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Meet the New Characters of NBC's Medical Drama Brilliant Minds
Actor Zachary Quinto stars in his first medical drama, inspired by Dr. Oliver Sacks.
When the fall television season kicks off in September, NBC will introduce audiences to the fascinating cases inspired by famed British neurologist and author Dr. Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) in the unique medical drama Brilliant Minds.
Inspired by the case studies and patients featured in Sacks' books, executive producer Michael Grassi has used the neurologist's research about the brain and mental disorders to create a contemporary series around Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto) who is mentoring his team of bright interns through some of the most confounding neurological cases at Bronx General hospital.
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As always, audiences fall in love with compelling characters, and Brilliant Minds has a cast full of great character actors who will compassionately explore the cases of the week. To prep for the series premiere on September 23, NBC Insider has this primer on the regular characters you'll come to know and love.
Dr. Oliver Wolf, Played by Zachary Quinto
Brilliant Minds isn't a documentary about Dr. Sacks' life and career and, as such,star Zachary Quinto told reporters at the recent Television Critics Association press panel for the series that he's used the doctor's writings and recordings to build his character, Dr. Wolf.
"He is ultimately our North Star," Quinto said of Sacks' place in the series. "He was an incredible, complex, inspirational, and influential doctor and person. It's very unique alchemy for me where I get to play a character inspired by a real-life person, but I'm not tethered to the period or the behavior of that person in real life. I get to take all of the rich tapestry of who Oliver Sacks was for the creation of Oliver Wolf, who exists in his own world."
Viewers familiar with Sacks' books or lectures will see plenty of parallels to the real doctor's life and well-known quirks — like his propensity to swim in the Hudson River — but there's also a lot of leeway taken with how he interacts with his patients and interns throughout the series.
Dr. Carol Pierce, Played by Tamberla Perry
As the woman who woos Dr. Wolf back to Bronx General Hospital as their Attending for Neurology, Dr. Carol Pierce is the woman who fully knows the good doctor's brilliance and many eccentricities. Finding him at a vulnerable time between jobs, she's able to bring him back to the department that remains understaffed and underfunded and needs his abilities.
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Pierce is embodied by actress Tamberla Perry, who recently co-starred in They Cloned Tyrone and appeared in the television series All-American: Homecoming. At the recent Television Critics Association press panel for Brilliant Minds, Perry explained that her character is the chief of psychiatry at Bronx General. "She handles things a lot with her heart, and that's often the way she treats her patients," she said of her character. "She is unwavering. She is fiercely loyal."
Pierce will also have to stick her neck out to protect Wolf from those who will question his unconventional treatment ideas too.
Bronx General Hospital Interns
As Attending Physician for the Bronx General Neurology department, Dr. Oliver Wolf is in charge of the neurology interns training at the hospital. Actors Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, and Spence Moore II play the eclectic group of doctors in training as they go on rounds with Wolf and help him figure out what ails his patients.
Showrunner Michael Grassi told NBC Insider that the intern characters have given him the opportunity to bring some humor and youth to the medical series. "I love the interns so much, and they're so talented," he complimented his actors.
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"We have come to a place in our society where we are talking about mental health in a way where we haven't before. I think we still have a long way to go, but I see our interns as four very diverse and complex POVs on mental health," he said of their function in the show. "They can bring their voices to it and have interesting debates and talk about things that feel urgent and timely. And also, we dig into their personal lives."
As a veteran television writer on Degrassi High, Riverdale, and Pretty Little Liars, Grassi said that he wanted to create a medical procedural that would also appeal to younger audiences. "I wanted to infuse these emotional, deep, complex storylines with some youthful energy as well," he explained. "I'm really happy with where we've landed with that."
Brilliant Minds premieres on NBC on September 23.
