A Star Trek actor’s new medical series, Brilliant Minds, has debuted with a huge streaming record, making it one of the biggest NBC series launches on Peacock ever. The series stars Zachary Quinto – who portrayed Spock in the cast of the 2009 Star Trek movie series – as Attending Neurologist Dr. Oliver Wolf, who works with a team using unique methods to help patients. The series is inspired by the books The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks, compilations of patient histories from his own neurology cases.
Now, Deadline has confirmed Brilliant Minds launched with the third-best debut for any NBC series on Peacock, garnering 9.2 million viewers since the show’s premiere on September 23. This is much higher than the live and same-day numbers on NBC of 3.9 million, which sild to 3.5 million for episode 2 on September 30. However, even this was an accomplishment, the series having the smallest Week 2 decrease in viewership out of the last five new series launched on the network.
What Brilliant Minds’ Streaming Success Means For The Medical Drama
The Series Is Making Waves Right From The Start
Brilliant Minds is currently performing well critically as well as on streaming, sporting a 92% critics score and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. While it’s unclear yet if the medical drama can be considered one of Quinto’s best roles, his eccentric yet passionate portrayal of Dr. Wolf is liable to be a key draw to the series. Other main characters include First Year Residents Van Markus (Alex MacNicoll), Ericka Kinney (Ashleigh LaThrop), Dana Dang (Aury Krebs), and Jacob Nash (Spence Moore II), Chair of Psychiatry Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry), and Chair of Neurosurgery Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears).
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The team dynamics coupled with a lead actor known for both Star Trek and major TV roles (Heroes, American Horror Story) makes a perfect recipe for success. With production led by Berlanti Productions, this also makes the series the second currently-running program to hold top three spot on Peacock from the production company, right next to Found season 2. Because of the popularity of the studio’s other series, perhaps Brilliant Minds will have its own longevity on NBC thanks to just how major its streaming launch became.
Our Take On Brilliant Minds Becoming A Peacock Success
The Show Has A Bright Future Ahead
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
Although it’s very early into the show’s lifespan, the major success of the medical drama could mean the series will continue for quite some time. It’s possible that, if the show is able to keep up its momentum, Brilliant Minds season 2 could be just around the corner. Although there are still many more episodes to come, which could shake things up depending on the ratings, its small live TV drop means the series has plenty of people invested, who might just see it through to the end.
Brilliant Minds airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
Source: Deadline
Star Trek Actor’s New Medical Series Debuts With Huge Streaming Record
