Royal Pains

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Royal Pains
Genre
Created by
  • Andrew Lenchewski
  • John P. Rogers
Starring
Opening theme"Independence" performed by The Blue Van
ComposerJames S. Levine
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes104 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsLong Island, New York
Camera setupFilm; single-camera
Running time42 minutes
Production companies
  • 34 Films
  • Prospect Park
  • Universal Cable Productions
  • Open 4 Business Productions
Original release
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseJune 4, 2009 (2009-06-04) –
July 6, 2016 (2016-07-06)

Royal Pains is an American

comedy-drama television series that ran on the USA Network from 2009 to 2016. The series was based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies. The cast of the show included Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Reshma Shetty, Brooke D'Orsay, Ben Shenkman, Jill Flint, and Campbell Scott
.

Series synopsis

This series follows Hank Lawson, an unfairly discredited but brilliant diagnostic surgeon who winds up moving to the Hamptons with his brother as he works as a concierge to the uber rich and ultra elite.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Jewish
    .
  • Paulo Costanzo as Evan Roth Lawson, Hank's younger brother. He is an accountant and self-appointed CFO of HankMed. Evan's job is to promote the HankMed business, at times using strategies that Hank finds inappropriate or too commercial. At the end of season 4, he marries Paige, the adopted daughter of a wealthy, conservative military man who is running for the United States Congress. When Boris buys Hampton Heritage in Season 7, he becomes a member of the board and the hospital's Acting Administrator.
  • Reshma Shetty as Divya Katdare, Hank's physician assistant. She joins the team early and is invaluable to Hank. She initially has to keep her medical career a secret from her parents. Forced by her parents into an arranged betrothal to a childhood friend, she has finally broken free of their control and is living on her own. As of season 6, Divya has a daughter named Sashi, but is involved in a bitter custody dispute with Sashi's father Rafa.
  • Jill Flint as Jill Casey (seasons 1–4; recurring, season 8), Hank's on again/off again girlfriend and an administrator at Hamptons Heritage, the local hospital. Jill works with Hank to open a small clinic while running the local community hospital. In the fourth season, after finally giving up on any chance of romance with Hank, she leaves the Hamptons to do relief work in Africa.
  • Brooke D'Orsay as Paige Lawson (seasons 4–8; recurring, seasons 2 & 3), Evan's wife. Paige is the daughter of a wealthy, conservative former military officer with political aspirations who initially does not think Evan is good enough for his daughter. Paige and Evan meet when she hires him to play her pretend boyfriend, but their pretend relationship soon blossoms into a real one. In the season 4 episode "Who's Your Daddy?", she is revealed to be adopted, and in the season 4 two-part finale/special "Off-Season Greetings", she and Evan marry.
  • Ben Shenkman as Dr. Jeremiah Sacani (seasons 5–8; recurring, season 4),[1] was hired by Evan to be Hank's replacement during Evan and Hank's temporary halt to their business partnership; Sacani stayed on when Hank and Evan made peace. He is an accomplished researcher and excellent at his work, although he has an awkward bedside manner because of his limited social skills. Sacani is an heir to a vast fortune. He and Divya are best friends and Divya and Sashi move into his house in season 6, but their friendship is almost broken when Divya meddles in and unintentionally almost destroys Jeremiah's relationship with a woman named Viviana. In season 7, Jeremiah is conned out of a great deal of money from a former fellow college classmate.
  • Campbell Scott as Boris Kuester von Jurgens-Ratenicz (seasons 4 & 5; recurring, seasons 1–3 & 6–8), a wealthy and titled German businessman who offers Hank and Evan his guest house, and is Hank's first client. Boris has a genetic disease he is determined will die with him, and which he fights with equal determination, often by seeking rare or risky treatments. Used to getting what he wants, Boris has a rigid code of conduct, which can at times put him at odds with Hank. In season 3 he has a son, Carlos with his wife Marissa. In Season 6, he buys Hampton Heritage, stating that he intends to settle permanently in the Hamptons, and convinces Hank, Evan, Divya and Jeremiah to become members of the hospital's Board of Directors but has a secret agenda.

Recurring

  • Henry Winkler as Eddie R. Lawson, Hank and Evan's loving, ne'er-do-well father who left the boys when they were young. Accused of embezzlement, Eddie served a short term in prison and is now on parole, a best-selling author and has been rebuilding his relationship with his sons and his new-found daughter Emma.
  • Anastasia Griffith as Dr. Emily Peck, an arrogant rival doctor who works with (and becomes briefly involved with) Hank. Emily is hired to substitute for Hank while he makes an extended visit to Cuba with Boris, and soon comes into conflict with Divya because of her arrogance and her detached approach to her patients.
  • Michael B. Silver as Ken "Killer" Keller, a sports agent and Hank's former high school bully. While Hank is initially hostile to him they develop a mutual respect and friendship. By season 5 Keller joined HankMed as the practice's lawyer.
  • Tom Cavanagh as Jack O'Malley, a pro golfer who was featured in the season-two episode "Mulligan" and later became a recurring character in season 3, as his friendship with Hank became more pronounced. Jack died in the season 3 episode "Hank and the Deep Blue Sea" which caused Hank to develop emotional trauma.
  • fraternal twin
    brother named Daniel (nicknamed "D.V.D.").
  • Anna George as Rubina Katdare, Divya's reserved and loyal mother. She follows the traditions of a traditional Indian housewife, a sympathetic ear to Divya's frustrations and a bridge to Divya's father. When Divya's father disowns her, Rubina secretly keeps a relationship with Divya. She is eventually inspired by Divya to follow her heart, which causes her to leave her husband and travel the world.
  • Ajay Mehta as Devesh Katdare, Divya's strict and strait-laced father. He practically disowns Divya when she cancels her wedding with Raj (Rupak Ginn), but they reconcile once she becomes his nurse after he nearly drowns.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
112June 4, 2009 (2009-06-04)August 27, 2009 (2009-08-27)
218June 3, 2010 (2010-06-03)February 24, 2011 (2011-02-24)
316June 29, 2011 (2011-06-29)February 22, 2012 (2012-02-22)
416June 6, 2012 (2012-06-06)December 16, 2012 (2012-12-16)
513June 12, 2013 (2013-06-12)September 11, 2013 (2013-09-11)
613June 10, 2014 (2014-06-10)September 2, 2014 (2014-09-02)
78June 2, 2015 (2015-06-02)July 21, 2015 (2015-07-21)
88May 18, 2016 (2016-05-18)July 6, 2016 (2016-07-06)

Location

Principal production of the show's pilot occurred in the Hamptons. However, other locations throughout Long Island were used, with Oheka Castle being the most prominent. Although actually located 60 miles to the west, in Huntington, Oheka served as the Hamptons home of Boris, the German nobleman who offers his guest house to Hank and Evan. In later episodes, exterior and aerial shots of Oheka are used to introduce scenes in the guest house.

In one episode, a

Locust Valley, another haunt of the wealthy on Long Island's Gold Coast, plays downtown East Hampton in at least one episode (where Evan and Paige go shopping), with interior shots in a store as well as street scenes. Other areas of filming include Roslyn, New York and Manhasset, New York, where the North Hempstead, New York
Town Hall was used as a police station.

For several beach scenes, West Neck Beach (Huntington) was used and a food shopping scene was filmed in Southdown Market in Huntington. Huntington Hospital was used for Hamptons Heritage Hospital.

Two episodes of the second season take place in Cuba, but were filmed in Puerto Rico.[2] The third episode (Lawson Translation) of the fifth season is set and was also shot in Budapest, Hungary.[3]

Development and production

The pilot was filmed on location on Long Island, New York in the spring and fall of 2008.[4] The pilot was directed by Jace Alexander, who also filmed the pilot of Burn Notice, another USA Network show, which aired in the hour before Royal Pains. Andrew Lenchewski wrote the pilot and Rich and Paul Frank executive-produced the project, with Lenchewski co-executive producing and John P. Rogers producing. The series was then picked up for a 12-episode season.[5]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Royal Pains
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
2012
Young Artist Awards
Best Performance in a TV Series—Guest Starring Young Actress 14–16 Sami Gayle Nominated
2012 People's Choice Awards Favorite Cable TV Comedy Royal Pains Nominated
2013
ASCAP Awards
Top Television Series Royal Pains Won
2016
GLAAD Awards
Outstanding Individual Episode Royal Pains Won

Reception

Royal Pains has become one of the highest-rated shows on cable.[6] The series premiere was watched by 5.57 million viewers, the highest series premiere for the USA Network since Psych in 2006.[7][8] With episodes two and three watched by 5.59 million and 6.5 million viewers, respectively, it was the first show in five years to have viewership increase from week two to week three.[6][9]

Ratings

Season Timeslot (
ET
)
# Ep. Premiered Ended TV Season Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere
Viewers
(in millions)
Date Finale
Viewers
(in millions)
1
Thursday 10:00 p.m. (June 4 – August 27, 2009) 12
June 4, 2009
5.57[10]
August 27, 2009
5.90[11] 2009 7.47[12]
2
Thursday 10:00 p.m. (June 3 – August 26, 2010)
Thursday 9:00 p.m. (January 20 – February 24, 2011)
18
June 3, 2010
5.84[13]
February 24, 2011
4.05[14] 20102011 7.33[15]
3
Wednesday 9:00 p.m. (June 29 – August 31, 2011)
Wednesday 10:00 p.m. (January 18 – February 22, 2012)
16
June 29, 2011
5.00[16]
February 22, 2012
3.16[17] 20112012 TBA
4
Wednesday 9:00 p.m. (June 6 – September 19, 2012)
Sunday 9:00 p.m. (December 16, 2012)
16
June 6, 2012
3.95[18]
December 16, 2012
3.25[19] 2012 TBA
5
Wednesday 9:00 p.m. (June 12 – September 11, 2013) 13
June 12, 2013
3.68[20]
September 11, 2013
3.75[21] 2013 TBA
6
Tuesday 9:00 p.m. (June 10 – September 2, 2014) 13
June 10, 2014
2.38[22]
September 2, 2014
1.78[23] 2014 TBA
7 Tuesday 9:00 p.m. (June 2 – July 21, 2015) 8
June 2, 2015
1.67[24]
July 21, 2015
1.57[25] 2015 TBA

Home media

Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first season of Royal Pains in Region 1 on May 25, 2010, and released it in Region 4 on August 25, 2010. Season 2 was released in Region 1 on May 17, 2011.[26] A DVD released on January 3, 2012, contained the first 10 episodes of the third season.[27]
The complete series is also available on iTunes.

The complete series was released on DVD by Mill Creek Entertainment on September 22, 2020.[28]

Title Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 Bonus Features
Season 1 May 25, 2010[29] July 26, 2010[30] August 25, 2010[31] Deleted Scenes; Gag Reel; Commentary; Paulo's Video Blogs; Dr. Irv Danesh: The Real Doctor of Royal Pains; "High Top Fade Out" (Psych, episode 4.07)[32]
Season 2 May 17, 2011[26] August 12, 2013[33] March 28, 2012[34] Deleted Scenes; Gag Reel; Commentary; Guest Starring; Location, Location, Location
Season 3 January 3, 2012[27] (Vol 1)
May 29, 2012 (2012-05-29)[35] (Vol 2)
August 5, 2013[36] Deleted Scenes; Gag Reel; Commentary (Region 1 Only)
Season 4 May 7, 2014[37] July 6, 2015[38]
Season 5 September 23, 2014[39] July 6, 2015[40]
Season 6 April 28, 2015[41]
Season 7 April 26, 2016[42]
Season 8 July 19, 2016[43]

Books

From 2011 to 2012, D.P. Lyle published two novels based on the television series, under

Signet Books' Obsidian imprint.[44]

Title Author ISBN Publication date
First, Do No Harm D.P. Lyle, M.D. 0451234146 June 7, 2011[44]
Sick Rich 0451235533 January 3, 2012[45]

Legal issues

On July 6, 2010, actor Hayden Christensen and his older brother Tove Christensen filed a lawsuit against USA Network in a Manhattan Federal Court. In the suit, the brothers claimed to have pitched USA Network an idea for a new television series, called Housecall, which involved a concierge doctor who made house calls to the rich and famous. The two brothers also claimed that a USA Network executive told them, "prior to learning about Housecall, he was unaware of concierge doctors and that he thought it was a fascinating idea." A USA Network spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit.[46] On May 10, 2011, a Manhattan judge ruled not enough evidence was available to justify a breach-of-contract claim because the claim concerns "materials that are not copyrightable, such as ideas." The decision was reversed on appeal in June 2012, the court holding that Christensens' claims were not pre-empted by copyright law. The opinion stated, "There are several qualitative differences between such a contract claim and a copyright violation claim," and added that sister appellate circuits recently had come to this same conclusion.[47] The case was settled in May 2013, with no details made public.[48]

References

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  2. Yahoo! Celebrity. TV Guide. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original
    on June 25, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  3. ^ "Royal Pains NBC series shot with us in Budapest". Progressive. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  4. ^ O'Reilly, Brendan (September 8, 2008). "USA Network films pilot on the Hamptons". 27east.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  5. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly; Andreeva, Nellie (January 5, 2009). "USA picks up 'Royal Pains'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Burn Notice, Royal Pains Renewed By USA". TV by the Numbers. July 28, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  7. ^ Crupi, Anthony (June 5, 2009). "Burn Notice Scorches for USA". AdWeek.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 5, 2009). "USA Network series debut strong". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  9. ^ Crupi, Anthony (June 12, 2009). "USA's Royal Pains Shows Demo Gains". AdWeek.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  10. ^ Seidman, Robert (June 9, 2009). "Burn Notice, Jon & Kate Plus 8 and Royal Pains lead cable". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  11. ^ Seidman, Robert (August 28, 2009). "Royal Pains ends season with 5.9 million, most-watched first season show on USA ever". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 1, 2010). "USA's "Royal Pains" and "Burn Notice" Return to Heat Up Thursday Nights on June 3". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  13. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 4, 2010). "Thursday Cable Ratings: Burn Notice & Royal Pains Premieres Top The Night". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 14, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  14. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 26, 2011). "Archer Continues To Drop; Burn Notice Stable". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  15. ^ Seidman, Robert (July 27, 2011). "USA Network Reunites with Toyota for Hit Original 'Royal Pains' with Series Star Jill Flint". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  16. ^ Seidman, Robert (June 30, 2011). "Cable Ratings: 'Royal Pains' 'Necessary Roughness' Top Wednesday Cable + 'Franklin & Bash,' Not So Raven? & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  17. ^ Bibel, Sara (February 23, 2012). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Challenge: Battle of the Exes' Tops Originals + 'Top Chef,' 'Royal Pains,' 'Face Off' ' & More". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  18. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 7, 2012). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Spurs/Thunder' Leads 'CMT Music Awards' + NHL Stanley Cup, 'Royal Pains', 'Necessary Roughness' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 10, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  19. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 18, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' Beats 'Dexter' + 'Shahs of Sunset', 'Homeland', 'Ax Men' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  20. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 13, 2013). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Royal Pains' Wins Night, 'Necessary Roughness', 'Real World', 'Only In America', 'Mythbusters' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  21. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 12, 2013). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Duck Dynasty' Wins Night + 'Modern Dads', 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo', 'Royal Pains', 'The Challenge: Rivals II' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  22. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 11, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Pretty Little Liars' & 'Deadliest Catch' Win Night, 'Fargo', 'Royal Pains', 'Chasing Life', 'Faking It' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  23. ^ Bibel, Sara (September 4, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: '19 Kids and Counting' Wins Night, 'Rizzoli & Isles', 'Tosh.0', 'Bad Girls Club', 'Royal Pains' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  24. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 3, 2015). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Deadliest Catch' Tops Night + 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Chrisley Knows Best', 'Your Family or Mine' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  25. ^ "Final Adjusted TV Ratings for Tuesday 21st July 2015". Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  26. ^ a b "Royal Pains – Second Season DVD Release Announced: Date, Cost, Specs and Box Art". TVShowsOnDVD.com. February 17, 2011. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  27. ^ a b Lambert, David (October 7, 2011). "Royal Pains – Universal Announces 'Season 3' on DVD Early in the New Year". TVShowsonDVD.ocm. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  28. ^ TVShowsonDVD (June 12, 2020). "***** TV SHOWS ON DVD ROUNDUP ***** OUTLANDER! STARGATE SG-1! BLUE BLOODS! CHICAGO FIRE! CHICAGO MED! SEAL TEAM! THE GOOD DOCTOR! BELGRAVIA! STRIKE BACK! ROYAL PAINS! DOCTOR WHO! THE FLINTSTONES! THE BOB NEWHART SHOW! ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?!". Facebook. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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  44. ^ .
  45. .
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    . Retrieved January 29, 2011.
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  48. ^ Gardner, Eriq (28 May 2013). "Hollywood Docket: 'Royal Pains' Settlement; 'Men in Black' Timepiece; CBS' 'Brooklyn D.A.'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 April 2015.

External links