Off the Map (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Off the Map is a medical drama
created by Jenna Bans
, who also served as an executive producer, with colleagues from Grey's Anatomy
, Shonda Rhimes
and Betsy Beers
. The series ran on ABC
from January 12, 2011 to April 6, 2011.
On May 13, 2011, Off the Map was canceled by ABC.
village, where seven doctors search for reasons that brought each of them to medicine.
gave the show a rating of 48 out of 100 based on 20 critical reviews.
in Region 1. The set will include all thirteen episodes as well as bonus features. It will be made available on August 20th, 2011.
Off the Map premiered with 7.57 million viewers. It became ABC's highest viewed telecast in the timeslot since the premiere of Eastwick
on September 23, 2009, and its second episode on September 30, 2009.
(2004-10).
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...
created by Jenna Bans
Jenna Bans
Jenna Bans is an American Writers Guild of America Award nominated screenwriter.Originally intended as a staff writer for Jerry Bruckheimer's cancelled action series Fearless, Bans became a part of the crew of Desperate Housewives in 2004...
, who also served as an executive producer, with colleagues from Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
, Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes is an American screenwriter, director and producer. Rhimes is best known as the creator, head writer, and executive producer of acclaimed television series Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice. In May 2007, Rhimes was named one of Time magazine's 100 Time 100 people who...
and Betsy Beers
Betsy Beers
Betsy Beers is an American television producer best known for her work on Grey's Anatomy.She has served as executive producer for over sixty episodes of Grey's Anatomy since its debut in 2005, and continues as executive producer of its 2007 spin-off series, Private Practice...
. The series ran 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...
from January 12, 2011 to April 6, 2011.
On May 13, 2011, Off the Map was canceled by ABC.
Plot
The series is set in a remote South AmericanSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
village, where seven doctors search for reasons that brought each of them to medicine.
Main cast
- Martin HendersonMartin HendersonMartin Henderson is a New Zealand actor, well known to American audiences for his starring role in the ABC TV series Off the Map, while remaining known in his home country for his teenage role as Stuart Neilson in the soap opera Shortland Street.-Life and career:Henderson was born in Auckland, New...
as Dr. Benjamin "Ben" Keeton — Keeton is "one of the world's greatest humanitarians," according to Mina and Lily. He was married to Abby and they had a daughter together, but they died during an accident. However, in episode 4 it's revealed that Abby is on life support in the San Miguel Hospital and Ben is keeping her on life support because her trust fund bankrolls the clinic. When EEG scans show no change, Ben must make the decision whether or not to keep his wife on life support. He became involved with Dr. Ryan Clarke some time after the accident, and although they have mostly been on and off, Ben starts to realize he must move on with his life and allows himself to commit to Ryan on a deeper level. When she has to go to New York for a full investigation regarding her heart disease, he decides to temporarily leave the clinic behind and leave with her. In episode 12 Hold on tight he fires Mina for lying to him about being Clark's doctor. - Jason Winston GeorgeJason Winston GeorgeJason Winston George is an American actor and model He is best known for his roles as Michael Bourne on the NBC daytime soap opera Sunset Beach, and as J.T. Hunter on the UPN television sitcom Eve...
as Dr. Otis Cole — It is said about Cole that his bark is "just as bad as his bite." Although he is strict while working, off the job he can be extremely silly. He is good friends with Zee, and although they started out as friends with benefits, he realizes he's falling in love with her after she breaks up with him. Cole was once addicted to morphine and heroin and consumes candy to stay clean. When Cole and Minard must retrieve heroin to use as painkillers, he contemplates relapsing, carrying around a stash of heroin for a whole day, before coming clean to Ben, who then takes his heroin and gives him some more candy. - Valerie CruzValerie CruzValerie Cruz is an American actress.Cruz was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey of Cuban ancestry. She attended Florida State University and received a BFA theatre degree....
as Zita Alareina "Zee" Toledo Alvarez — Zee is the mother hen of the doctors. She shows disapproval towards workplace romances but has developed a casual relationship with Cole. When she finds out it's more a friends with benefits thing for Cole, she ends things between them, but finds herself drawn back in when he's injured during a rescue mission. They are currently contemplating getting back together and try a real relationship. - Caroline DhavernasCaroline DhavernasCaroline Dhavernas is a Canadian actress. Dhavernas is best known in the United States as "Jaye" from the short-lived television series Wonderfalls on Fox. She starred as Dr. Lily Brenner in the ABC medical drama Off the Map.-Life and career:...
as Dr. Lily Brenner — Brenner's fiancé was killed in a cycling accident after she asked him to go out and get her some cereal. She has an attraction to Ben Keeton, although this was set back by her disapproval at his handling of a patient in "A Doctor Time Out", and is completely ended once she discovers Keeton has gotten back together with Clark. She meets a local farmer named Mateo at the local bar and forms a relationship with him, until she discovers that he and his family grow coca on their land, which is used to make cocaine. Brenner is an extreme control freak and finds it difficult at first to adapt to the unexpected situations in the jungle that regularly break her routine. - Zach GilfordZach GilfordZach Gilford is an American actor best known for his role as Matt Saracen on the NBC television drama series Friday Night Lights. Gilford starred alongside Terrell Owens in the 2008 NBA Celebrity All-Star game....
as Dr. Tommy Fuller — Tommy is shown to be a promiscuous and light-hearted character who incurred Cole's wrath quite early on, earning the nickname "Plastics." He is shown to have "barely made his way through medical school" according to Cole. Tommy had a brief crush on Ryan, until he found out she was dating Keeton. He had a relationship with a local girl named Alma, but due to lack of knowledge of each other's language, he finds it difficult to be around her. He eventually gets drunk and sleeps with Minard, after which things become awkward for them. In the episode 11 "Everything As It Should Be" Tommy gets jealous when a patient, Pher becomes involved with Mina. He tells Brenner this and she says go for it, when he does he finds Mina in the shower with Pher. Tommy is shown to be upset when he sees Mina and Pher together. He is upset when he realizes that Mina's relationship is more than sex and eggs. In the season finale he finally tells Mina that he has fallen in love with her. - Mamie GummerMamie GummerMary Willa "Mamie" Gummer is an American actress, and the daughter of actress Meryl Streep.-Early life:Mamie Gummer was born to actress Meryl Streep, and sculptor Don Gummer...
(daughter of actress Meryl StreepMeryl StreepMary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
) as Dr. Mina Minard — Mina is a doctor who "only works solo" and loses confidence easily due to a misdiagnosis earlier in her career that led to the death of a patient, a little boy named Eric. She is highly competitive at work. She owns a chicken named Dinner that was given to her by a grateful patient. In episode 4 Mina says that her father is the head of a major Boston hospital, and when she misdiagnosed Eric he wiped her resume clean of the incident. She appears to have some kind of attraction to Cole after they share some close moments. In episode 8, Mina sleeps with Tommy while she is drunk after a party for her new god-daughter. In episode 12 Hold on tight Mina becomes Ryans doctor without Keeton knowing. At the end of the episode Keeton fires Mina for lying to him and will never let her be Ryan's doctor. - Rachelle LefevreRachelle LefèvreRachelle Lefevre is a Canadian actress. She has starred in the television series Big Wolf on Campus and had recurring roles in What About Brian, Boston Legal, and Swingtown. She played the vampire Victoria in the first two films of the Twilight saga, before being replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Dr. Ryan Clark — Ryan's parents were missionaries, and she grew up all over the world. She was bitten by an assassin bug when she was eight years old which went untreated causing her to develop Chagas diseaseChagas diseaseChagas disease is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is commonly transmitted to humans and other mammals by an insect vector, the blood-sucking insects of the subfamily Triatominae most commonly species belonging to the Triatoma, Rhodnius,...
. Twenty years later, the disease has caused irreversible heart damage and leads her to going into heart failure. She's in an on and off again relationship with Ben Keeton, although he eventually fully commits to her once he realizes it's time for him to move on from his past. When he discovers the truth about Ryan's condition, he is worried sick, which leads to both of them declaring their love for each other. When Ryan has to go to New York for her heart to get her on a transplant list, she's joined by Ben at the airport, who decides to come with her. - Jonathan Castellanos as Charlie — When Charlie was 9, his parents abandoned him. He now works at the clinic, and "supposedly" lives in a hostel. It is shown that he actually house-sits condos for 6 months a year, and has a bed under a lab in the clinic as well. He is good friends with both Tommy and Cole. Charlie has a crush on Brenner and was worried that she didn't know his name. Charlie has given voice to the titles of episode 3 and 4.
Critical reception
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 a rating of 48 out of 100 based on 20 critical reviews.
DVD release
On June 3rd, 2011, it was announced that ABC Studios will release a complete series set of "Off The Map" on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 1. The set will include all thirteen episodes as well as bonus features. It will be made available on August 20th, 2011.
| Region | Title | Language(s) | Subtitles | Bonus Features | Disc Count | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Complete Series | English | French, Spanish | Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, "Jungle Medicine" Featurette, "On The Set at 'Off The Map'" Featurette | 3 | August 20th, 2011 |
| 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Seasonal ratings
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank (viewers) |
Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wednesday 10:00 P.M. | January 12, 2011 | April 6, 2011 | 2011 | #78 | 6.41 |
Off the Map premiered with 7.57 million viewers. It became ABC's highest viewed telecast in the timeslot since the premiere of Eastwick
Eastwick (TV series)
Eastwick is a 2009 screwball comedy series based on John Updike's novel, The Witches of Eastwick. The series was developed by Maggie Friedman, and starred Paul Gross as the infamous Darryl Van Horne, alongside Jaime Ray Newman , Lindsay Price, and Rebecca Romijn as the eponymous...
on September 23, 2009, and its second episode on September 30, 2009.
Filming
The series was filmed on O`ahu, Hawaii, using many of the production facilities remaining from the ABC series LostLost
-In cinema or television:*Lost , an ABC drama about people who become stranded on a mysterious island*Lost , a short-lived reality television program*Lost , an American thriller starring Dean Cain...
(2004-10).