“Transplant” closed its first season on NBC in a classic medical drama manner, with a game-changing cliffhanger affecting several of the main characters.
That was in the month of December 2020. Dr Bashir “Bash” Hamed (series star Hamza Haq) was shocked by a visitor from his past in the Season 1 finale, while gruff-but-beloved medical chief Dr Jed Bishop (John Hannah), whose life Bash saved in the series premiere, had a serious stroke that rendered him unconscious.
“I signed on to do one season, and I fully anticipated the storey arc to go one of two paths and be a one-season play,” Hannah, 59, told The Washington Post. “However, they contacted me about increasing the character fairly early on, in Episode 4 or 5, and I was extremely eager to do it.”
“Now that Bishop has awoken [after the stroke] and is as aggressive as ever, he manages to reclaim control of the institution.” One of the amazing things about the programme is that, just like in real life, you might have plans but they don’t always go as planned — and Bishop’s life is full of surprises this season.”
In an ironic twist, “Transplant,” which premiered on CTV in Canada and is one of the network’s top-two dramas, was picked up by NBC in the fall of 2020 after the network’s normal programming was cancelled due to COVID.
“The first season was shot before COVID, and there was a lot of discussion about how to incorporate it into this season,” Hannah explained. “We opted not to [incorporate it into the plot] and instead to adhere to the original concept and convey the stories that the authors intended to portray.”
“In the end, I believe that’s the best option,” he remarked. “We’re a source of entertainment and escape… “However, by the time we got rolling in late February 2021, the COVID protocols were firmly in place.”
Hannah believes “Transplant” has struck a chord because of its premise, which revolves around Bash, a trauma surgeon from Syria who arrives in Toronto as a refugee and joins Bishop’s medical team at York Memorial Hospital. (The show is shot in Montreal.) Bash lives with his younger sister, Amira (Sirena Gulamgaus); among his coworkers are Dr Magalie “Mags” LeBlanc (Laurence Laboeuf), Dr June Curtis (Ayisha Issa), Dr Theo Hunter (Jim Watson), and head nurse Claire Malone (Torri Higginson), who is romantically involved with Bishop.
Hannah, who played Dr Holden Radcliffe on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” remarked, “I believe the refugee tale really struck a chord with people.” “Regardless of how people feel about it, it’s a fact, and I believe we’re on the verge of another exodus [as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine].” It’s something we’re all aware of, and I believe the programme has successfully shown an aspect of it that many people are unaware of.
He explained, “The first season was very much [Bash’s] journey and how he comes to know these characters and how those connections evolve.” “That goes on for him and the other characters, who are all faced with life-or-death situations… and I believe that provides them with this
Hannah’s role as forensic pathologist Dr Iain McCallum in the ITV series “McCallum” is not his first as a TV doctor; he co-starred alongside William Fichtner in the 2002 ABC medical series “MDs” and, before that, he played the lead role as forensic pathologist Dr Iain McCallum in the ITV series “McCallum.”
“I should be better at snapping on the rubber [doctors’] gloves,” he said, “but it’s never easy.” “They’re so difficult that even genuine physicians have trouble with them.”
