Body of Proof
Encyclopedia
Body of Proof is an American medical drama
television series created by Chris Murphey
and produced by ABC Studios. Starring Dana Delany
as medical examiner
Dr. Megan Hunt
, the series premiered on March 29, 2011 on ABC
.
On May 13, 2011, ABC renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 20, 2011.
as Dr. Megan Hunt
, a medical examiner
. The show focuses on Hunt's efforts to balance the demands of her professional life, dealing with solving cases and analyzing bodies, with her personal life, trying to reconnect with her estranged daughter. Hunt was a top-flight neurosurgeon
until she had a life-changing automobile accident and accidentally killed a patient on the operating table resulting in her resignation, and retirement from the profession altogether. Her boss is the city's Chief Medical Examiner, played by Jeri Ryan
.
and some other locations including Woonsocket and Warwick, Rhode Island. The series was originally titled Body of Evidence but was later renamed Body of Proof. It was announced that the second season of the show would be filmed in Los Angeles
to take advantage of a $7-million tax credit.
Body of Proof is the third ABC television series starring Dana Delany
in a main character role, the first being the role of Colleen McMurphy in China Beach
and the second being Katherine Mayfair
in Desperate Housewives
.
on October 22, 2010. However, following the failure of Thursday night drama My Generation
and the subsequent cancellation of The Whole Truth
on Wednesday evenings, the network held back the series. The series premiered Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central, replacing Detroit 1-8-7
. The last of its nine first season episodes aired May 17, 2011, four days after ABC renewed the series for a second season,
The show's second season premiered on September 20, 2011.
, simulcast with the ABC broadcast. The series premiered in Italy on January 25, 2011, on the pay TV channel Fox Life
. After the Italian world premiere, Body of Proof was scheduled to debut in other European countries before the American start. In Russia, the series premiered on February 7, 2011, on Channel One
. In the UK, the series premiered on July 19, 2011, on Alibi, channel head Steve Hornsey said of picking up the series, "As TV's ultimate compendium of crime drama, Alibi aims to select the very best series in the genre from around the globe. Body Of Proof is exactly that. A stand-out show that promises to be a huge hit in the US, Body Of Proof means more premium and exclusive content for the channel - and more thrilling and engaging viewing for our audience." In Bulgaria
the show premiered on March 17, 2011 on Fox Crime
. In Latin America the show was broadcasted on 2011 by Sony Entertainment Television.
In Australia, the series premiered on August 8, 2011, on Channel Seven
at 8:30 pm. In Germany, it premiered August 24, 2011 on ProSieben.
In Slovenia, the series will premiere on December 13, 2011, on POP TV
at 10:35 pm.
gave the show's first season a score of 56 out of 100.
Entertainment Weekly
included the show in the 10 TV events to look forward to in 2011. Critic David Hinckley from the New York Daily News gave the show a positive review, noting it "would be interesting enough if it were just Quincy with better legs. Add the other elements and you have something worth checking out at 10 o'clock".
Other reviews have been more negative, commenting on the cliché
d plot and character development
. Las Vegas Weekly
critic Josh Bell commented that "The problem is that Megan’s personal issues are as clichéd and clumsily presented as her boilerplate murder cases, and the show makes strained connections between the two that don’t really hold together." The Detroit News called it "Saggy, predictable and preachy, the series debut was delayed for months and still doesn't have what it takes to impress viewers. What a poor replacement for Detroit 1-8-7
(Ironically, Detroit 1-8-7 was cancelled and Body of Proof was renewed). The Los Angeles Times
said "Murphey and the writers will have to do a lot of heavy lifting for Body of Proof to transcend its immediate predictability. There's only so much Delany can do with a cardboard show. God may be in the details, but the walls still have to hold."
for the week, and was the second-most watched premiere of the 2010-2011 season, following CBS' Hawaii Five-0. ABC ran the second episode on Sunday April 3, 2011; it dropped to 8.5 million viewers. The third episode aired two days later and drew 11 million viewers; the show again won its time slot. The first season averaged 13.68 million viewers making it the second most-watched scripted drama on ABC.
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
television series created by Chris Murphey
Christopher Murphey
Christopher Murphey is an American writer and producer, creator ABC Medical drama Body of Proof .- Television work :* 2004 Dead Lawyers* 2011 Body of Proof* 2011 Untitled Ben Affleck/Matt Damon Project- External links:...
and produced by ABC Studios. Starring Dana Delany
Dana Delany
Dana Welles Delany is an American film, stage, and television actress, producer, host and health activist.After various roles in the early career, Delany garnered her first leading role in 1987 in the short-lived NBC sitcom Sweet Surrender and achieved wider fame in 1988–1991 as Colleen McMurphy...
as medical examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
Dr. Megan Hunt
Megan Hunt
Dr. Megan Hunt is a fictional character created by television producer Christopher Murphey for the ABC television series Body of Proof. The character is played by Dana Delany.- Overview :...
, the series premiered on March 29, 2011 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
On May 13, 2011, ABC renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 20, 2011.
Overview
The series stars Dana DelanyDana Delany
Dana Welles Delany is an American film, stage, and television actress, producer, host and health activist.After various roles in the early career, Delany garnered her first leading role in 1987 in the short-lived NBC sitcom Sweet Surrender and achieved wider fame in 1988–1991 as Colleen McMurphy...
as Dr. Megan Hunt
Megan Hunt
Dr. Megan Hunt is a fictional character created by television producer Christopher Murphey for the ABC television series Body of Proof. The character is played by Dana Delany.- Overview :...
, a medical examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
. The show focuses on Hunt's efforts to balance the demands of her professional life, dealing with solving cases and analyzing bodies, with her personal life, trying to reconnect with her estranged daughter. Hunt was a top-flight neurosurgeon
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
until she had a life-changing automobile accident and accidentally killed a patient on the operating table resulting in her resignation, and retirement from the profession altogether. Her boss is the city's Chief Medical Examiner, played by Jeri Ryan
Jeri Ryan
Jeri Lynn Zimmermann Ryan is an American actress best known for her roles as the liberated Borg, Seven of Nine, on Star Trek: Voyager; Tara Cole on Leverage; and Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on Boston Public. She was also a regular on the science fiction show Dark Skies and the legal drama series...
.
Main characters
- Dana DelanyDana DelanyDana Welles Delany is an American film, stage, and television actress, producer, host and health activist.After various roles in the early career, Delany garnered her first leading role in 1987 in the short-lived NBC sitcom Sweet Surrender and achieved wider fame in 1988–1991 as Colleen McMurphy...
as Dr. Megan HuntMegan HuntDr. Megan Hunt is a fictional character created by television producer Christopher Murphey for the ABC television series Body of Proof. The character is played by Dana Delany.- Overview :...
: Former neurosurgeon and now medical examiner. Megan Hunt was a brilliant neurosurgeon until a life-changing car accident prevented her from continuing to work in the operating room. Now she uses her medical knowledge and investigative instincts to solve the medical mysteries of the dead. - Nicholas BishopNicholas BishopNicholas Bishop is an English-born Australian actor. He is best known for his television roles as Detective Peter Baker on the soap opera Home and Away and as Peter Dunlop on the ABC medical drama Body of Proof .-Early life:Bishop was born in Swindon, England...
as Peter Dunlop: Former police officer and now medico-legal investigator. After a gunshot ripped through his shoulder during a convenience store robbery, Peter found himself inside a rehab facility. As partner and confidant to Dr. Megan Hunt, Peter now finds himself investigating Philadelphia's mysterious medical cases. - Jeri RyanJeri RyanJeri Lynn Zimmermann Ryan is an American actress best known for her roles as the liberated Borg, Seven of Nine, on Star Trek: Voyager; Tara Cole on Leverage; and Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on Boston Public. She was also a regular on the science fiction show Dark Skies and the legal drama series...
as Dr. Kate Murphy: Chief medical examiner, forensic anthropologist and Megan's superior. First female chief medical examiner in Philadelphia's history. - John Carroll LynchJohn Carroll LynchJohn Carroll Lynch is an American actor, known for his role as Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show, and for his role as Norm, the unassuming husband of Margie Gunderson in Fargo....
as Detective Bud Morris: Homicide detective. A hardheaded, straight-shooting veteran of the Philadelphia Homicide Division, he fights for justice on the streets of Philly while fighting a personal battle at home, mending a crumbling relationship with his wife who just kicked him out of their Center City brownstone. He clashes with Megan at crime scenes over their different views. - Sonja Sohn as Detective Samantha Baker: Homicide detective. Partner of Bud Morris, full of energy and very smart. She is friendlier towards Megan than Morris and respects her straightforwardness and work.
- Geoffrey ArendGeoffrey Arend-Life and career:Arend was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, to a Caucasian father and a Pakistani mother. He graduated from New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1996. In 2000, he began providing voices for video games such as Daria's...
as Dr. Ethan Gross: Forensic pathology fellow. Ethan is the youngest and most enthusiastic fellow in the medical examiner's office. - Windell Middlebrooks as Dr. Curtis Brumfield: Deputy chief medical examiner. Curtis is a capable and intelligent medical examiner whose bluster belies his love for his job.
Recurring characters
- Jeffrey NordlingJeffrey NordlingJeffrey Richard Nordling is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jake Manning in Once and Again, Larry Moss in 24, and Nick Bolen in Desperate Housewives; and in the following films: And the Band Played On, Flight 93, Pirates of Silicon Valley, and the film D3: The Mighty Ducks.-Early...
as Todd Fleming; Megan's ex-husband. - Mary Matilyn MouserMary Matilyn MouserMary Matilyn Mouser is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lacey Fleming on the ABC series Body of Proof.-Life and career:...
as Lacey Fleming; Megan's estranged daughter. - Joanna CassidyJoanna CassidyJoanna Cassidy is an American film and television actress. She is known for her role as the replicant Zhora in the Ridley Scott's film Blade Runner...
as Judge Joan Hunt; Megan's mother. - Cliff CurtisCliff CurtisClifford Vivian Devon "Cliff" Curtis is a New Zealand actor who has had major roles in film, including The Piano, Whale Rider, and Blow, and most recently has appeared in NBC's television series Trauma. He is also co-owner of independent film production company Whenua Films...
as FBI agent Derek Ames; potential love interest for Megan. - Nathalie KelleyNathalie KelleyNathalie Kelley is a Peruvian-born Australian actress, most notable for playing Neela in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift in 2006, along with her appearance in the music video of Bruno Mars's 2010 single "Just the Way You Are"....
as Dani Alverez. - Jamie BamberJamie BamberJamie Bamber is the stage name of Jamie St. John Bamber Griffith , a British actor known most widely for his roles as Lee Adama on Battlestar Galactica and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin on the ITV series Law & Order: UK...
as Scott Decker; potential love interest for Megan in season 2.
Production
Though set in Philadelphia, the first season of Body of Proof was filmed in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and some other locations including Woonsocket and Warwick, Rhode Island. The series was originally titled Body of Evidence but was later renamed Body of Proof. It was announced that the second season of the show would be filmed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to take advantage of a $7-million tax credit.
Body of Proof is the third ABC television series starring Dana Delany
Dana Delany
Dana Welles Delany is an American film, stage, and television actress, producer, host and health activist.After various roles in the early career, Delany garnered her first leading role in 1987 in the short-lived NBC sitcom Sweet Surrender and achieved wider fame in 1988–1991 as Colleen McMurphy...
in a main character role, the first being the role of Colleen McMurphy in China Beach
China Beach
China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" by unknown foreigners, most likely Americans...
and the second being Katherine Mayfair
Katherine Mayfair
Katherine Mayfair is a fictional character created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
in Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
Broadcast
The show was set to premiere on Friday nights on ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on October 22, 2010. However, following the failure of Thursday night drama My Generation
My Generation (TV series)
My Generation is an American mockumentary television series that aired on the ABC network in the fall of 2010. The one-hour comedy-drama, produced by ABC Studios, follows a group of high school classmates in Austin, Texas in 2000, then revisits them ten years after graduation...
and the subsequent cancellation of The Whole Truth
The Whole Truth (TV series)
The Whole Truth is an American legal drama series that premiered on ABC on September 22, 2010. Episodes aired on Wednesdays at 10:00 pm ET/9:00 pm CT...
on Wednesday evenings, the network held back the series. The series premiered Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central, replacing Detroit 1-8-7
Detroit 1-8-7
Detroit 1-8-7 is an American crime drama series about Detroit's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel...
. The last of its nine first season episodes aired May 17, 2011, four days after ABC renewed the series for a second season,
The show's second season premiered on September 20, 2011.
International broadcasts
In Canada, Body of Proof is on CitytvCitytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
, simulcast with the ABC broadcast. The series premiered in Italy on January 25, 2011, on the pay TV channel Fox Life
Fox Life
Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions...
. After the Italian world premiere, Body of Proof was scheduled to debut in other European countries before the American start. In Russia, the series premiered on February 7, 2011, on Channel One
Channel One (Russia)
Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%...
. In the UK, the series premiered on July 19, 2011, on Alibi, channel head Steve Hornsey said of picking up the series, "As TV's ultimate compendium of crime drama, Alibi aims to select the very best series in the genre from around the globe. Body Of Proof is exactly that. A stand-out show that promises to be a huge hit in the US, Body Of Proof means more premium and exclusive content for the channel - and more thrilling and engaging viewing for our audience." In Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
the show premiered on March 17, 2011 on Fox Crime
Fox Crime
Fox Crime is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which airs across several countries of Europe and Asia, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Bulgaria...
. In Latin America the show was broadcasted on 2011 by Sony Entertainment Television.
In Australia, the series premiered on August 8, 2011, on Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
at 8:30 pm. In Germany, it premiered August 24, 2011 on ProSieben.
In Slovenia, the series will premiere on December 13, 2011, on POP TV
POP TV
POP TV is a Slovenian commercial television station operated by the multi-media company PRO PLUS d.o.o.It is a TV channel with the highest ratings in Slovenia , and at the same time the most popular and trustworthy...
at 10:35 pm.
DVD release
| DVD Name | Region 1 release date | Region 2 release date | Region 4 release date | Ep # | Discs | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | September 20, 2011 | TBA | TBA | 9 | 2 | Looks That Could Kill featurette, The Proof is in the Writing featurette and "Contaminated Evidence" Blooper Reel |
Critical reception
The show was met with mixed reviews: 21 critics at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the show's first season a score of 56 out of 100.
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
included the show in the 10 TV events to look forward to in 2011. Critic David Hinckley from the New York Daily News gave the show a positive review, noting it "would be interesting enough if it were just Quincy with better legs. Add the other elements and you have something worth checking out at 10 o'clock".
Other reviews have been more negative, commenting on the cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
d plot and character development
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
. Las Vegas Weekly
Las Vegas Weekly
Las Vegas Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. Las Vegas Weekly is published by Greenspun Media Group. The paper was founded in 1992 by James Reza as a free monthly publication called Scope covering...
critic Josh Bell commented that "The problem is that Megan’s personal issues are as clichéd and clumsily presented as her boilerplate murder cases, and the show makes strained connections between the two that don’t really hold together." The Detroit News called it "Saggy, predictable and preachy, the series debut was delayed for months and still doesn't have what it takes to impress viewers. What a poor replacement for Detroit 1-8-7
Detroit 1-8-7
Detroit 1-8-7 is an American crime drama series about Detroit's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel...
(Ironically, Detroit 1-8-7 was cancelled and Body of Proof was renewed). The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said "Murphey and the writers will have to do a lot of heavy lifting for Body of Proof to transcend its immediate predictability. There's only so much Delany can do with a cardboard show. God may be in the details, but the walls still have to hold."
Ratings
The series premiere (Tuesday, March 29, 2011) drew 14 million viewers. It finished in the top 10 in Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for the week, and was the second-most watched premiere of the 2010-2011 season, following CBS' Hawaii Five-0. ABC ran the second episode on Sunday April 3, 2011; it dropped to 8.5 million viewers. The third episode aired two days later and drew 11 million viewers; the show again won its time slot. The first season averaged 13.68 million viewers making it the second most-watched scripted drama on ABC.
| Season | Timeslot (ET/PT Pacific Time Zone The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States... ) |
# Ep. | Premiered | Ended | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Premiere Viewers (in millions) |
Date | Finale Viewers (in millions) |
||||||
| 1 | 9 | 13.94 | 10.33 | 2010–2011 | #13 | 13.68 | |||
| 2 | TBA | 9.65 | 2011–2012 2011–12 United States network television schedule The 2011–2012 network television schedule for the five major English commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 2011 through May 2012... |
||||||