Nurse Jackie

Nurse Jackie
Genre	Medical drama Dark comedy Comedy drama
Created by	Liz Brixius Evan Dunsky Linda Wallem
Starring	Edie Falco Eve Best Merritt Wever Haaz Sleiman Paul Schulze Peter Facinelli Dominic Fumusa Anna Deavere Smith Ruby Jerins Mackenzie Aladjem Stephen Wallem Betty Gilpin Adam Ferrara
Theme music composer	Wendy & Lisa
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	80 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Liz Brixius Caryn Mandabach John Melfi Linda Wallem Richie Jackson Mark Hudis Christine Zander Clyde Phillips Tom Straw
Producers	Brad Carpenter Michele Giordano Liz Flahive Bari Halle Allen Coulter (pilot only) Jerry Kupfer (pilot only)
Production location	Baruch College
Camera setup	Single camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Caryn Mandabach Productions Clyde Phillips Productions (seasons 5–7) Jackson Group Entertainment Madison Grain Elevator (seasons 1–4) Lionsgate Television De Long Lumber Company (seasons 1–4)
Release
Original network	Showtime
Original release	June 8, 2009 (2009-06-08) – June 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)

Nurse Jackie is an American medical comedy-drama television series that aired on Showtime from June 8, 2009, to June 28, 2015. Set in New York City, the series follows Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco), an emergency department nurse at the fictional All Saints' Hospital. For Jackie, "every day is a high wire act of juggling patients, doctors, fellow nurses, and her own indiscretions."

The show was well-received by critics, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards out of 24 nominations, including one win for Falco and Merritt Wever each. In May 2023, it was announced that a sequel series was in development with Falco attached to star and executive produce.

Development and production

Nurse Jackie was created by Liz Brixius, Linda Wallem, and Evan Dunsky. Brixius and Wallem served as showrunners for the first four seasons and shared executive producer duties with Caryn Mandabach and John Melfi. Showtime ordered an initial 12 episodes. Before the premiere, Brixius told the New York Daily News that "Guys' stories tend to be about conquests—getting the job, winning the Olympics, whatever. Women['s] stories aren't as immediately climactic so they need to play out over the course of three months ... And every medical show out there has been about doctors. Doctors are absolutely unable to do what they have to do without nurses. We want to tell those stories."

The June 8, 2009, series premiere was Showtime's most successful ever, with 1 million viewers for the premiere and over 350,000 for the repeat broadcast. Showtime immediately picked up the series for a second season. Season Three premiered on Showtime on March 28, 2011. On May 23, 2011, Showtime ordered a fourth season. A fifth season was ordered on May 31, 2012, and production began in late 2012. The season 4 finale aired on June 17, 2012. Season 5 premiered on April 14, 2013, with new showrunner and executive producer, Clyde Phillips. On June 6, 2013, Showtime renewed the show for a sixth season, which premiered on April 13, 2014.

On March 31, 2014, Showtime renewed Nurse Jackie for a seventh season, which was announced in September as the show's final season. It premiered April 12, 2015.

Cast and characters

Showtime called Jackie Peyton a "strong-willed, iconoclastic New York City nurse juggling the frenzied grind of an urban hospital and an equally challenging personal life," noting that she had "an occasional weakness for Vicodin, Percocet, and Xanax to get her through the days." The main characters include Dr. Eleanor O'Hara (Eve Best), a British doctor and Jackie's best friend at work; Zoey Barkow (Merritt Wever), a spunky, inexperienced nursing student from a community college, "the perfect foil for Jackie's sharp angles"; Dr. Fitch Cooper (Peter Facinelli), "a likable 'golden boy' whose calm façade hides a nervous disposition"; and Eddie Walzer (Paul Schulze), a pharmacist with whom Jackie is having an affair at the beginning of the series.

Other characters include the officious hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith), Jackie's bar owner husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa), their daughters Grace (Ruby Jerins) and Fiona (Daisy Tahan in season 1 and Mackenzie Aladjem in seasons 2 through 7), and Thor (Stephen Wallem), Jackie's kindhearted confidant and the real-life brother of show creator/executive producer Linda Wallem.

Main

• Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton, RN; a senior ER nurse
• Eve Best as Eleanor O'Hara, MD; an ER surgeon, later Chief of Emergency Medicine
• Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow, RN; an ER nurse, later ER charge-nurse
• Haaz Sleiman as Mohammed de la Cruz, RN; an ER nurse
• Paul Schulze as Eddie Walzer, PharmD.; the ER pharmacist
• Peter Facinelli as Fitch "Coop" Cooper, MD; an ER physician
• Dominic Fumusa as Kevin Peyton; Jackie's husband
• Anna Deavere Smith as Gloria Akalitus, RN; the ER administrator
• Ruby Jerins as Grace Peyton; Jackie's elder daughter
• Daisy Tahan (season 1) and Mackenzie Aladjem (season 2–7) as Fiona Peyton; Jackie's younger daughter
• Bobby Cannavale as Miguel Cruz, MD
• Morris Chestnut as Ike Prentiss, MD; a trauma surgeon and the Chief of Emergency Medicine
• Stephen Wallem as Thor Lundgren, RN; an ER nurse
• Betty Gilpin as Carrie Roman, MD; an ER physician
• Adam Ferrara as Frank Verelli; an NYPD Sergeant

Recurring cast

• Rene Ifrah as Officer Ryan (seasons 1–3)
• Arjun Gupta as Sam (seasons 1–4)
• Lenny Jacobson as Lenny (seasons 1–4)
• Michael Buscemi as God (seasons 1–4, 7)
• Jaimie Alexander as Tunie Peyton (season 3)
• Gbenga Akinnagbe as Kelly Slater (seasons 3–4)
• Jake Cannavale as Charlie Cruz (season 4)
• Marcy Harriell as Marta (season 5)
• Laura Benanti as Mia Peyton (season 6)
• Julie White as Antoinette Mills (season 6)
• Michael Esper as Gabe (season 6–7)
• Tony Shalhoub as Bernard Prince, MD (season 7)
• Jeremy Shamos as Johanes Karlsen (season 7)
• Mark Feuerstein as Barry Wolfe (season 7)

Episodes

Reception

Critical reception

The premiere of Nurse Jackie was met with generally positive reviews from critics, and received a Metacritic rating of 76 out of 100.Entertainment Weekly gave the first episode a B+, stating "Edie Falco brings a genial forcefulness to Nurse Jackie."New York magazine called the Showtime series "smart, acrid, alternately sharp and sentimental" and "the best series yet in the cable channel's ongoing meditation on the nature of addiction ... and the setting for a truly breakthrough female character."James Poniewozik from Time magazine ranked Nurse Jackie's episode "Tiny Bubbles" (106) as 5th on his Top 10 Episodes of 2009 list.Variety and Salon struck the primary sour notes, with Variety noting, "The series increasingly feels like all style and limited substance – a star showcase that's less 'triumphant return' than 'Nice to have you back, but...'"

Reviews of subsequent seasons varied. The second season achieved a Metacritic rating of 75 out of 100 from 16 critics, the third season received 79 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, the fourth received 83 out of 100 out of 9 reviews, the fifth season received a 66 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, and the sixth season received a rating of 64 out of 100 based on 4 reviews. The seventh and final season did not receive enough ratings to warrant a score.

Controversy

Soon after Nurse Jackie premiered, the New York State Nurses Association decried the unethical behavior of the title character, and the detrimental impression regarding nurses that such a portrayal could have on the public, stating, "In the first episode, Nurse Jackie is introduced as a substance abuser who trades sex with a pharmacist for prescription drugs ... She has no qualms about repeatedly violating the nursing Code of Ethics."

Genre

On August 29, 2010, at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, in her acceptance speech for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Falco exclaimed "I'm not funny!" Later, while speaking to the press, she expanded upon her statement and said that she felt her performance was dramatic. Several articles have since been written addressing this question, with some writers even calling for an overhaul of the Emmy categorization process as well as a "Comedy-Drama/Dramedy" category for the awards.

Awards and nominations

Golden Globe Awards

• 2015: Nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Edie Falco)
• 2014: Nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Edie Falco)
• 2011: Nomination for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
• 2011: Nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Edie Falco)
• 2010: Nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Edie Falco)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2013: Nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
• 2013: Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2012: Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2011: Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2010: Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)

Primetime Emmy Awards

• 2015: Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2014: Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2014: Won for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation – "The Lady With The Lamp"
• 2013: Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2013: Won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Merritt Wever)
• 2013: Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Bobby Cannavale) – "Walk of Shame"
• 2013: Nomination for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
• 2013: Won for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation – "Teachable Moments"
• 2012: Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2012: Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Merritt Wever)
• 2012: Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Bobby Cannavale) – "Disneyland Sucks"
• 2012: Nomination for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
• 2012: Nomination for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation – "Handle Your Scandal"
• 2011: Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2011: Nomination for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
• 2010: Nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series
• 2010: Won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco)
• 2010: Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Eli Wallach) – "Chicken Soup"
• 2010: Nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Allen Coulter) – "Pilot"
• 2010: Nomination for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
• 2010: Nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series – "Apple Bong"
• 2010: Nomination for Outstanding Main Title Design
• 2010: Won for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music

Broadcast

Country	TV Network(s)	Date of Premiere	Weekly Schedule
Australia	Network Ten Eleven Showcase	September 13, 2009 January 11, 2011 February 16, 2011	Mondays, 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 11:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m.
Canada	The Movie Network Movie Central	June 8, 2009	Mondays, 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
New Zealand	TV3		Tuesdays, 9:30 pm
United Kingdom	BBC Two (seasons 1–2) Sky Atlantic (seasons 3–7)	January 4, 2010 July 5, 2011	Saturdays, 10:40 p.m. (Season 2) Jan 22, 2011+ Tuesdays, 10:00 pm (Season 3)

Home media

Foreign versions

• The Netherlands: Charlie: A Dutch remake of Nurse Jackie began production for Dutch TV Network, Nederland 3. Starring Halina Reijn, Katja Schuurman, and Benja Bruijning, the show began airing on March 13, 2013.

External links

• Nurse Jackie at IMDb