The new Fox series, Red Band Society, premiered September 17th. Created by Emmy Award Nominated Margaret Nagle, Red Band Society follows the lives of teens in a pediatric ward of Los Angeles’ Ocean Park Hospital.
The story is told from the point of view of Charlie, played by Griffin Gluck, a boy in a coma who sees all, but is not conscious. Leo Roth, another key character played by Charlie Rowe, suffers from osteosarcoma, and has lost his leg as a result of it. Leo has his eye on Emma, played by Ciara Bravo, an anorexic teenage girl who is caught between two boys on the floor – Leo and Jordi. Jordi, played by Nolan Sotillo, is a Mexican teenager, who crossed the border in order to be treated for what he thought was osteosarcoma, but ends up being far worse than that. With no one at his side and being an emancipated minor, Jordi finds support through his new friends on the ward, which proves difficult when rivalry develops between Leo and him. Another friend, Dash, played by Astro, suffers from cystic fibrosis and plays the glue holding the crew together. The group meets a new face, Kara, played by Zoe Levin, who is used to being popular in her high school, but is in for a reality check when she faces the fact that she has an enlarged heart, and her partying days have led her to fail drug tests, putting her on the bottom of the list for a heart transplant. The struggles of these teenagers help them join together to find a moral support system and with the care of their beloved Nurse Jackson, played by Octavia Spencer, they find meaning in their lives at the hospital.
The roles that each actor takes on prove very believable, and the harsh truth that children all over the world are suffering from similar troubles pull on the heartstrings of viewers nationwide. The chemistry between each character is undeniable, and the nature that each character is ill leaves viewers on their toes. Constantly waiting for the next plot twist, or a new revelation of each characters’ pre-hospital history, leaves viewers wanting more. The love ties and normal teenage problems that the characters confront prove that these kids are far more than their disease – they do not crave sympathy for their diseases, they crave being treated like normal kids.
Watching the series unwind, and with each episode leaving off at a cliff hanger, viewers are compelled to countdown to the following Wednesday, when they can pick up right where they left off, and leave off at another cliff hanger that was expected yet dreaded – viewers want to know more and they do not want to leave off not knowing, but this simple strategy is what keeps viewers enthralled.
Red Band Society is in the midst of its first season, and is on every Wednesday at 9 pm on Fox. Catch up to keep up with the lives of these strong willed teens!
