In “Brilliant Minds” there is not always a cure, but “there is a way forward,” says EP

Michael Grassi wasn’t sure if he even wanted to do a medical series.

Then he immersed himself in the work of the renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks and was fully involved.

“I fell in love with his work, his life and himself. And I quickly saw a tremendous opportunity to create a character and a world inspired by this incredible man, set in the present day, and to make audiences fall in love with him, just as I did. It’s become my obsession.”

Grassi talks about his role as creator and showrunner of the new series Brilliant minds It follows Dr. Oliver Wolf, an eccentric but incredibly gifted neurologist suffering from a rare disease. He leads a team of interns in researching the human mind while struggling with their own relationships and mental health.

Zachary Quinto plays the lead character Dr. Wolf in the series, which also stars Tamberla Perry, Teddy Sears and Donna Murphy.

Sacks documented his work in several books, including The man who mistook his wife for a hat And An anthropologist on Marswhich served as a guide for Grassi and his team.

“We have all these cases from the books that served as our starting point and inspiration. They are an essential part of our medicine. But at the same time, they were written some time ago. That’s why we worked to make medicine contemporary and create dialogues that seem urgent and current.”

To achieve this, the series consults with medical professionals, according to Grassi. “We have an incredible writing team and everyone brings their own point of view to the show. It’s really important to us to be accurate with every storyline.”

This writing team includes an intensive care physician, and the series also features a neurosurgeon as a full-time consultant.

Another important part of the story deals with Wolf’s eccentric nature and his past.

“Oliver Sacks was many things,” explains Grassi. “He was not only a doctor and a writer, but also a weightlifter and a swimmer. And swimming played a big role in his life.”

Grassi explains that he did many of these things “to escape the oppression he may have experienced in his youth and to work through many of his issues. So it was very important for us to show that.”

In order to shed light on Wolf’s current personality, flashbacks are also used to shed light on his unique upbringing.

“These scenes tell a very simple and relatable story about what it’s like to grow up with a parent who suffers from mental illness and, at the same time, what it’s like to grow up with parents who are also doctors,” says Grassi.

In Brilliant mindsOliver Wolf actually works in the same hospital as his mother, which, according to Grassi, allows the two to “show their conflict in a very real way.”

“They are at odds with each other because they have different views on medicine and treating patients. So we can see them in conflict in the present and also understand through the flashbacks where that conflict comes from,” he says, pointing out that “Oliver Sacks had a very complex relationship with his mother in real life, and that served as inspiration for us to show that relationship.”

However, Grassi wants to make it clear that the show is not a nonstop drama. “Humor is a very important part of the show. It’s human nature that sometimes you laugh even when things are really sad, and that’s the best way to get through a difficult situation. And I think when our doctors are working day and night to help patients, sometimes it’s vital for them to find a moment of levity.”

Grassi says one of the big themes of Brilliant minds means “finding a new normal”.

He believes this sets the show apart from other medical dramas, explaining: “I think we’ve seen a lot of medical dramas where it’s about the diagnosis and the cure and then the patient just has to live their life. But I think that’s not necessarily true of a lot of medical dramas, and our show, particularly when there’s no cure, is more about how our doctors help the person find a way forward or find meaning, or take something that society may perceive as a disadvantage and maybe help the patient see it as a potential superpower, which is something Oliver Sacks often did with his patients, and we explore that a lot.”

He adds: “I think of our show as a medical procedure with a lot of medical mystery, but it’s also an emotional procedure, and I love that it’s as much about our characters as it is about the patients.”

But what really leads to Brilliant minds is Oliver Sacks, says Grassi.

“He was a doctor, but he was also a storyteller, and I think storytelling is very important in medicine too, because every patient has a story. And just like Oliver Sacks told stories about his patients and shared them with the world, we do something similar with our storytelling. So it’s not about the disease, it’s more about the person and acceptance, and everyone has gone through something in their life that they had to go through and then find their new normal.”

Premiere of “Brilliant Minds” on Monday, September 23^rd at 10/9c on NBC and will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.