The Resident: 19 Reasons Why You Should Watch It!

The first season of The Resident is almost over, but there is still plenty of time to catch up on this series!

The Resident has garnered a devoted fan base, plenty of discourse, and some ire as a result of its subject matter. The series takes on all aspects of the American Healthcare, and it's not always pretty. 

Check out our list of reasons why you should give the series a chance. 

If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can watch The Resident online here via TV Fanatic. Then you can check out our The Resident Reviews and give us your take on the series in the lively comment section. 

 

1. Matt Czuchry's Impressive Performance

The most notable roles on Matt Czuchry's résumé are as Logan on Gilmore Girls and Cary Agos on The Good Wife. On both shows, he put forth memorable performances and won over fans with his talent. Conrad Hawkins is arguably his best role to date. After years of supportive roles, Czuchry finally stepped into his rightful place as the star of his own series. It was long over-due.

Conrad Hawkins is rough around the edges character who is brilliant but flawed. He's a layered individual, arrogant but compassionate, honorable but ornery, and closed off while simultaneously wearing his heart on his sleeve. Czuchry captures the contradictory and complex nature of this character with such nuance and finesse. It's some of his best work and worthy of a view.

2. It's Brutally Honest about American Healthcare

Medical dramas are a dime a dozen. Audiences adore them. However, most series fail to capture the growing sense of disillusionment Americans have towards the healthcare system. It's a hot-button issue that is at the forefront of social movements and politics. It's a system not without flaws and pitfalls. The Resident is not only a compelling medical drama that wades into territory other series dare not enter, but it's a crusade that gives voice to the unheard who fall through the cracks of a broken system.

The series takes a novel albeit controversial approach by exploring the business and financial aspects of healthcare and how they trickle down to the patient. The series has taken on upcoding, patient dumping, incentivized treatment, the alarming medical error rate and much more. It's controversial, and it makes people uncomfortable, but it's honest. The Resident unapologetically tackles the less pretty sides of an intricate system, and that separates it from the pack.

3. Devon Pravesh – The Importance of Manish Dayal's Quietly Profound Performance and Representation

Asian/Southeast Asian doctors are number one of minorities and the second largest ethnic group of American doctors. They make up about 20% of the field, but that's rarely reflected in medical shows, including those who pride themselves on having a diverse cast. Devon Pravesh as the star of a primetime medical drama is an accomplishment. Devon's race factors into the show, but it's not the only important aspect of his character. He's a doctor who happens to be of Indian descent, but he's not " the Indian doctor."

The show understands the importance of his racial identity, but they don't use it as his primary storyline. The series also avoids some of the problematic depictions of Southeast Asians. Devon is smart, capable, introspective, kind, intuitive, handsome, and he's shown as the object of desire. Manish Dayal's performance is the most understated of the series. He consistently puts out a fantastic performance with each installment, and Devon's growth throughout the series is heartening.

4. Moral and Ethical Quandaries

The series not only focuses on the darker parts of the healthcare system but it explores the moral and ethical dilemmas that arise. What's right isn't always legal. What's legal isn't always what is moral. What's ethical isn't always what is right. The exploration of all of this is what makes the storytelling so rich.

5. Mina Okafor

Dr. Mina Okafor is one of the best characters in the series. That's not an opinion; that's a fact. She's a brilliant, badass surgical resident with the gifted hands of a goddess. She's confident to the point of arrogant, but as her attending once said: "she has every right to be." She's straightforward and blunt at any given time, including when she's making death notifications.

Mina is the best doctor on the series, and the others don't hesitate to acknowledge that. She is admittedly better with technology than she is with people, but that's part of her charm. Her deadpan humor has led to some of the funniest quotes of the series thus far. She's loyal, focused, and she typically tries to stay out of all of the hospital politics, but she cares about her patients, and like Conrad, she's not above cutting corners to treat them.

6. The Medical Dream Team

Conrad, Devon, and Nic are a trio who gets sh!t done. If you think these characters kick butt individually, you should see what happens when they work together. They are an unstoppable force, and they have learned over the season how to aide one another for the greater good. They all share a quality of wanting to do what's best for their patients, no matter the cost, thus they're bonded by their willingness to break a few rules.

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