Just when you thought the IP well might be running dry, another familiar name from the peak cable era gets pulled back into service. NBC is currently working on a reboot of “Royal Pains,” the long-running USA Network series about a concierge doctor tending to the wealthy and eccentric residents of the Hamptons. It’s a move that brings a specific kind of blue-sky escapism back into the development pipeline.
The core piece of this potential revival is the confirmed return of star Mark Feuerstein as Dr. Hank Lawson. The plan is to pick up Hank’s story “several years later,” finding him searching for a new direction before stumbling into what’s vaguely described as his “biggest project yet.” Whether that project involves bespoke medical care for billionaires or something entirely different remains to be seen.
Providing some essential connective tissue to the original series, which wrapped its eight-season run in 2016, are returning writers and executive producers Andrew Lenchewski (the creator) and Michael Rauch. Their involvement suggests an effort to maintain the tone and spirit of the show that blended medical mysteries with the personal lives of Hank and his brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo).
Of course, the big question mark hovering over this development is who else might be joining Feuerstein. The original “Royal Pains” thrived on its ensemble, including Costanzo, Reshma Shetty as physician associate Divya Katdare, Jill Flint as hospital administrator Jill Casey, Campbell Scott as the enigmatic Boris Kuester von Jurgens-Ratenicz, and Brooke D’Orsay as Evan’s wife Paige. There’s no word yet on whether any of these actors are involved or even being sought for the new iteration.
So, while Hank Lawson might be scrubbing back in, it’s unclear how much of the old Hamptons crew will be joining him. The success of this potential reboot likely hinges not just on Feuerstein’s reliable presence but on whether Lenchewski and Rauch can recapture the breezy charm of the original, and perhaps convince a few familiar faces to make a house call. For now, it’s just a script in development at NBC.
