B Positive
A sitcom about a kidney donor and recipient.
B Positive, a sitcom created by Marco Pennette and executive produced by him and Chuck Lorre for Warner Bros. Television, aired on CBS from November 5, 2020, to March 10, 2022. It was renewed for a second and final season in May 2021, premiering October 14, 2021, before being canceled after two seasons in May 2022.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Marco Pennette
- Showrunner
- Chuck Lorre
- Marco Pennette
- Jim Patterson
- Warren Bell
- Composer
- Dennis C. Brown and Grant Geissman
- Opening theme
- "B Positive" performed by Keb' Mo (season 1–season 2, episode 2); Annaleigh Ashford (season 2, episodes 3–16)
- Theme music
- Chuck Lorre and Keb' Mo'
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series initially follows Drew, a therapist and newly divorced father with B-positive blood who needs a kidney donor. When he is unable to find a donor within his family, a woman from his past named Gina offers him one of her kidneys. Following Drew's successful transplant surgery, the Season 2 focus shifts to Gina, who inherits a large sum of money and buys the retirement home where she works, while Drew reassesses his life goals and sets out to rediscover himself. The sitcom is inspired by the true story of series creator Marco Pennette, who received a kidney transplant in 2013.
Cast
Thomas Middleditch plays Drew Dunbar, a divorced father and therapist in need of a kidney transplant and a social life. Annaleigh Ashford plays Gina Dabrowski, a former acquaintance of Drew's from high school who becomes his kidney donor, as her blood is an incredibly rare match for his; Gina initially works as a van driver for the Valley Hills assisted living facility, and in season 2 she receives a surprise inheritance from one of the elderly residents and decides to buy the retirement home. Kether Donohue plays Gabby, Gina's best friend, a party girl who works with her in the Valley Hills assisted living facility. Sara Rue plays Julia Dunbar (season 1; guest season 2), Drew's ex-wife, a realtor who aspires to climb the social ladder; her frustrations with trying to get Drew to embrace her interests more led to her having an affair that resulted in their split. Izzy G plays Madeline "Maddie" Dunbar (season 1; guest season 2), Drew and Julia's teenage daughter. Terrence Terrell plays Eli Russell (season 1; recurring season 2), a retired football player with an upbeat personality whom Drew meets during dialysis treatment; he has a brief romantic relationship with Gina. David Anthony Higgins plays Jerry Platt (season 2; recurring season 1), a divorced dentist who has been in dialysis for over a year; he always sees the glass half-empty, convinced he'll never find a donor; when he does, his body ends up rejecting the donated kidney; in season 2, he falls due to a heart-related incident and moves into Valley Hills to recover. Darryl Stephens plays Gideon (season 2; recurring season 1), an empathetic gay nurse who works at the dialysis center; he cares deeply about the people to whom he gives treatment, often getting involved in their personal lives; there is a recurring theme of Gideon referring to himself in the third-person; in season 2, he becomes head nurse at Valley Hills. Linda Lavin plays Norma Goldman (season 2; recurring season 1), one of the senior citizens at Valley Hills assisted living facility; she has a maternal, nurturing relationship with Gina, but she can be fairly randy, irresponsible, and demanding; part of her close bond with Gina stems from the sad fact that Norma and her daughter (mentioned but not seen on the show) are estranged from each other.
Production
The series was among the 14 pilots ordered by CBS in February 2020 and was fast tracked to series the following March, as the pilot had already been completed before production at Warner Bros. Television was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pilot was the only pilot completed for the 2020–21 television season for any of the broadcast networks in advance of the upfronts. On May 8, 2020, CBS picked up the series, and CTV followed soon after, picking up the series on June 23, 2020. On October 26, 2020, Jim Patterson joined the series as an executive producer and co-showrunner. The series premiered on November 5, 2020. On December 21, 2020, CBS gave the series a five-episode back order, making the total number of episodes ordered to 18. On May 15, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a second and final season which premiered on October 14, 2021. On October 15, 2021, it was reported that creator and co-showrunner Marco Pennette had left the series at the end of the first season and Patterson would continue to serve as showrunner for the second season. On May 12, 2022, CBS canceled the series after two seasons. Casting: On February 19, 2020, it was announced that Annaleigh Ashford had been cast in the pilot. On March 2, 2020, it was announced that Kether Donohue and Sara Rue had joined the cast. The following day, it was announced that Thomas Middleditch had joined the cast in the lead role. Alongside the series picked up announcement, it was reported that Kamryn Kunody was cast in a starring role. On August 11, 2020, Maggie Elizabeth Jones joined the cast in a recasting, replacing Kunody. On September 25, 2020, Terrence Terrell was cast as a series regular. On October 12, 2020, Izzy G was cast to replace Jones in a second recasting while Linda Lavin, Briga Heelan, Darryl Stephens, Bernie Kopell, and David Anthony Higgins were cast in recurring roles and Darien Sills-Evans was cast to guest star. On September 1, 2021, Lavin, Higgins, and Stephens were promoted to series regulars while Hector Elizondo, Jane Seymour, Ben Vereen, Celia Weston, Jim Beaver, and Anna Maria Horsford joined cast in recurring roles for the second season. Weston was to play the character of Meredith, but the role was recast with Priscilla Lopez in the role. On October 5, 2021, it was reported that Michelle Ortiz joined the cast in a recasting, replacing Rosa Salazar for the second season. On October 27, 2021, it was announced that D.B. Sweeney was cast in a recurring role for the second season.
More in American Television Series About Families
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced