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Who Is Dr. Josh Nichols? Teddy Sears' Brilliant Minds Surgeon Explained
Is it always going to be Dr. Josh Nichols vs. Dr. Oliver Wolf on NBC's Brilliant Minds?
Dr. Oliver Wolf, the central character of NBC's Brilliant Minds, is unlike any medical professional you've ever seen. Inspired by Oliver Sacks and played by Zachary Quinto (alumnus of both Heroes and the recent Star Trek films), Wolf believes in a radical philosophy of getting to know his patients on an intimate level as a way to diagnose and treat neurological ailments.
He's literally willing to do whatever it takes to get inside the minds of the people under his supervision — whether it's taking mind-altering substances or whisking an Alzheimer's patient out of hospice care on a hunch. Of course, his methods aren't exactly palatable to the rest of the industry and Wolf is unceremoniously fired in the series premiere. Enter: a possible new rival in Dr. Josh Nichols?
RELATED: Zachary Quinto's Dr. Wolf Butts Heads with Lead Surgeon in Brilliant Minds: Watch
Because luckily for Wolf, a new neurology position opens up at Bronx General Hospital where his old friend and colleague, Dr. Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry), oversees the psychiatry department. She's willing to take a risk on Dr. Wolf, granting him free reign (within reason, of course) and four bright-eyed interns. While at Bronx General, Oliver begins to butt heads with his own mother, Chief of Medicine Dr. Muriel Landon (Donna Murphy), and the Chair of Neurosurgery, Dr. Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears).
Every hospital needs a good old-fashioned rivalry, right?
Dr. Josh Nichols, Explained
Dr. Nichols very much subscribes to the mainstream school of medical practice: treat the disease and seemingly never mind the patient suffering from it. Why bother getting to know the individual when it's not even your job to do so?
In the very first episode, we're introduced to a patient of his, Hannah Peters (guest star Kira Guloien), who underwent surgery to cure chronic seizures. After the procedure, however, the woman mysteriously begins to see her two children as imposters. Nichols doesn't see this as his problem, stating that his only goal was to cure Hannah's seizures, not make her a fit parent.
But if television medical dramas have taught us anything, it's that even the most adversarial of colleagues can teach each other new tricks. Despite the initial friction between Wolf and Nichols, we have a nagging suspicion the two characters may end up the best of chums before the season is over.
"Not only do we encounter these patients on a regular basis, but we also explore the emotional, psychological, and intimate connections between the series regulars; between the doctors," Quinto told Entertainment Weekly.
New episodes of Brilliant Minds premiere on Mondays on NBC at 10/9c and are available to stream on Peacock.
