Special Coverage 2008 Fall Movie PreviewThe Must List2008 Fall TV PreviewSound Bites
Page 2 of 4

''I came onto the show about halfway into last year, and it had really become the Mandy Patinkin Variety Hour,'' says Berg, 32, with the same blunt practicality Kronk displayed using a buzz saw to perform an emergency amputation. ''Which I thought was kind of cool, because Mandy is so good. But there were a lot of actors who were sort of wondering what we were all doing here.''

''I was welcomed by the actors, but the writers didn't know where they wanted to go,'' reports Sheridan, 44, who plays OB-GYN John Sutton. ''I was pretty confused about it. But I'm in a good place now.''

''We're entering our third season still finding ourselves,'' observes Arkin, 39. ''I think we started out as an ensemble piece, then went through a period of being focused on Geiger. My character became a reactor. I wanted to make sure that when Mandy departed, [Shutt] didn't become identityless. I think we've avoided that, but it's been an ongoing struggle for the writers and me to figure out who this guy is.''

''We're doing well,'' says Tinker, 37, ''but it's been tough. Mandy's departure, Christine's arrival, the death of Alan Birch [played by Peter MacNicol], and the Jamey Sheridan arrival all threw story lines out of whack. To that end, I almost feel like this is the first season — and I find myself extremely excited about the next one.''

Chicago Hope is not a set that coos together, pals together, poses together to show off new haircuts. Aside from Arkin and Elizondo, who hang out beating bongos during downtime, the cast — some single, some married, some parents, some not, most of them with substantial theater credits — go separate ways on their own time. ''That's kind of healthy,'' says Elizondo, 59, a movie veteran who often serves as unofficial company ''uncle.'' ''There's a mix in ages. That's cool. We're not just about high cheekbones.'' Adds Berg, who costars with Damon Wayans in the new boxing comedy The Great White Hype, ''We're not a bunch of soul mates. You probably couldn't find a group of nine more eclectic personalities.''

On the day of Patinkin's bleeper, during a lunch break, the crew kicks around a Hacky Sack, cast members withdraw to their trailers, and in his pleasant office with its cozy conversation pit, Tinker considers: How about shaking everything up again next season? The cliff-hanger finale he has concocted puts just about everyone — and the hospital itself — in limbo: The research lab run by Dr. Diane Grad (Jayne Brook) is shut down; Dr. Daniel Nyland (Thomas Gibson) is in ethical hot water; Hancock (Curtis-Hall) is caught in the middle of a family crisis; Sutton has reconnected with an ex-wife; Austin is considering fleeing the country with her daughter so her ex-husband (Ron Silver), who has custody, can't move away and take the child with him. Meanwhile, that same ex is putting together a consortium — to buy Chicago Hope.

All of which leaves room to eliminate characters — and add new ones. Who won't be coming back? No answers yet, although smart bets are on some combination of Brook, Hart, Curtis-Hall, and Gibson. ''I've always felt there are too many people to service. Nine [ensemble] characters is a lot,'' Tinker says. ''I'd hate to put it to a number, but I think I'd like to have six. But for all I know, when we come back, it will be larger. I know that sounds contradictory, but I would like to add some young residents.''


Page 2 of 4