Fans of the beloved period medical drama Call the Midwife are being directed to another historical series that has been described as an 'absolute masterpiece' by viewers. The Knick, which aired from 2014 to 2015 on Cinemax, chronicles the staff of a fictionalized version of a real early 1900s hospital in New York City.
Plot and Characters
The series centers on Dr. John W. Thackery, played by Clive Owen, and the personnel at the Knickerbocker Hospital. Dr. Thackery is the newly appointed head of the surgical team, loosely inspired by real-life physician Dr. William Stewart Halsted, a pioneer in surgery who struggled with cocaine and morphine addiction. The show depicts the constraints faced by surgeons and nurses of the era, including racial tensions as a Harvard-educated Black American surgeon fights for recognition among an all-white hospital staff.
Critical Acclaim and Fan Reactions
Fans have flocked to IMDb to praise the series. One reviewer called it an 'absolute masterpiece,' adding: 'The casting for this show deserves applause for hiring Clive Owen as Dr. Thackery. Mr. Owen is the only man who can play that role in its two outer ends, a clever doctor and a cocaine addict, switching between these ends sometimes in one single scene!' Another fan wrote: 'It's the best series out there! You must watch it. Right after the first episode I was sold. In two days time I finished the whole first season.' A third comment from when the show first aired stated: 'Can't get enough! It is extraordinary in so many ways.' A fourth viewer shared: 'Acting and directing at its finest. Magnificent, a true masterpiece.'
Production History and Future
Despite its acclaim, Cinemax axed the series in March 2017, leading fans to campaign for a revival. In 2020, director Steven Soderbergh revealed that a new season was in development and a pilot had been written. In 2023, creator and writer Jack Begler confirmed a spin-off series was still in the works, with the pilot set in 1919 Harlem. The actual Knickerbocker Hospital in New York City was established in 1862 as a temporary Civil War tent facility and later became known for treating poor and immigrant patients.
The Knick is available to stream on HBO Max.
