I am – Hercules!!
A Showtime sitcom from writer-producers Evan Dunsky (“CSI”), Liz Brixius and Linda Wallem (“That ‘70s Show,” “Help Me Help You”), “Nurse Jackie” follows a promiscuous, substance-abusing New York health-care provider and mom (Edie Falco) willing to bend the rules to help those in need. She says things like “Quiet and mean; those are my people,” but likes to hide her big heart. Observations: * The first six episodes didn’t make me laugh once, but I can say that about 99 percent of the first six episodes of every sitcom ever made. * I enjoyed these six episodes more than almost all of the Stamos-era episodes of “ER.” * So far “Nurse Jackie” isn’t nearly as good as Falco’s two prior pay-cable series, “Oz” and “The Sopranos.” * I can’t say I enjoyed “Nurse Jackie” as much as I did the pilot for USA’s new New York medical show, “Royal Pains.” (Though I do like the title “Nurse Jackie” a lot more than “Royal Pains.”) * “Nurse Jackie” is not as realistic or anywhere near as funny as “St. Elsewhere.” When I think back to the laughs I derived from Drs. Craig and Ehrlich, “Jackie” almost feels like punishment; cutesy, well-worn, preachy and predictable by comparison. * The bald guy Jackie is having an affair with is played by Paul Schulze, who earlier played the priest Carmella lusted after in “The Sopranos.” * The series features as regular characters no fewer than two gay male nurses. * The sixth episode centers on Judith Ivey as a dying old nurse whose profoundly salty language may elicit big laughs from those who haven’t seen the same sort of thing executed far more expertly in more than a dozen R-rated big-screen comedies. * The series co-stars adorable Merritt Wever, who played Danny Tripp’s assistant Suzanne on “Studio 60,” as a student nurse, and she is a welcome presence even if she’s saddled with a character who is too often an absurd sitcom caricature. * “Nurse Jackie” isn’t nearly as good or funny as the first three seasons of “M*A*S*H,” which it resembles slightly, and Larry Gelbart didn’t enjoy the benefit of allowing Hawkeye to say “cunt” and “fuck” all the time. * If you care to sample an enterprise that makes frequent use of the word “cunt” and does makes me laugh, I direct you to my new favorite talk show, Adam Carolla’s cost-free, commercial-free and hilarious and addictive daily podcast. The New York Times says of “Nurse Jackie”:

… It has one of the most talented actresses on television as its lead, and yet over all “Nurse Jackie” is surprisingly, and disconcertingly, off key. This is a drama draped in black humor that doesn’t know when to be funny. The wonderful Anna Deavere Smith as Gloria Akalitus, an interfering hospital administrator, has the worst of it: her character is a pompous dunce in the manner of Frank Burns on “M*A*S*H.” She is too clownish, and the joke of her nitpicking personality is oversold. Peter Facinelli plays Fitch Cooper, a callow doctor with a Tom Cruise breeziness and a rare nervous disorder, and he too is at times forced over the edge of caricature. … Too many early scenes that are supposed to be taut and acidly funny are instead blowsy and overblown; humor is a delicate instrument, and here it is pasted on too roughly, like a campaign poster hurriedly slapped onto a street sign. … not as seditious as it seeks to be, but when it stops trying too hard, it’s an enjoyable drama, and that’s not so bad.

The Los Angeles Times says:

… if the setup is a bit predictable, the characters the actors conjure are not. Smith brings a pearl-wearing canniness to her uptight administrator, Best's O'Hara is a witty breath of over-the-top chick-lit opulence fighting a surgeon's exhaustion, and Wever's Zoey is just delightful, a perfect contrast to the compact, compressed and battened-down Jackie. …

The Chicago Tribune says:

… "Nurse Jackie" isn't perfect. The show's supporting characters, particularly Paul Schulze ("The Sopranos'" Father Phil) as Jackie's in-hospital pill supplier and Eve Best as an elegant and sardonic physician, have some outstanding moments (and more screen time for the wonderfully subtle Schulze is a must). But Zoey and Mrs. Akalitus come off as one-dimensional much of the time; the former is too dopey and the latter is too mean. … Despite those quibbles, the six episodes Showtime sent for review zipped by, for the most part. The half-hour format is perfect for this deftly directed program, which is character-based storytelling concentrated to espresso strength. The sixth episode of "Nurse Jackie," which was written by former Chicago playwright Rick Cleveland ("Six Feet Under," "Mad Men") had me in tears in less than 30 minutes -- but it also made me laugh out loud more than once. …

The Washington Post says:

… full of sly twists and startling variations on familiar med-show traditions; this is not just another lament about the long hours and difficult conditions common to those who toil in hospitals. Nor are they all do-gooders and humanitarians. Even the frankness and realism of the late, great "ER" are outdone by "Nurse Jackie's" penetrating and irreverent candor. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… a slow-developing but engrossing character study of a woman who wants a little more of something in life - it's just not entirely clear what that might be. …

The Boston Globe says:

… This is a show about consequences, not actions. The consequences, though, offer ample room for pathos, and a terrific set of supporting characters makes it clear why Nurse Jackie needs the pills. Too many people depend on her …

Entertainment Weekly says:

… It's the latest bit of cutting-edginess from Showtime, a new series that could have come off as jaded or self-satisfied were Falco not anchoring it with such firm authority. …

USA Today says:

… Monday night's premiere expertly creates a world we recognize, an understaffed New York emergency room, and populates it with fascinating characters who all ring true. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… Is "Jackie" believable? Not in the least. But the fantastical creation of Jackie Peyton, perhaps surprisingly, has shades of gray that make her very real indeed. Both show and character are something wonderful to behold -- and worth taking multiple doses of. …

Variety says:

… a half-hour that's not particularly funny, simply dark and bleak, yet without much high-stakes drama. Alas, even Showtime can't quite live by "quirky" alone. … While the title character is consistently rough and the language blue, in subsequent episodes (Showtime sent six out for review) the series increasingly feels like all style and limited substance -- a star showcase that's less "triumphant return" than "Nice to have you back, but ... ."

10:30 p.m. Monday. Showtime.

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