TV Heartbeat Review! Who’s joining the Red Band Society? Laughter and Tears from the New Show!! Enter our Red Band Society Giveaway!
The people have spoken! Red Band Society is one of the most anticipated new shows of the season by TV Heartbeat readers! Good choice people!
Pop culture goes through various phases, right? Vampires, zombies, dystopian futures and now, laughing while enduring terminal illnesses. Strange that it’s such a popular topic, but with The Fault in Our Stars, Chasing Life and now Red Band Society, embracing life is making a comeback.
And that’s the theme at the heart of Red Band Society – living, laughing and enjoying life.
Red Band Society takes place in a hospital where terminally ill teens take up residence in the pediatric ward of Ocean Park Hospital to maintain their medical treatment. As different as they are, they bond together and use the red hospital wristbands as a symbol of their friendship. Produced by Steven Spielberg, the pilot does a great job of setting the tone (very tricky!) and introducing us to some of the characters and setting up the greater story for the show.
There’s Kara, the tough, mean-girl cheerleader (played by Zoe Levin) who is recently admitted to the hospital
Charlie (Griffin Gluck), the boy in a coma who narrates (yes, he narrates from a coma!)
Emma (Ciara Bravo), the overachiever anorexic
Leo (Charlie Rowe), the long-term resident
Jordi (Nolan Sotillo), the new guy and Leo’s new roommate
Dash (Astro aka Brian Bradley), the other dude who we don’t get to know much about yet (there’s only so much they can cover in a pilot!)
This motley group is watched over by tough-tender Nurse Jackson (Octavia Spencer)…
…and a brilliant doctor (Dave Annable).
What you may not expect in a show featuring terminally ill kids is the humor. The tone is similar to Glee’s snarkiness, but with a tad less cynicism and more authenticity. There’s tons of drama inherent in the story so there are plenty of emotional moments, but they’re balanced by the humor so they are not so saccharine.
Red Band Society is definitely a show worth watching! Carve it into your Wednesday night schedule and tune into Fox!
To celebrate its premiere, I’m giving away an awesome Red Band Society shirt (medium) and a four Red Band Society rubber bracelets so you can start your own group (terminal illnesses not required!!).
To enter, comment on which character you think might be your favorite and use the rafflecopter below! The contest begins now and ends on September 25th!
Stay tuned!
Comment below or email me at Erica@MikeTheFanboy.com
For more adventures, follow me on twitter: @Cambear
About The Author
The Lovely Erica
I'm a geek girl, TV watcher, avid book reader, TV/movie extra, foodie, avid pop culture con goer and so much more... Find me on Twitter (@Cambear) or email me at Erica@mikethefanboy.com
-
24Contest Time! Win The Huntsman: Winter’s War! The Chris Hemsworth Action Epic Hits Blu-ray August 23rd! -
22Contest Time! It’s 5:00 o’clock somewhere! Win MA On Blu-ray Combo Pack! The Killer Hit Heads Home September 3! -
0TV Heartbeat! Halloween marathons! Ash vs. Evil Dead! Librarians! Legends! -
0TV Heartbeat! Renewals! Cancellations! Almost Human Debuts! Hugh Jackman On Television! And More!
Kara, the tough, mean-girl cheerleader (played by Zoe Levin)
Kara, because her illness is with the heart. I was born with heart defects and grew up in a hospital. Never had a red band.. I think this is a positive show, to let others know we can survive.
Commenting here for the Sleepy Hollow contest—-not sure if I will watch Red Band Society but I would be interested in the character of Nurse Jackson, the unsung heroes of hospitals.
Nurse Jackson
Emma because she is weird and even though she has a disorder (which I have too) she still can show herself off without being mad at herself all the time because of it. She can still have fun and live life the way she wants and having fun is something that no parent no nurse no doctor can take away. Because you can always have fun with a little of being bad ass.
I love Leo. He’s the one who will band the group together (#BandTogether) yet he’s going to need the most support from the others. Rooftop scene was the best!
my favorite character is Leo because of the quote near the end of the episode. I was especially moved by it because I can relate to losing an activity you love due to health issues.
my fav character so far I think is leo and Charlie, because they seem like they wre just going to be the chill people of the group
I like Charlie and Kara. I like how Kara has a soft spot for charlie.
I have also spent much of my time in hospital due to chronic illness. My favorite character so far is Kara. Like Leo I believe she has many layers hidden beneath the shell of “mean girl-cheer leader”. I like that she quickly picks up on the fact that you must sometimes “work the system” to get the care you need. This is evidenced when she presses Charlie’s call light because she knows the staff will respond to him right away! Where as they will ignore her. And it is true. You have to know your way through the system when in the hospital a lot.
The Fault In Our Stars is a book/movie that changed my life and is something I COMPLETELY identify with. The first episode of “The Red Band Society” is the same way!!!
Kerri
Red band is my new addiction! 🙂
Dave Annable has always been my favorite actor, ever since brothers and sisters 🙂
I’m not sure what character is my favorite…
Maybe Leo, because he brought the group together!
my favorite is Emma because she is a smart,hard worker who puts life into something just by saying anything that is funny, or sometimes sarcastic but is also very sweet and stylish!!
Hubby and I just washed the first episode and it was so good will be watching
I like leo.
I love Leo! He has such a big heart and is banding together all his friends with a band that means something to him. He’s perfect!
We watched the pilot and loved it. My favorite character is Leo.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
Nurse Jackson is my favorite. I watched the show and fell in love with her character.
From the pilot I really liked Emma (Ciara Bravo), I am not sure why but I liked her.
Tell us which Red Band Society character you think you’ll love the most!
Kara, got to love the bad girls.
I really cat say until I see the episode.
nurse jackson, kids love the show
I’m watching it right now actually lol….well the second episode already 😉 And so far, i think my favorite is going to be Leo. It’s been him and Charlie……i sure do hope Charlie wakes up soon 😉
Hands down, Nurse Jackson!
I think that I would like Emma the most.
Definitely Nurse Jackson!
Leo, because hes seems like a good guy and obviously cares about his friends.
Jordi hands down. He has a little bit of sassiness to him and he’s down right adorable so how could I not love that guitar playing, singing kid!
I believe Leo is the most influential character because, he has suffered most of his life with cancer and pushing through it. He has had his ups and downs but when he creates the Red Band Society, you can infer that the groups relationship will grow through out the show. Without Leo and his warm heart to opening up his friendship to others that need support, there wouldn’t be such a strong bond. That is why Leo is the best character.
Leo is my favorite. He’s cute, funny, and tries hard to be a leader and supportive.
Leo is the best because he has gone through alot and really wants people to be brought together. He’s willing to say something… And not be afraid to be there for someone.
Jordi
Is my fave but it’s hard to pick just one.. The entire cast is amazing and the show is very inspiring and positive to anybody sick or well… It encourages hope, faith and goodness within people.
It’s not like any other show out right now and it’s my new fave!!