Doctor's Diary

Once more, screenwriter Bora Dagtekin shows his talent in up-to-date comedy series. The premise of "Bridget Jones as a doctor", including all her love- and family-problems, is brought to life with a good set of believable characters, unexpected twists and very emotional story lines that make you laugh and cry at the same time. The flashbacks into the 1980s add a very nice "La Boum"-touch. The second season promises even more fun than the first, seeing how the actors really seem to have grown into their roles. Florian David Fitz' portraying of Marc has never been so likable, while still getting across all his popular-boy-arrogance. Kai Schumann's sad-eyed Mehdi is heart-wrenching, and Diana Amft as protagonist Gretchen Haase is invariably cute, however absurd the situation she finds herself in. It is to be hoped that the series will continue for more than two seasons.

Edit: Impressions after the pilot for season 3

The actors are invariably great in their roles, especially Diana Amft as Gretchen and Florian David Fitz as Marc. Their work gets harder, though, since the screenwriters have increasing difficulty in juggling the story lines of quite a lot of characters. Dagtekins roots in soap opera writing becomes way too evident in the improbable events around a pandemia (I have never seen a hospital less organized or doctors less concerned with their patients' welfare) and the rather far-fetched attempt to dispose of Alexis von Buren (Steffen Groth), Gretchen's new husband. I would have liked to see more comedy stem from the main characters' inner struggle with their feelings and less effort to steer events in a certain way. Let's hope this was just a problem of the pilot.