Combat Hospital (Global 2011, Elias Kotias, Tia Carrere)

Medical drama series Combat Hospital takes us back to 2006 and into the heart of Southern Afghanistan at the only military hospital in the area able to provide advanced surgical care. As the series begins trauma surgeon specialist Major Rebecca Gordon and newly graduated doctor Captain Bobby Trang arrive for duty at the NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit based at Kandahar Airfield. It’s hardly the most salubrious or hygenic of environment, cobbled together out of wood and canvas and right in the firing line. The duo are working under the tutelage of Colonel Xavier Marks who soon makes it plain that they are in for a rude awakening.

Built on a massive 185,000 square foot set (the biggest ever mounted in Canada) in Toronto Combat Hospital is heavily authentic and full of fine detail. The location is based on the actual Kandahar Airfield and includes recreations of the helicopter landing zone, the ‘boardwalk’ and the barracks (which is home to 15,000 people both military and civillian).

The series had the working title of The Hot Zone and is a US – Canada – UK co-production, it’s aired as a summer series fill in on ABC but given the amount that has been spent on it big things were clearly expected. Sadly only one season was made and in the US only 12 of the 13 episodes aired.

production details
USA – Canada | ABC – Sienna Films – Artists Studio | 13×42 minutes | 2011

Creator: Jinder Oujla-Chalmers
Executive Producers: Daniel Petrie Jr, Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny, Gub Neal, Justin Thomson-Glover, Patrick Irwin, Simon Vaughan

cast
Terry Chen
Elias Koteas
Tia Carrere as Jessica Draycott
Michelle Borth as Rebecca Gordon
Luke Mably as Dr. Simon Hill
Deborah Kara Unger as Major Grace Pedersen
Arnold Pinnock