Hawthorne (Richmond, Cana: appointed, home, movies)

[jzcrandall]

When I first found out that there was going to be a television program based in Richmond, I got excited. After seeing two episodes, I am deeply dissapointed in Hawthorne.

I discussed the program with friends, and some of them didn't even know it took place in Richmond. You could move the series to Rochester, NY and nobody would notice the difference. First of all, they could've at least made the hospital look like VCU Medical Center. I can understand why they cannot work at MCV, Chippenham, Johnston-Willis, etc. At the same time, however, there is no County General Hospital in Chicago, but ER did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of Chicago (having the employees of CGH take the EL to work, taking a walk along the Chicago River, discussing the Cubs, and the list goes on). Second, the police and paramedics wear generic uniforms. If shows like Law and Order can show authentic NYPD uniforms, badges, cars, etc., then there is no reason Hawthorne can do the same. The only thing I've seen that's authentic Richmond is a GRTC bus.

I like Jada Pinkett-Smith, and there is a young brunette nurse on there that I think is very cute, but as a Richmonder I am disappointed in this show. I am a native Detroiter, and it pleases me how movies like 8 Mile and Gran Torino (just to name a few) have captured the essence of my home town. I am going to write an inflammatory letter to the producers.

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by jzcrandall

When I first found out that there was going to be a television program based in Richmond, I got excited. After seeing two episodes, I am deeply dissapointed in Hawthorne.

I discussed the program with friends, and some of them didn't even know it took place in Richmond. You could move the series to Rochester, NY and nobody would notice the difference. First of all, they could've at least made the hospital look like VCU Medical Center. I can understand why they cannot work at MCV, Chippenham, Johnston-Willis, etc. At the same time, however, there is no County General Hospital in Chicago, but ER did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of Chicago (having the employees of CGH take the EL to work, taking a walk along the Chicago River, discussing the Cubs, and the list goes on). Second, the police and paramedics wear generic uniforms. If shows like Law and Order can show authentic NYPD uniforms, badges, cars, etc., then there is no reason Hawthorne can do the same. The only thing I've seen that's authentic Richmond is a GRTC bus.

I like Jada Pinkett-Smith, and there is a young brunette nurse on there that I think is very cute, but as a Richmonder I am disappointed in this show. I am a native Detroiter, and it pleases me how movies like 8 Mile and Gran Torino (just to name a few) have captured the essence of my home town. I am going to write an inflammatory letter to the producers.

The show/hospital does not look like VCU because it is not based on VCU. I have friends that are actually in the medical field and they like the show. You seem to be upset because it does not SCREAM Richmond.. I don't think that's the point at all, I could be wrong but from the show's description:

Pinkett Smith plays Christina Hawthorne, a compassionate and headstrong Chief Nursing Officer heading up a group of dedicated nurses at Richmond Trinity Hospital who spend long days and nights on the hospital’s front lines. Hawthorne is the kind of nurse you want on your side when you or someone you love is in the hospital. She is the kind of nurse who fights for her patients and doesn’t let them slip through the cracks. When necessary, she takes on doctors and administrators who are overworked, distracted or just unable to see the human being behind the hospital chart.

Whether showing humanity to a homeless woman, trying to talk a suicidal cancer patient off a ledge or exposing a doctor’s near-fatal error, Hawthorne will do everything in her power to help her patients. When a patient’s care is at risk, she doesn’t hesitate to violate protocol, defend her staff or stand up to administrators who seem to have forgotten a hospital’s true purpose.

But the long days at the hospital and Hawthorne’s intense focus on helping others take a toll on her personal life. Christina is recently widowed – her husband died one year ago after a battle with cancer, leaving her to raise a smart, rebellious teen-age daughter on her own. Hawthorne is still coming to terms with losing her husband, finding a way to balance her career with her equally important role as a single parent, and finding the time to take care of someone who always seems to fall through the cracks – herself.

I have never seen the show and from that I would not expect to see anything outside of the hospital. It does not suggest Christina Hawthorne strolls down Broad Street or anything.

[richmondpics]

My fiance is a nurse so she's tuned in to check it out...I watched it with her to catch the subtleties that show its based in Richmond. A few things I've noticed:

-The license plates are Virginia plates.
-The police, while not having the official Richmond Police logo, do have a variation of the City's logo on their shoulders.
-Pinkett-Smith driving across the Mayo bridge with the city skyline in the background
-Random art in the hospital including a painting of the Canal Walk
-Night Skyline shot (view from Belle Isle)
-GRTC bus (right logo, wrong colors)

Since the show was originally intended to be based in Charlotte, perhaps it will take time to introduce more of Richmond into it?

[SMD123]

All in all, it's only Hollywood's version of Richmond. I live in Vegas right now and I cant tell you the times I have seen a television program where the characters are driving in one end of Vegas and within a few seconds are on the other side or on the Strip (CSI). It drives me nuts because I know that is impossible without the use of some sort of worm hole devise. The rest of the country doesnt know or care how it looks as long as its a good show.
The producers wont do much for you. If you want to complain, find out who the technical advisors are. They are the ones responsible for scouting the locations and doing the do diligence on uniforms, building exteriors and interiors ect.

[jzcrandall]

If you want to understand why I am so dissatisfied with Hawthorne, check out Hung. That show does an amazing job of capturing the essence of Detroit.