Chicago Hope

An engrossing, emotional drama full of intriguing characters. [15 Sep 1994]

The characters in "Hope" are slightly more interesting [than those in "ER"]. Even though they are working in a high-powered hospital and have God-like powers, you can see what's going on behind their masks beyond their eyes. [18 Sep 1994]

Intelligent, fleet, emotionally complex and lightly dusted with Kelley's celebrated sense of the absurd, this is the best hospital show since St. Elsewhere.

In its pilot episode, Chicago Hope looked smart but trite — Trapper John, M.D. with book-learnin'. ... [But David E.] Kelley's writing in [the second] episode is worth any number of Picket Fences.

By telling one or two stories well, from beginning to end, "Chicago Hope" gets a tighter grip on the viewer's emotions [than "ER"]. [22 Sep 1994]

It is exciting and involving; its leads are charismatic; and most of all, it feels fresh. [18 Sep 1994]

Like St. Elsewhere grafted onto L.A. Law, this is in the slick but endangered tradition of ensemble dramas showing heroes on the cutting edge of their vocation while personal lives entangle and unravel. [16 Sep 1994]

Attains often-sublime lucidity by its second episode. [16 Sep 1994]

With Chicago Hope, Kelley demonstrates again that he can create memorable characters quickly and plunge them into arresting situations. [17 Sep 1994]

Chicago Hope is an affecting, involving series solidly anchored by Mr. Patinkin. [18 Sep 1994]

Elevate[s] the state of TV drama with fine writing, convincing acting and compelling stories. [16 Sep 1994]

Bristling with promise. [17 Sep 1994]

Those who have seen "Picket Fences" should have a good idea about what "Hope" offers: moral crisis and guilt trips. [18 Sep 1994]

Kelley has a great gift for establishing his plots quickly, and for bringing them to powerful conclusions. Like '[L.A.] Law' and '[Picket] Fences,' however, 'Hope' is an oddly self-contained universe -- despite the show's reliance on social issues, it's hard to imagine any of these people actually functioning in the real world. [17 Sep 1994]

Down deep, however, this is the old, highly workable stuff, tidily refurbished. [12 Sep 1994]

The doctors of Chicago Hope Hospital, a gleaming surgical palace with all the cutting- edge gizmos, tend to pontificate. [18 Sep 1994]

Very slick and very shiny, full of impassioned confrontations and noble utterances. [17 Sep 1994]

It's a self-important but frequently entertaining mix of Ben Casey melodrama and St. Elsewhere-style modernism.

Glimmers of good acting peep through this maze of melodrama. Yet "St. Elsewhere" practiced more interesting medicine, and Kelley's Emmy-laden "Picket Fences" is bolder and more likable. More significant, so is "ER."