PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST FALL PREVIEWS 2020: NBC: TRANSPLANT {EDITED MASTER}

Summary

One in a series of seminars presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 2020 Fall Preview PALEYFEST events. Recorded virtually, this evening celebrates "Transplant," a medical drama about a Syrian refugee whose skills as a licensed doctor aren't recognized upon his arrival in Canada, requiring him to start anew as a medical resident in a Toronto hospital.

Lorraine Ali (TV critic, The Los Angeles Times) moderates the following panelists: Joseph Kay (executive producer/creator/writer); Virginia Rankin (executive producer); and cast members Hamza Haq (Bashir Hamed), John Hannah (Jed Bishop), Jim Watson ((Theo Hunter) Ayisha Issa (Jane Curtis), and Laurence Leboeuf (Magalie Leblanc).

The panelists touch on such topics as: how the show, a Canadian production which debuted there in February 2020, was picked up by NBC for broadcast this fall; Kay getting the idea for the show in 2016 when reports and headlines about immigrants' stories grew in prevalence; the recurring theme for the show's characters of getting a second chance and starting over; Kay and Rankin having previously worked with Haq on the Canadian series "This Life" from 2015-2016; Rankin's fears that the show wouldn't be an "easy sell" to any network; Kay's immersion in real-life stories of refugees to ensure the scripts' authenticity; the background research undertaken by Haq, a Pakistani native who grew up in Saudi Arabia to portray a Syrian refugee; Hannah's attempts to make his cantankerous, ego-driven character become three-dimensional as he "discovers his mortality"; the trial for all the actors of memorizing and pronouncing endless bits of medical jargon; the challenge for Watson of working with children on set; how the COVID-19 pandemic affected production; Leboeuf seeing her character as the equivalent of Hermione Granger from the "Harry Potter" series; Hamza's reaction to the show's largely positive reviews, with all of season one having aired in Canada; Aisha's thoughts on the polarization of black characters on television, and why her role as Jane Curtis is "exciting and interesting" to her; how the show separates itself from other medical dramas; Kay's intention to create a series peopled by flawed characters who "mess up" as often as they succeed; what viewers can expect from season two; and Haq's ongoing appreciation at being able to offer input on his character's actions and dialogue.

Details

• NETWORK: Paley
• DATE: 12:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: N/A
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 141960
• GENRE: Seminars
• SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
• SERIES RUN: N/A
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Lorraine Ali … Moderator
• Hazma Haq … Panelist
• John Hannah … Panelist
• Jim Watson … Panelist
• Ayisha Issa … Panelist
• Laurence Leboeuf … Panelist
• Joseph Kay … Panelist
• Virginia Rankin … Panelist