Three Rivers (TV series)

Development

With the long-running NBC drama ER coming to an end, CBS executives put out a call for a new medical show to fill the void. Carol Barbee was introduced via Curtis Hanson to a pitch by Steve Boman, a former transplant coordinator and Chicago newspaper reporter, for a drama about a transplant hospital. Barbee decided to undertake the project, telling it from three points of view: the donor's, the recipient's, and the doctor's. The location for the show's setting in Pittsburgh was decided based on a determination that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) was the world's leading transplant center with the coincidence that the dominant topographical feature of the city, the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers, would provide an allegory for the show's three points of view. Barbee did her research for the show at The Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Gonzalo Gonzalez-Stawinski, who also tutored the show's lead star Alex O'Loughlin. Dr. Robert Kormos, co-director of heart transplantation at UPMC, also provided input. Transplant pioneer Thomas Starzl, who visited the set, is the inspiration for the fictional transplant pioneer who is revealed to be the father of character Dr. Miranda Foster.

The pilot for the Pittsburgh-set medical drama was filmed in western Pennsylvania in March and April 2009 using the closed Brownsville Tri-County Hospital and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for hospital interior scenes. Post-pilot recasting resulted in actors Julia Ormond and Joaquim de Almeida departing and Alfre Woodard and Amber Clayton joining the series. Ultimately, the pilot was dropped and a new episode was shot for the television premiere. A high-tech, more visually appealing hospital set for the ER and ICU was built on sound stages 19 and 20 at Paramount Pictures, where interior scenes were thereafter produced, although location shooting still occurred in Pittsburgh for exterior shots.

Cast and characters

Main

• Alex O'Loughlin as Dr. Andrew "Andy" Yablonski, a cardiothoracic surgeon being groomed by Dr. Jordan to take over the transplant department
• Katherine Moennig as Dr. Miranda Foster, a surgical fellow from Philadelphia and daughter of Andy's former mentor Dr. William Foster
• Daniel Henney as Dr. David Lee, an ophthalmology resident and ladies' man
• Christopher Hanke as Ryan Abbott
• Justina Machado as Pam Acosta
• Amber Clayton as Dr. Lisa Reed
• Alfre Woodard as Dr. Sophia Jordan, the no-nonsense head of transplant

Supporting

• Julia Ormond as Dr. Sophia Jordan, unaired pilot
• Britt Robertson as Brenda Stark
• Nicholas Braun as Michael
• Devika Parikh as Nurse Rekha/Nurse/ER Nurse/ER Nurse #2
• Owiso Odera as Kuol/Kuol Adebe Ketebo
• Joe Holt as Bret/EMT/EMT Bret
• Puja Mohindra as EMT/EMT Lori Goel/Goel/Lori Goel/Marilyn/Medic #3
• Claudia Choi as ICU Nurse/Nurse Chen
• Sabra Williams as Nurse Williams/ER Nurse #1/ER Nurse #2
• Teri Reeves as Nurse Alicia/Alicia/Alicia Wilson/Nurse
• Bruce Katzman as Dr. Richard Strauss
• Mercedes Mason as Vanessa
• Shiloh Fernandez as Scott Barker/Scott
• Rizwan Manji as Dr. Dev/Dr. Drev/Male Doctor
• Louie Alegria as EMT/EMT #1/Medic #1
• Paull Walia as Dr. Inder Patel
• Caryn West as Dr. Susan Heyworth
• William Sadler as Michael Zelasko
• Oded Fehr as Dr. Luc Bovell
• Kelly Overton as Det. Rena Yablonski
• John Bedford Lloyd as Dr. Yorn
• Omid Abtahi as Dr. Yousef Khouri
• B. J. Britt as Antoine/Anton Weathers
• Stacey Scowley as Bullpen Nurse/Bullpen nurse
• Brooklyn McLinn as ER Nurse/ER Nurse #1
• Page Leong as Dr. Margolis/Female Doctor
• Kenny Champion as Eddie Baines/Pat
• Kathleen M. Darcy as Hepatologist
• Lynn Adrianna Freedman as ER Nurse #1/Nurse #1
• Mustafa Haidari as Doctor
• Michelle Diaz as Nurse Liza Salazar/O.R. Nurse
• Aisha Kabia as Melissa
• Noah Fleiss as Sam Heaton

Episodes

Special Guest Star: Devon Werkheiser

Special Guest Star: Mandy Patinkin

Special Guest Stars: Felicia Day, Arjay Smith

References

References

1. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/05/cbs-picks-up-six-new-series.html "CBS picks up six new series"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 2009-05-18.
2. [http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/05/20/cbs-s-fall-schedule.aspx "CBS's fall schedule: 'Three Rivers' runs through it"] {{Webarchive. link. (2009-05-23 , ''[[Post-Gazette]]'', 2009-05-20.)
3. "Fall TV: CBS Announces Premiere Dates". TVGuide.com.
4. Natalie Abrams. "CBS Pulls the Plug on Three Rivers". TVGuide.com.
5. "Three Rivers: CBS Officially Cancels Alex O'Loughlin Series, No Season Two". TVseriesfinale.com.
6. "Breaking News - CBS Revives "Three Rivers" for Saturdays Starting June 5". TheFutonCritic.com.
7. Owen, Rob. (2009-08-05). "'Three Rivers' hospital set a complex operation". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
8. Owen, Rob. (2009-10-04). "Doctored Pittsburgh-set medical drama finally premieres". [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]].
9. Orlando, Trina. (2009-05-25). "Closed Brownsville Hospital To Be Used For TV Show". KDKA.
10. [http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/05/recasting_season.html "Recasting Season Claims Its Latest Victim: Julia Ormond"], ''[[New York Magazine]]'', 2009-05-28
11. [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ide843f7bf07c511f7b223f65c8bd334c "Alfre Woodard joins 'Three Rivers'"], ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', 2009-07-28
12. "Syndication Bible - Three Rivers". [[CBS Television Distribution]].
13. Gorman, Bill. (October 4, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Three Rivers Runs Dry". TV By The Numbers.
14. Gorman, Bill. (October 19, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: Football Boosts Both NBC & CBS; Doesn't Help Three Rivers". TV By The Numbers.
15. Gorman, Bill. (October 25, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: Football + Baseball = Big Fox Win". TV By The Numbers.
16. Gorman, Bill. (November 2, 2009). "UPDATED TV Ratings Sunday: World Series Has Most Watched Game Since 2004". TV By The Numbers.
17. Gorman, Bill. (November 9, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: Cowboys Point NBC To Win; Housewives, Brothers & Sisters Hit Lows". TV By The Numbers.
18. Gorman, Bill. (November 16, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: Football Wins For NBC; Housewives, Three Rivers, Cold Case All Up". TV By The Numbers.
19. Gorman, Bill. (November 23, 2009). "TV Ratings Sunday: American Music Awards Rivals Football; Cold Case No Better At 9pm". TV By The Numbers.
20. Gorman, Bill. (June 6, 2010). "TV Ratings Saturday: America's Got Talent Repeat Challenges Cops / America's Most Wanted; Three Rivers Unwatched". TV By The Numbers.
21. Gorman, Bill. (June 13, 2010). "TV Ratings Saturday: Cops, America's Most Wanted Carry The Night, Three Rivers Stays Low". TV By The Numbers.
22. Gorman, Bill. (June 20, 2010). "TV Ratings Saturday: Even With Tiger In The Hunt, Cops & America's Most Wanted Top US Open". TV By The Numbers.
23. Gorman, Bill. (June 27, 2010). "TV Ratings Saturday: 48 Hours Mystery Repeat Tops The Night". TV By The Numbers.
24. Gorman, Bill. (July 4, 2010). "TV Ratings Saturday: The Forgotten Tops Three Rivers In Dead Show Series Finale Battle". TV By The Numbers.