Jordana Spiro stars as Grace Devlin, a medical doctor who goes against her oath to practice lawful medicine in The Mob Doctor.
Because her brother dealt with the wrong people, the South Chicago Mafia, they took an interest in having Dr Devlin pay his debt through free medical procedures for the Mafia family and their associates.
She obviously has to do this in secret because the crime families are always being sought by the police and to help them is to break the law.
She also has to maintain her day job at a prominent Chicago hospital. It is almost like Grey’s Anatomy meets the The Godfather. Imagine Meredith Grey having to sew up Don Corleone with a steady hand under the watchful eyes of the man’s goons. That would be something of a joke; she’d probably crumble.
The Mob Doctor is based on the book Il Dottore: The Double Life of a Mafia Doctor by Ron Felber. Creators Josh Berman and Rob Wright try to show just how desperate Grace is when it comes to saving her sibling. Her moon-lighting with the Mafia means she sees more than she should. If there are gunfights and she has to extract bullets, although the family have a code of silence, some deadly information has a way of getting to her and soon she is liable to be a snitch in the eyes of the mob, or an accessory in the eyes of the law.
The story is well written, leaving you invested in the characters. Grace’s brush with the Mafia does not only start with her brother; she also dated a man who was in a crime syndicate. So when the dark side comes to haunt her, she is familiar with the dangers it can bring. You will enjoy the soft side her hospital days will bring, but it can be cringeworthy to find out what the mobsters can do if they want to prove a point.
• The Mob Doctor airs on Sony Entertainment Television at 8.50pm from February 25.