Kay O'Brien

Kay O'Brien
GenreMedical drama
Created byBrad Markowitz
Bryce Zabel
William Asher
StarringPatricia Kalember
Brian Benben
Jan Rubeš
Lane Smith
Priscilla Lopez
ComposerMark Snow
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (5 unaired)
Production
Executive producerWilliam Asher
ProducerPeter Katz
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesAsher-Whitehead Productions
Orion Television
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 25 (1986-09-25) –
November 13, 1986 (1986-11-13)

Kay O'Brien is an American medical drama television series set at fictional Manhattan General Hospital, which aired for one season on CBS from September 25 to November 13, 1986, during the 1986-87 television season.

Overview

The series stars Patricia Kalember as Dr. Kay "Kayo" O'Brien. CBS had high hopes for this multi-racial medical drama, but it received low ratings and was cancelled after airing just 8 episodes.

Lifetime bought the rights to the entire series, and has occasionally aired all 13 episodes.

Premise

28-year old Kay O'Brien, known to all as "Kayo", is a surgical resident in a New York hospital and, like most residents, she has too many patients, not enough sleep time and one too many superiors on her tail. To cap it all, her live-in partner, Sam, has moved out taking the stereo with him.[1]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Kayo to Call"Richard MichaelsBryce Zabel & Brad MarkowitzSeptember 25, 1986 (1986-09-25)
A second-year surgical resident deals with patients and staff at a Manhattan hospital.
2"Don't Bother Kayo It's Chinatown"Michael CaffeyBrad Markowitz & Bryce ZabelOctober 2, 1986 (1986-10-02)
A Chinatown merchant is wounded in a shootout and needs a kidney transplant, and his brain-dead assailant may be the only suitable donor; Kayo's parents breeze into town.
3"Big Vacation"Michael VejarStory by : Deborah Amelon Huddy
Teleplay by : Stephen Zito
October 9, 1986 (1986-10-09)
Kayo treats two emergency patients: a young woman who refuses surgery for religious reasons, and a terminally ill photojournalist who wants to get the most out of his remaining days.
4"Taking the Heat"Richard ComptonDaniel FreudenbergerOctober 16, 1986 (1986-10-16)
Rosa spots a potential problem with a doctor's orders and Kayo later supports the doctor.
5"A Foreign Concept"Lorraine S. FerreraBryce Zabel & Brad MarkowitzOctober 23, 1986 (1986-10-23)
Wallach's best friend suffers a mild stroke but insists he doesn't need to be hospitalized; misunderstandings abound with a Sri Lankan physician anxious to learn about American surgery techniques.
6"Lesson Learned"Michael VejarRobert EarllOctober 30, 1986 (1986-10-30)
Kayo turns to an old friend for consolation after losing a patient; Cliff becomes the object of ridicule among his peers; Moffitt considers a position with another institution.
7"Princess of the City"Richard A. CollaCliff GouldNovember 6, 1986 (1986-11-06)
A wealthy suitor brings excitement to Kayo's social life, while a stern pediatrician frustrates her life at the hospital; a psychiatrist takes an unusual interest in Cliff's genes.
8"Dollars and Sense"Michael VejarKimmer RingwaldNovember 13, 1986 (1986-11-13)
A street punk dukes it out with Doyle after the doctor insults his ailing mother; a male nurse learns there are drawbacks to dating Dr. O'Brien.
9"Behind Closed Doors"Michael CaffeyBill TaubUNAIRED
The ER is quarantined, which prevents Kayo from going to her sister's wedding, detains Doyle's accountant and jeopardizes a sick runaway.
10"Wreck the Halls"TBDTBDUNAIRED
A department-store explosion creates a major disaster as patients are rushed to Manhattan General during the midst of the Christmas season.
11"Little White Lies"Robert BeckerWilliam DriskillUNAIRED
Cliff puts a patient's life at risk when, concentrating more on his social life than on work, he fails to prescribe an essential medication, and Kayo takes the blame.
12"Reunion"Robert BeckerKimmer RingwaldUNAIRED
Kayo faces a dilemma in obstetrics: whether to save the life of her patient or the patient's unborn child.
13"Stop and Smell the Linen"Michael VejarCynthia DarnellUNAIRED
A workaholic clothing designer refuses treatment after collapsing at the hospital; without official sanction, Nat sets up shop in the linen closet to sell imported goods.

References

  1. ^ Panorama newspaper; Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation TV Highlights; 06/02/1989; Page 18