Bursting into the staid and orderly world of television renewals like a rebel doctor astride a motorcycle, news of a second season for NBC’s The Night Shift has pealed through these halls, leaving behind it only the sexy, brashly unconventional smell of burnt rubber. The network has confirmed that it has picked up at least 14 more episodes of the hospital drama in which Harley Veeneck M.D. (Motorcycle Doctor) handles patients like he handles the bars of his bike—without gloves—against the protests of stuffy administrators who would tell him that the ER is no place for kick-ass hogs. “Oh yeah? Tell that to Mr. Anderson’s appendix!” Dr. Veeneck says as he tears off into the night and into Mr. Anderson’s inflamed vestigial organ, ripping it cleanly—and coolly—as Mr. Anderson gives him an anesthetized thumbs-up.
Scenes exactly like this that I will just assume comprise every single episode of The Night Shift have been averaging around 6.9 million viewers, thanks to a weekly lead-in from America’s Got Talent and an even longer lead-in from America’s pathetic healthcare system, which has next to no motorcycle doctors. NBC hasn’t yet announced when the next season of The Night Shift will premiere, responding to the question by cranking Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart” and putting the pedal to the medical.
In related news, “Put The Pedal To The Medical” is still not the tagline for The Night Shift, even though it should be.