Zachary Quinto Is Delightful in NBC’s Mind-Bending Medical Drama ‘Brilliant Minds’: TV Review

Based on the real-life work of neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks and created by Michael Grassi, NBC‘s newest medical drama, “Brilliant Minds” follows Dr. Oliver Wolf (an enjoyable Zachary Quinto), an unorthodox physician hellbent on solving his patients’ neurological and mental health issues. Dr. Wolf’s methods often come at the expense of traditional protocols, and even his own personal well-being. While the series adheres to the formulaic case-centered cadence that has anchored the genre for decades, fascinating neurological mysteries, intricate character backstories and true advocacy for the human mind sustain the show as it struggles to find its rhythm.  

“Brilliant Minds” opens with Dr. Wolf going rogue. In a rather far-fetched scene, he jailbreaks an Alzheimer’s patient from the hospital before zipping the man away to a lavish wedding on the back of his motorcycle. Despite the implausible sequence of events, Dr. Wolf’s patience and diligence spark a few minutes of lucidity, enabling the elderly man to play the piano at the wedding and even recognize his granddaughter, if only briefly. Though he manages to give his patient and his family some moments of joy, it’s the final straw for the higher-ups, and Dr. Wolf is immediately terminated. 

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As the audience soon learns, this is all par for the course for Dr. Wolf. A loner and Luddite who has also been diagnosed with prosopagnosia, a.k.a. face blindness, Dr. Wolf seems content in his massive City Island home, surrounded by his books, weights and VHS tapes. However, when his best friend, Dr. Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry), tempts him with a new case and a position at Bronx General Hospital, Dr. Wolf is too enticed to turn it down. 

Overcrowded and lacking funding, Bronx General isn’t exactly the shiny glittering hospitals viewers are used to seeing on series like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Chicago Med.” Dr. Wolf has his own personal reasons for avoiding the health center, and since his condition makes it challenging for him to recognize faces without real effort, mentoring medical residents as an attending doctor isn’t exactly something he’s looking forward to. Because of Bronx General’s high turnover rate and a lack of oversight, residents Dr. Van Markus (Alex MacNicoll), Dr. Ericka Kinney (Ashleigh LaThrop), Dr. Jacob Nash (Spence Moore II) and Dr. Dana Dash (Aury Krebs) are enthusiastic about being under Dr. Wolf’s charge — yet aren’t quite prepared for the kind of chaos he brings. 

The first couple of episodes of “Brilliant Minds” are standard fare. Dr. Wolf tries to work within the structure of the hospital, and the interns attempt to keep up with his harebrained theories and plans of action. The cases — one following a young woman who doesn’t remember her children and another which centers on a woman who believes her body has died — are interesting enough, but the show doesn’t quite find its flow until Episode 3, “The Lost Biker.” In it, Dr. Wolf treats a patient who risks never making a new memory again. Revelations about Dr. Pierce and Bronx General’s head neurosurgeon, Dr. Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears), who isn’t thrilled with Dr. Wolf’s presence, are revealed, steering the series’ narrative in a different direction. 

Episode 6, “The Girl Who Cried Pregnant,” has one of the more interesting plots. When a group of pregnant teen girls turns up at Bronx General, Dr. Wolf and the residents find themselves on a strange path involving friendship bonds and the witchy side of TikTok (called WitchTok). Also, the audience slowly begins to observe who the interns are outside of the hospital walls. Like Dr. Wolf, the foursome have distinct stories and journeys that led them into the medical field (Dr. Markus’ past is particularly compelling).  

Though Dr. Wolf has some of the eccentricities of Dr. Gregory House from Fox’s long-running drama “House,” his compassion and care align more with the persona of Dr. Shaun Murphy of ABC’s “The Good Doctor.” Guided by his wealth of knowledge and intuition, Dr. Wolf offers the residents the opportunity to build their trust in themselves. The series also highlights the nuances of Dr. Wolf’s childhood, where In flashbacks we see a young boy ostracized for his neurological condition and sexuality. These scenes clearly illustrate how the events and traumas that shaped us in our earliest years affect who we are today.

The medical drama is one of network television’s most overdone and overblown genres. “Brilliant Minds” draws directly from Dr. Sacks’ work, but there are very few truly shocking cases depicted. Still, as more of Dr. Wolf’s childhood and upbringing are unveiled, and the interns grow closer, viewers may find themselves drawn to the show, wanting to discover what neurological anomaly the crew will tackle next.

“Brilliant Minds” premieres Sept. 23 on NBC, with new episodes airing weekly on Mondays.