Transplant is a Canadian medical drama television series created by Joseph Kay, that premiered on CTV on February 26, 2020. The series centres on Bashir "Bash" Hamed, a doctor from Syria who came to Canada as a refugee during the Syrian Civil War, and is now rebuilding his career as a medical resident in the emergency department at York Memorial Hospital in Toronto. In June 2020, the series was renewed for a second season.
Cast and characters
Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir "Bash" Hamed, a resident at York Memorial Hospital. Due to issues around recognition of foreign credentials, in the pilot he has been unable to get a job with a hospital, and is instead working as a line cook at a Middle Eastern restaurant; however, he soon has an opportunity to prove his mettle when a serious accident occurs at the restaurant, and his training in a war zone enables him to save everybody's life, using emergency medical techniques that can be performed without conventional medical equipment, before the emergency responders arrive.
Laurence Leboeuf as Dr. Magalie Leblanc, a driven resident with health and personal issues she is struggling to stay on top of in the high stress environment of a hospital emergency room.
John Hannah as Dr. Jed Bishop, the gruff but compassionate head of the emergency department at York Memorial.
Ayisha Issa as Dr. June Curtis, a resident who is trying to hide the fact that she's in a romantic relationship with the hospital's security guard.
Jim Watson as Dr. Theo Hunter, a pediatric resident from Sudbury who struggles with having to be away from his wife and kids while he completes his residency.
Although set in Toronto, the series is actually shot primarily in Montreal, with some location shooting in Toronto for establishing shots and other scenes which require a clear Toronto geographic marker. Produced by Sphère Média Plus, the series entered production in June 2019. It will also be broadcast in French on Vrak.
of The Globe and Mail wrote that the show's positioning of Bash as an immigrant struggling for acceptance in his adopted country set the show apart from other medical dramas: "The plot device that kick-starts the series - and Episode 1 sure comes with a kick - might seem ludicrous, but it gets your attention and signals what themes in Transplant are about to blossom. It's about the terror and frustrations that immigrants experience, trying to use their skills in a new country. Much is made of Bashir's knowledge and knowhow being heightened by his experience working in a war zone with few resources. He can intuit medical problems and injuries faster than most of his colleagues. This does not, however, make him either distinctly heroic or arrogant. Given his situation, he's actually an extremely vulnerable man. He's not the irascible Dr. House, nor is he the spookily wise young virtuoso at the heart of The Good Doctor." He praised the series and Haq's lead performance in particular, ultimately concluding that "There are numerous medical dramas that move with a breathless, hectic pace and then stop for some romance or heart-warming moments. Transplant has some of that, but there is an astutely Canadian spin on the familiar. It gives grim articulation to the issues of immigration and the harried, under pressure immigrant experience. It's not entirely original, but certainly superior to the usual and disarmingly different." For etalk, Christine Estima also favourably reviewed many aspects of the show, giving special praise to its choice to avoid positioning its two female doctors, June and Magalie, as competitive rivals, instead presenting them simply as doctors who respect and support each other even if they don't always agree.
