so uniform... if in the first season he shows rudeness in the things he says and in the brutal and insensitive way in which he faces reality, but in the second season he will prove to be more sensitive and palatable. From the supporting cast, I would particularly highlight the good performances of Adam Godley and Rosie Cavaliero. I also liked Margaret Clunie's in the second season.

Technically, its a series that does not stand out. It has a good cinematography and makes good use of excellent sets and period costumes. I thought that the character Natasha's costume was beautiful, but also something imaginative and unlikely, as the character is too elegant and well dressed for an aristocrat who has lost everything and is fleeing her country. CGI images, in particular the landscapes, did not seem very realistic. The soundtrack, in turn, is really good, is in the ear and has a sound that really reminds us of Russia and Russian culture.… Expand

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Seasons & Episodes

82

Series Overview
Season 2

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- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: November 21, 2013
- No episode information is currently available for this season
Season 1

79
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: December 6, 2012