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Brother Nate has to die at some point. When he does, Grace’s only two concerns in breaking her agreement are the anger of the mob and their inevitable threats of blackmail for previous services rendered. There isn’t a lot of conflict that would exist beyond those issues. This is problematic, which guarantees that Nate lives a lot longer than the average man who pisses off the mafia. Desiring a relatively pure character as the heart of the series negates a lot of the promised intent of the title, The Mob Doctor.

In watching the pilot, I quickly hit upon the second issue with the series. This problem is much larger than Grace’s ambivalent working agreement. In order for the show’s premise to be maintained, a key element has to come into play each week. A mobster has to get sick or injured. Yes, I realize that this is a danger pay profession. Even so, the storyline options are far too finite for serial television.

There are maybe eight mobsters shown in the pilot. In a 22 episode season, not only would all of them have to get sick at least once but 14 new people would also need to be introduced who would also suffer various maladies. In order for The Mob Doctor to be a functional program, every member of the Chicago Mafia would have to get shot at least once. And after about the seventh gunshot surgery, the concept would lose its luster. The Mob Doctor sets the bar too low and thereby artificially reduces its options.

What is good about the pilot? Veteran thespian William Forsythe has graduated to the role of retired Mafioso after a solid career of movie villainy. Yes, the episode telegraphs the inevitable swerve that his character, Constantine, will inevitably wind up running Chicago. In spite of this, he is still disarming as a caged tiger awaiting that special moment when the zookeeper lowers his guard.

There is also a clever bit of stunt casting. Michael Rappaport occasionally accepts guest roles on television. Were he to anchor a program, most of the publicity for the series would be focused upon him. Since this is not the case with The Mob Doctor, there is an unmistakable conclusion about his character’s fate. The pilot for The Glades used a respected character actor in a similar capacity to sandbag the viewer with a tremendous swerve. With The Mob Doctor, the results are much less satisfying.

Rappaport’s character is the one who owns Nate and thereby Grace. He plays the role with a smug confidence that all but screams that a comeuppance is coming soon. To Forsythe’s credit, he still manages to create a satisfying moment wherein he regains the power he had once held. Simultaneously, he breaks his friend Grace’s heart by establishing that she works for him from that point forward.

This is the final frustration I have with The Mob Doctor. Constantine and Grace are such good friends that she leans on him for words of wisdom. Her actions in the pilot directly lead to his consolidation of power after years away from the business. Shouldn’t he be thankful enough that this has happened that he absolves her of the debt? The answer is obviously yes but in that scenario, there is no second episode of The Mob Doctor.

I mentioned earlier that a series works best when it demonstrates a good combination of creativity and marketability. A program that combines mob mythology with medical drama sounds great in theory. A deeper consideration of the struggles the program would face reveals exactly what has been stated above. There is too much suspension of disbelief required for the medical mystery of the week. There are also not enough warm bodies in the greater Chicago area’s mob to evoke continued interest in the series. In the end, The Mob Doctor is better served dying a quick death so that its cast members can find new work in a show with greater growth potential.

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