FOX’s upcoming sequence Doc brings a contemporary twist to the medical drama style, mixing intense hospital instances with deeply private character arcs.
Based mostly on the favored Italian sequence Doc – Nelle Tue Mani, the present facilities on Dr. Amy Elias, a superb however robust doctor grappling with the lack of eight years of her reminiscence after a traumatic occasion.
As she struggles to piece her life again collectively, her colleagues navigate their very own private {and professional} challenges, including layers of complexity and emotional depth.
Among the many ensemble solid is Jon-Michael Ecker, a seasoned actor with a various portfolio that features roles in Narcos, Queen of the South, and Chicago Fireplace. Ecker portrays Dr. Jake Heller, a fourth-year resident whose journey of rediscovery as a single father intertwines with Amy’s story.
Recognized for bringing authenticity and nuance to his characters, Ecker’s portrayal guarantees to anchor the present’s exploration of second probabilities and resilience.
As Doc gears up for its premiere, Ecker shared insights into his position, the distinctive premise of the sequence, and what it was like working alongside celebrated co-star Molly Parker.
His reflections present a glimpse into the compelling dynamics that make Doc a standout addition to FOX’s lineup.
How did you become involved with Doc?
I obtained concerned, you understand, my agent referred to as me. I feel that they had been auditioning for slightly bit for the completely different characters, and I did an audition, and I feel I ended up doing a bunch. I feel I did a self-tape after which I feel I had, you understand, a sequence of callbacks after which chemistry reads with Molly Parker.
They despatched me the primary script and I sort of knew the historical past that it was based mostly on a profitable Italian sequence, which is all the time thrilling to know. I did the auditions and booked the job. We’re going to Toronto.
I watched all ten episodes which might be out there, which I imagine is the entire first season. And Dr. Jake Heller is such an exquisite character.
Oh, thanks. I respect that.
How would you describe him as we first meet him in the beginning of the season?
Originally of the season, clearly, the primary episode sort of begins off with a bang. A number of this present has to do with second probabilities and turning your life round in some facet.
Primarily, that has to do with Molly’s character of Amy and what occurs to her. The identical with my character as a result of previous to the primary season, I’ve gone via a divorce.
So I’m a newly single dad sort of beginning that facet of my life over once more. And that’s with Amy in the beginning of the season. After which, clearly, the entire hiccup of every little thing that occurs within the first episode.
You understand, a single dad, issues are going nicely in my skilled profession, fourth yr resident within the inside medication division, sort of discovering new love. And that’s the place we begin off, at the least.
And the way would you describe his arc over the season because the episodes progress?
You understand, the principle factor is that this, the arc of this up-and-down love story with Molly’s character.
I’ve this relationship, and issues are going nicely, however rapidly, the particular person I’m in love with loses eight years of her reminiscence and has no thought even who I’m, a lot much less that we’re in a romantic relationship collectively.
And so all through a lot of the season, it’s simply sort of standing by and watching the particular person I like and attempting to assist them out by being much less part of their life, which is tough, and watching and hoping that one thing will occur and click on.
And so these recollections will come again, or they’ll fall in love once more, even with out the reminiscence of our historical past collectively. And it’s watching that relationship evolve all through the season.
I had some extreme reactions to among the characters and among the storylines as a result of individuals are simply so imply. The characters are simply not a pleasant, glad bunch of individuals once we first meet them.
But there’s Jake, who’s level-headed and sort and units this fully completely different trajectory for a way issues can go. It’s virtually as if he’s setting a precedent.
However I’m questioning, do you suppose that that’s one thing that may be maintained given how the story continues?
You imply, might it’s maintained previous Episode 10?
I imply, can he proceed to be such man and so magnanimous?
Clearly, stuff occurs on the finish of the season. And, you understand, there are some cliffhangers that I feel all people will love won’t make Jake not too pleased with some folks. I feel intrinsically he’s particular person, and he’s level-headed.
And I feel that’s persona trait to have as a physician. So I don’t suppose he would fly off the deal with and do something irrational. However sure, clearly some stuff occurs all through the season that may undoubtedly rattle him a bit.
However I feel, such as you mentioned in the beginning, you meet some characters that you simply don’t like an excessive amount of and aren’t very good folks.
However on the similar time, Barbie and Hank, the writers and showrunners of this, simply did an awesome job — as a result of even some characters that you simply meet and suppose, I don’t like this particular person — all through the season, you begin to see extra behind the scenes what’s happening with their household life and stuff that makes you perceive why they’re the way in which they’re.
In order that they’re not simply intrinsically unhealthy folks. They’re all having points which might be affecting them within the office surroundings with their colleagues. However you’ll be able to relate to it on a human degree as a spectator of it.
Even when I had been to guess how Jake, ought to the story had been to proceed additional, would react and grow to be perhaps not such a pleasant man or one thing, I feel it will be on a really comprehensible degree as a result of they’ve completed an awesome job at rounding out these characters so it’s comprehensible.
Proper, proper. And Molly Parker is only a phenomenal actress. What was it like working together with her?
It was superb. She is, such as you mentioned, a tremendous actress. And she or he’s a tremendous particular person.
She has only a very calming vitality on set, which is nice. It makes it nice to get to set each day and work together with her in addition to the remainder of the solid.
However I imply, I used to be undoubtedly slightly anxious to begin with, as a result of I’ve gotten the prospect to work with a variety of nice actors. However for essentially the most half, I most likely don’t watch as a lot TV or films as I ought to.
So I’ve gotten to work with folks, however I haven’t watched a variety of stuff. However I used to be an enormous fan of Deadwood, and I used to be an enormous fan of Six Toes Beneath and Home of Playing cards.
So, I feel it was most likely the actor or actress that I knew I used to be going to get to set with and work with that I had seen essentially the most as a spectator. And in order that undoubtedly led to some nervousness.
However as quickly as you meet her, even from chemistry reads that we did over Zoom, she’s simply such a level-headed particular person with a relaxing presence.
It was simply nice to work together with her.
I’ve by no means considered it till you simply talked concerning the nervousness degree of working with someone that you simply’ve maybe admired.
Possibly it’s factor to not partake of what your trade places out in that respect.
Yeah, perhaps. I feel, you understand, there’s and a foul to not watching most likely as a lot TV and flicks as different folks do. I might most likely get rather a lot out of watching extra.
I don’t do it for any explicit purpose, moreover that I don’t discover a variety of time to sit down down and do it. I imply, I did after I was youthful, however I don’t know. I feel it’s sort of most likely ranges out.
Originally of the season, there’s a variety of animosity from the employees in the direction of Amy. How is she seen normally? And what’s Jake’s working relationship together with her in contrast with the others?
I feel Jake has recognized Amy for numerous years, and he or she’s been a mentor to him and an authority determine.
Though he witnesses this sort of abrasive persona that she has in the direction of folks, Jake most likely is aware of that it’s not the most effective bedside method, however it’s outweighed by simply the truth that she’s such a superb physician.
I feel it’s within the first episode the place I’ve a line to a affected person the place I say one thing like, “would you like an awesome physician or a heat and cuddly one?” The place principally, you understand, she’s a physician, and that’s what issues right here, even when she doesn’t have the most effective bedside method.
And I feel Jake cares rather a lot about medication and is simply drawn to that high quality of her that she’s simply so centered and so good at what she does.
With characters that aren’t essentially all pleasant amongst themselves, what was it like behind the scenes, bringing this story to life?
So far as that goes, it was the exact opposite. I feel all of us obtained alongside nice. It was an awesome solid.
It’s good on the sort of present the place, for essentially the most half, there are such a lot of actors on set at a time since you may simply be strolling by within the background otherwise you’re simply stopping at a nurse’s station.
So whereas there are simply one-on-one scenes, a variety of occasions there’s the entire solid is within the inexperienced room collectively, hanging out and speaking. And in order that lets you sort of gel and bond as a solid much more than another reveals.
I’ve been on reveals the place my complete storyline is simply with one different actor or actress, and I don’t even meet the opposite folks within the reveals moreover like a solid dinner or in passing.
In order that’s nice to get as a result of we shot this in Toronto and none of us are from Toronto. Molly’s from Canada, however all of us dwell in numerous elements, primarily of the U.S., so we’re sort of all fish out of water up there. It’s nice to have slightly household whereas we’re up there taking pictures.
And it’s a very robust solid. You’ve obtained robust feminine actors and characters and powerful male actors and characters. What was it like working alongside Scott Wolf and Omar Metwally?
The identical. They’re each simply nice. Scott has been in 1,000,000 issues, and Omar labored rather a lot too, simply coincidentally stuff that I haven’t seen, however they had been nice to work with.
They’ve very completely different personalities, however they’re very skilled and enjoyable to work with. We now have these scenes the place you’re within the background whereas one thing else has occurred. So that you simply must be faux that you simply’re speaking to sufferers or speaking to a different physician.
And I’d all the time giggle as a result of Scott is simply so skilled. Even when we’re within the background speaking to a affected person, I’ll simply be, you understand, taking pictures the shit about no matter, and he stays in character.
He’s speaking in medical jargon – “So we’re going to want to run these checks.” And I’m like, we don’t even have mics on Scott. [laughs] We are able to discuss concerning the climate! However he simply stayed in it, and it will all the time make me giggle.
That’s humorous. It makes it arduous to hold in your facet of the dialog!
It makes me really feel very unprofessional too. I’m like, shoot, I ought to, I ought to have the ability to improv medical jargon?
Nicely, after ten episodes, absolutely now you can, proper?
It’s gotten slightly bit higher, however you understand, I feel Scott’s performed a physician just a few occasions, so he’s obtained a head-start on me there. [laughs]
[laughs] Are you going to be the man now within the restaurant when someone says, do we’ve got a physician right here? And also you rise up and say, ‘I play a physician on TV!’?
[laughs] Precisely. In all probability. However you understand, talking of that, once we get the episode, we’ve got to get on YouTube and attempt to be taught every little thing it’s a must to say.
And fortunately we’ve got a medical advisor on set who’s there day and night time to assist us make sure that we’re saying issues proper and doing issues correctly.
However on the similar time, doing ten episodes of a medical drama, we’ve undoubtedly grow to be a little bit of a hypochondriac since you get all these random situations and also you’re like, there’s a lot that may go mistaken with the human physique. It’s only a miracle that we’re wholesome and glad at anyone time.
So I undoubtedly needed to flip that half off of my mind. In any other case, I’d simply be on WebMD all day saying my toe hurts, and I feel I’ve obtained one thing mistaken with me. [laughs]
That’s humorous as a result of I’ve been on a medical drama kick. I imply, even historic, like the entire approach again to some Sixties or ‘70s reveals I purchased on DVD. And it actually does occur.
You begin pondering to your self, man, “I’m not taking ok care of myself in any respect. When is that this going to occur?” And, “I ought to by no means do that as a result of perhaps I’ll get that.”
It may be slightly overwhelming in your day by day life.
Yeah. It’s important to stability it out and watch one thing completely different. Watch one thing to stability that out as a result of, yeah, it’ll make you go loopy.
You mentioned you don’t watch a lot TV or films, however have you ever watched any medical dramas? How would you say, or what produce other folks mentioned, units Doc aside from what we’ve already seen?
You understand, yeah. I particularly hadn’t watched something moreover Doogie Howser. I keep in mind watching Doogie Howser after I was a child, however moreover that, I don’t suppose I’d actually seen an excessive amount of of any medical dramas.
After I obtained this job, I used to be undoubtedly slightly bit scared that I obtained to play a physician. So I undoubtedly watched among the classics, and that was useful to simply get in that world and style of the procedural medical drama world. Some documentaries had been very useful too.
However I feel from what I’ve seen, what units Doc aside is, initially, the premise that, within the first episode, Amy has this accident, loses eight years of her reminiscence, and is simply attempting to place her life again collectively and refill this large window and cope with the loss that occurred in that eight years, the change that’s occurred in her relationships, romantically, professionally, and personally.
I imply, simply that premise could be very attention-grabbing and completely different from another present, barring the present that that is based mostly on. I truly haven’t completed the season but. I transfer slowly watching TV, however I feel we’ve got like three episodes to look at.
What I take away from it’s that it is a medical drama, and in each episode, you’re going to get new sufferers and new conditions that pull you in. However actually, it’s concerning the relationships between these docs and their household outdoors of the hospital. For me watching it, that’s what I see as the focus.
After which the sufferers and the medical drama is simply sort of a storytelling approach, like a crutch to inform the drama between the docs. I feel it undoubtedly falls heavier on the relationships between the characters.
However clearly, there are 1,000,000 medical dramas which have 1,000,000 seasons, and I haven’t seen all of them. I feel it’s a mixture of slightly little bit of Home with slightly little bit of Gray’s Anatomy and slightly little bit of ER.
In case you like medical dramas, you’re going to love it. However even should you aren’t essentially a fan of medical dramas, I feel that there’s sufficient of the connection drama that you simply’ll nonetheless be into it.
Individuals don’t essentially simply wish to lose themselves in medical instances. They wish to lose themselves in a character-driven story, in order that bodes very nicely.
Precisely. An arc that’s carrying over in a number of episodes and seasons slightly than simply each episode.
Individuals love the entire ‘transport tradition, and Doc is completely ripe for selecting sides and selecting characters they wish to help and root for from a romantic perspective. That’s all the time an excellent factor.
As FOX is aware of from The Resident, it’s the interpersonal drama that actually makes the distinction.
Yeah. Whether or not they’re workforce Jake or…
Yeah.
Nicely, we’ll see. We wrapped in June or the start of July. It looks like endlessly in the past. We’re excited and might’t see how folks react to it.
Doc premieres TONIGHT, January 7 at 9/8c on FOX!!