Paramedics (TV show)
Encyclopedia
Paramedics was a medical-based television
reality show that ran on TLC from 1999 to 2001 and now runs infrequently on Discovery Health Channel
. A spin-off
of Trauma: Life in the E.R.
, Paramedics followed the activities of teams of EMTs
and paramedics in a number of large urban centers in the United States. The series was never as popular in its original run on TLC as its parent show Trauma, but it has found a home on Discovery Health Channel
, serving in a four-show rotation in the 1800-2000 EST/EDT time block with Code Blue: New Orleans, Code Blue: Savannah, and Trauma: Life in the ER.
The show had no regular cast; every week featured a different city and a different group of paramedics. Actor Michael McGlone narrated the series. Composer Chuck Hammer
scored the series.
The excitement as well as the occasional tedium of being a member of a paramedic team is evident, as cases ranging from life-and-death to broken wrists to false calls are all featured. The show differed from Trauma: Life in the E.R. in that it did not show surgeries and hospital discharges. Instead, it focused on the importance of a paramedic's immediate care and social skills in dealing with a variety of (often resistant and combative) people.
The staff of the program included many of the same producers and videographers who produced Trauma: Life in the E.R., and many of the cities featured in the series overlapped with the locations of episodes of Trauma: Life in the E.R. -- and were often shot at the same time.
Paramedics was produced by Discovery Channel Pictures and distributed by The Discovery Channel.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
reality show that ran on TLC from 1999 to 2001 and now runs infrequently on Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel is a website owned by Discovery Communications, created for people interested in health and wellness. Until December 31, 2010, it was a U.S. cable television specialty channel dedicated to television programming that highlights various aspects of health and wellness...
. A spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of Trauma: Life in the E.R.
Trauma: Life in the E.R.
Trauma: Life in the E.R. is a medical-based television reality show that formerly ran on TLC from 1997 to 2002 and reruns are currently airing on Discovery Fit & Health...
, Paramedics followed the activities of teams of EMTs
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
and paramedics in a number of large urban centers in the United States. The series was never as popular in its original run on TLC as its parent show Trauma, but it has found a home on Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel is a website owned by Discovery Communications, created for people interested in health and wellness. Until December 31, 2010, it was a U.S. cable television specialty channel dedicated to television programming that highlights various aspects of health and wellness...
, serving in a four-show rotation in the 1800-2000 EST/EDT time block with Code Blue: New Orleans, Code Blue: Savannah, and Trauma: Life in the ER.
The show had no regular cast; every week featured a different city and a different group of paramedics. Actor Michael McGlone narrated the series. Composer Chuck Hammer
Chuck Hammer
Chuck Hammer is an American guitarist and Emmy nominated digital film composer, known for seminal guitar-synth with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Guitarchitecture....
scored the series.
The excitement as well as the occasional tedium of being a member of a paramedic team is evident, as cases ranging from life-and-death to broken wrists to false calls are all featured. The show differed from Trauma: Life in the E.R. in that it did not show surgeries and hospital discharges. Instead, it focused on the importance of a paramedic's immediate care and social skills in dealing with a variety of (often resistant and combative) people.
The staff of the program included many of the same producers and videographers who produced Trauma: Life in the E.R., and many of the cities featured in the series overlapped with the locations of episodes of Trauma: Life in the E.R. -- and were often shot at the same time.
Paramedics was produced by Discovery Channel Pictures and distributed by The Discovery Channel.