Coma (American miniseries)

Did You Know?

• On 6 June 2013, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom broadcast the miniseries as an extended-length film.
• From September 7 to October 28, 2012, the miniseries was bought by NBCUniversal International Networks’s Utca 13 in Hungary.

Plot

Susan Wheeler, a first-year medical student at Atlanta's Peach Tree Memorial Hospital, meets Chief Surgical Resident Dr. Mark Bellows, who is in a relationship with Head of Psychiatry Dr. Agnetta Lindquist. Wheeler notices an unusually high number of surgeries resulting in comas, with patients transferred to the Jefferson Institute, a long-term care facility run by Mrs. Emerson. With help from Dr. Bellows and later Dr. Theodore Stark, Chief of Surgery, Wheeler investigates. Her roommate is fired after helping access files; the hospital board tries to expel her; cameras appear in her house. Peter Arno, Dr. Lindquist's patient, stalks Wheeler and warns her to stop investigating. At the Jefferson Institute, Wheeler discovers patients suspended by metal rods. Dr. Stark is rendered comatose in a car accident before he can expose the conspiracy. Wheeler and Dr. Bellows find that hospital staff receive payments from Jefferson and that carbon monoxide is pumped into anesthesia equipment in one operating room. Arno attempts to kill Wheeler, then slits his own throat.

Reception

The first two hours, broadcast on September 3, 2012, drew 1.82 million viewers with a 0.5 rating among adults 18–49. The final two hours on September 4 had 1.52 million viewers and a 0.5 rating. On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries holds a 50% score and an average rating of 4/10 from 20 critics, with a consensus calling it not believable in story, dialogue, or performances. Metacritic gave a 56 out of 100 from 16 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly gave a B grade, noting reminders of real life dampen the fun. Verne Gay of Newsday also gave a B, calling the plot ridiculous but fun, praising Ellen Burstyn's performance. David Hinckley of the New York Daily News found the miniseries different from the 1978 film with its own appeal. Linda Stasi of the New York Post called it very lame and dopey, stating the mystery is laid out from the beginning.