CBS 2011 Fall TV Premiere: A Gifted Man

published: 2011-05-18 17:12:00

Fans of Medium and Ghost Whisperer may find the premise of CBS’ new drama series A Gifted Man interesting. The series, which CBS has scheduled to air on Friday nights this fall, follows a successful surgeon whose life and perspective on his career changes drastically when his deceased ex-wife begins visiting him from the afterlife.

He sees dead people! (It’s not a dated joke. It’s retro…) Dr. Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) actually just sees one dead person. According to CBS’ synopsis below, his deceased ex-wife Anna (Jennifer Ehle) shows up and begins encouraging him to help out at the clinic where she once worked. It’s there that he begins to see things from a new perspective. Julie Benz (Dexter, No Ordinary Family) is set to play Michael’s sister. I’m glad to see she’s set up in a new series, though it’s still disappointing that No Ordinary Family didn’t last more than a season.

A GIFTED MAN is a drama about a brilliant, charismatic surgeon whose life changes forever when his deceased ex-wife begins teaching him the meaning of life from the "hereafter."

Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) is an exceptional doctor who lives a materialistic life of luxury thanks to his work-obsessed career and powerful and wealthy patients; however, Michael's ordered world is rocked when his ex-wife, Anna (Jennifer Ehle), an idealistic free-clinic doctor and the love of his life, mysteriously appears to him. Michael's off-beat sister, Christina (Julie Benz), a single mom to her teenaged son, Milo (Liam Aiken), is thrilled that Anna's back in her brother's life, even as an "illusion," because Michael was always a better person with her.

Curious about Michael's sudden change in behavior is his efficient assistant, Rita (Margo Martindale). When Anna asks Michael to go to her clinic to help keep it running, he meets Autumn (Afton Williamson), a volunteer carrying on Anna's work with the underprivileged. Touched by those in need and accepting of Anna's compassionate "presence," Michael's attitude toward serving the rich and poor is turned upside down, and he begins to see that there's room in his life for everyone. Academy Award nominee Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs), Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Neal Baer (ER) are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.