Medical drama of 'Crossing' the fall season champ

By Jennifer Fogel

Daily TV/New Media Editor

At the beginning of every new TV season, producers and networks pray that they will find themselves with a hit show. Most seasons this dream seems far fetched. But this season a winner has been declared. ABC's "Gideon's Crossing" can only be hailed as a light in the darkness of the television void.

Starring Emmy winner Andre Braugher, "Gideon's Crossing" chronicles the life of Dr. Ben Gideon, chief of experimental medicine at a prestigious Boston teaching hospital. Dr. Gideon divides his attentions between physically treating patients with unorthodox methods and becoming emotionally involved in his patients' lives. Gideon relies on his intuition and tries to instill the value of becoming a doctor to his residents and interns. He strives to overcome racial and metaphorical black and white boundaries, refusing to give up the good fight.

The premiere episode finds Gideon reluctantly treating Kirk (played brilliantly by Bruce McGill), a rich, racist man stricken with an untreatable cancer. Kirk begs Gideon for help, offering him anything from money to his first-born. Consistently told not to take the case, Gideon refuses and eventually finds himself with a miracle.

To say that "Gideon's Crossing" is a great show would be understatement. Braugher is his usual amazing self, playing Ben Gideon with grace and ease. He is supported by a wonderfully diverse cast that includes Ruben Blades as Ben's best friend and Russell Hornsby as Chief Resident Boies. The storylines are dramatic and fun to explore. Unlike "ER," "Gideon's Crossing" focuses on two or three patients instead of countless nameless faces, giving the viewer a chance to become emotionally involved with each. In the end, we can be as confused or upset as the doctors. The premiere of "Gideon's Crossing" will be air tonight commercial-free. It will regularly appear on Wednesday nights on ABC at 10-11pm.