Cranky nurses, anxious doctors, and administrators wrestle with the darkly comic, honest, and compassionate realities of caring for the elderly in a rundown hospital.Cranky nurses, anxious doctors, and administrators wrestle with the darkly comic, honest, and compassionate realities of caring for the elderly in a rundown hospital.Cranky nurses, anxious doctors, and administrators wrestle with the darkly comic, honest, and compassionate realities of caring for the elderly in a rundown hospital.
- Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys
- 1 win & 12 nominations total
Browse episodes
Featured reviews
I rarely contribute reviews. I felt compelled to add to the (mere!) 11 reviews posted.
This show is such a gem. It is genuinely funny, the cast is spot-on stellar, and it has a a heartfelt center (without being sentimental). Niecy Nash is a stand-out. She steels many of her scenes. I only know Alex Borstein from MadTV and family guy; she surprises here with really great acting chops. Her dead-pan delivery takes the humor up a level. Laurie Metcald is a hoot as the neurotic doctor. Her characterization is eerily cemented in reality (unfortunately).
I can't recommend this enough. I hope it gets a strong following and continues for a few more seasons.
This show is such a gem. It is genuinely funny, the cast is spot-on stellar, and it has a a heartfelt center (without being sentimental). Niecy Nash is a stand-out. She steels many of her scenes. I only know Alex Borstein from MadTV and family guy; she surprises here with really great acting chops. Her dead-pan delivery takes the humor up a level. Laurie Metcald is a hoot as the neurotic doctor. Her characterization is eerily cemented in reality (unfortunately).
I can't recommend this enough. I hope it gets a strong following and continues for a few more seasons.
If you are looking for Glitz and Glam, forget it.
If you appreciate the absurdity of every day living, you have found your home.
I adore Nurse Jackie, as the former poster noted that she liked, however if you can polish off that sheen you might find something that at least looks like real life here.
Easy to make exciting traumatic moments; it's a bit harder to convey the strength of emotion that stretches out when someone takes more than an episode to die.
I am believer of reality vs. fiction, and as quirky "Getting On" is, it is heads and shoulders above Nurse Jackie in realism. What a fantastic balance "Getting On" has struck.
It has a quiet "emergency"!
If you appreciate the absurdity of every day living, you have found your home.
I adore Nurse Jackie, as the former poster noted that she liked, however if you can polish off that sheen you might find something that at least looks like real life here.
Easy to make exciting traumatic moments; it's a bit harder to convey the strength of emotion that stretches out when someone takes more than an episode to die.
I am believer of reality vs. fiction, and as quirky "Getting On" is, it is heads and shoulders above Nurse Jackie in realism. What a fantastic balance "Getting On" has struck.
It has a quiet "emergency"!
Say what you like about "Getting On," it's not afraid to color outside the lines. Whether we end up liking the solid coal-black crayon smear that results is still up in the air, one of the reasons I hesitate to review any TV show barely a third of the way through Season 1.
There are no truly likable characters on this show. It doesn't make it that easy on us. Instead, it challenges us to find the humanity and the heart inside a team of geriatric care workers at a hospital that even sounds bottom-tier by its name. It's a behavior focused show: you can visibly see the hackles rising as the staff continually alternates between tip-toeing around and blatantly offending one another. Everyone has an agenda and none are very opaque.
It's been years since I worked in an office environment but this show makes me not miss it a bit. It's actually a bit too overwrought with angst, but then that's kind of taken into account when you learn that this particular ward is kind of like an Island of Misfit Toys --- virtually no one here is here by their own choice, except most notably Dawn (Alex Borstein, the voice of Family Guy's Lois Griffin without the RI accent), whose desperation is actually very touching. Most of us have met a Dawn or worked with one --- fanatical about her job because she has nothing else to focus on, reeling from personal disappointments, self-conscious to the point of cringe-inducement. Her self esteem is so low that, when confronted with a new male head nurse who is carting around some serious gay-repression baggage, she throws herself at him in the midst of being berated by him, hauls him to a bar, then goes down on him. As I said, this show isn't pandering to anyone. They don't seem to want your approval...they're almost seeking to repel it.
The always fine Laurie Metcalf plays an ambition-crazed medical director, whose self-opinion isn't any better than Dawn's, and Mel Rodriguez plays overbearing head nurse Patsy with enough fanatical PC self-righteousness to incite thousands of Ditto-heads to take assault weapons to their sets.
This leaves Niecy Nash as junior nurse Didi, for sympathy and pathos, though even her character can be amazingly dense and self-sabotaging. Nash plays her well, though, with an unaffected realism that may eventually make her the ace card in this series, if it can stay on the air long enough.
Personally, I don't want another Nurse Jackie. I don't want another St. Elsewhere or another E/R. All of those shows became very formulaic very quickly, after strong starts. They either ran out of ideas or just wanted to secure a long run by pandering to the lowest inoffensive denominator. Perhaps by going in the opposite direction, Getting On will keep us turning on. Time will tell.
I do know one thing though...my wife, who has worked in similar medical environments before couldn't stand the show. "It's too real," she told me. "I felt like I just got off a double shift at work in 30 minutes." So, health-care professionals, be forewarned.
There are no truly likable characters on this show. It doesn't make it that easy on us. Instead, it challenges us to find the humanity and the heart inside a team of geriatric care workers at a hospital that even sounds bottom-tier by its name. It's a behavior focused show: you can visibly see the hackles rising as the staff continually alternates between tip-toeing around and blatantly offending one another. Everyone has an agenda and none are very opaque.
It's been years since I worked in an office environment but this show makes me not miss it a bit. It's actually a bit too overwrought with angst, but then that's kind of taken into account when you learn that this particular ward is kind of like an Island of Misfit Toys --- virtually no one here is here by their own choice, except most notably Dawn (Alex Borstein, the voice of Family Guy's Lois Griffin without the RI accent), whose desperation is actually very touching. Most of us have met a Dawn or worked with one --- fanatical about her job because she has nothing else to focus on, reeling from personal disappointments, self-conscious to the point of cringe-inducement. Her self esteem is so low that, when confronted with a new male head nurse who is carting around some serious gay-repression baggage, she throws herself at him in the midst of being berated by him, hauls him to a bar, then goes down on him. As I said, this show isn't pandering to anyone. They don't seem to want your approval...they're almost seeking to repel it.
The always fine Laurie Metcalf plays an ambition-crazed medical director, whose self-opinion isn't any better than Dawn's, and Mel Rodriguez plays overbearing head nurse Patsy with enough fanatical PC self-righteousness to incite thousands of Ditto-heads to take assault weapons to their sets.
This leaves Niecy Nash as junior nurse Didi, for sympathy and pathos, though even her character can be amazingly dense and self-sabotaging. Nash plays her well, though, with an unaffected realism that may eventually make her the ace card in this series, if it can stay on the air long enough.
Personally, I don't want another Nurse Jackie. I don't want another St. Elsewhere or another E/R. All of those shows became very formulaic very quickly, after strong starts. They either ran out of ideas or just wanted to secure a long run by pandering to the lowest inoffensive denominator. Perhaps by going in the opposite direction, Getting On will keep us turning on. Time will tell.
I do know one thing though...my wife, who has worked in similar medical environments before couldn't stand the show. "It's too real," she told me. "I felt like I just got off a double shift at work in 30 minutes." So, health-care professionals, be forewarned.
All around, excellent. The writing and the amazing Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, Mel Rodriguez and Niecy Nash combine their talents to make this this dark, often hilarious HBO comedy succeed. It takes place in a dysfunctional seniors ward at a big city hospital. The supporting cast is also great (look for Ann Guilbert and June Squibb as two of the many beleaguered patients). Molly Shannon and Jean Smart also make funny cameos.
I'm not sure why this series, which was adapted from an English program, only ran three seasons. Too bad. We wanted more.
I'm not sure why this series, which was adapted from an English program, only ran three seasons. Too bad. We wanted more.
10zkiko
Amazing show. Realistic and nothing is more absurd, romantic, hilarious, painful and beautiful than reality. We dont have to go to hyperreality where everything is fake and robotic and generic in such a way that it creeps me out.Thats the reason shows like 'modern family, 'greys anatomy', 'House' and the list goes on and on , have way too many seasons, and gems like these get cancelled way too quick, same happened with 'party down' for example or 'hello ladies' Great shows, and amazing shows that just cant make it past a one season or two.
This simple yet intricate show is for the ones that are able to be human and feel. The ones that have a humane level of sense of humour and aren't passive idiots that want to be entertained in the most lazy way...spoonfed.
I keep watching the cancelled gems over and over. And because they are gems.. you can do that.
This simple yet intricate show is for the ones that are able to be human and feel. The ones that have a humane level of sense of humour and aren't passive idiots that want to be entertained in the most lazy way...spoonfed.
I keep watching the cancelled gems over and over. And because they are gems.. you can do that.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaNiecy Nash originally auditioned for the role of Dawn, but when reading the script, she was more interested in Didi, and asked to audition for the role. There was an initial resistance from the producers, but they finally let her do it and loved her so much, she won the role.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (2015)
- How many seasons does Getting On have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
