Featuring A Unique Hybrid Narrative, ‘Transplant’ Tells An Immigrant Story Via Hospital Drama

“In the TV business, they always say that people like stories about people on the worst day of their lives,” says Joseph Kay

Given the popularity of procedural series, especially medical dramas, this seems to be true.

And, it explains the success of one of those medical dramas, Transplant, which tells the story of Dr. Bashir Hamed, a charismatic Syrian doctor with battle-tested skills in emergency medicine, who flees his war-torn homeland with his younger sister to forge a new life in Canada. But, Bash’s road is a tough one, requiring him to prove his skills as a doctor, by completing a second residency at a prestigious hospital, all while dealing with painful memories.

The series stars Hamza Haq, Laurence Leboeuf, Ayisha Issa, Jim Watson, Rekha Sharma, Sirena Gulamgaus, Torri Higginson, Kenny Wong.

Kay, who made the statement about television viewers thriving on characters’ misfortune, is the creator, showrunner and executive producer of Transplant.

Now entering its 4^th and final season, the series finds Bash on the precipice of finally completing his residency and officially requalifying to be a doctor. However, his future is uncertain once again as Bash and his sister, Amira, who are now Canadian citizens, find that they’re still trying, with everything they have, to build a new life in their adopted country.

“We see the show as a hybrid,” explains Kay. “It’s an immigrant story married with a medical drama.”

He says that in light of this, “We really work to balance the narrative using a loose rule of thumb, which is that half of every episode is in some way about Bash and his emotional story, whether that’s tied to something that happened to him in the past or tied to the way he’s processing it in the present. Everything else that happens is a rumination on that.”

Describing the evolution of Transplant, Kay takes a breath and then describes the process, saying, “I was looking for a way into a medical drama and I’d been spending a lot of time on Reddit boards where aspiring doctors who are trying to get into their residency program of choice or medical school of choice were talking about their experiences. In doing that, I started learning that here in Canada, it’s almost impossible because they prioritize the Canadian students and the American students but not the international students. And at the same time, it was in 2016, 2017 and there was a Muslim ban that had gone into effect in the U.S. At that time, there were a lot of Syrians coming into Canada as a result of that, and also because of the civil war that was happening there. So, I was looking for a character way into a medical drama with that whole experience, and this became the story that I wanted to tell.”

In guiding the series, Kay reveals that the creative team sticks to a core theme. “It’s been this way throughout the series that with Transplant, every page, every scenes, every word, every frame, is about how it’s never too late to start again. And by holding on to that as a core mantra that can apply to nearly every one of our regular characters, as much as it applies to every patient who comes into the hospital.”

Kay also wants to be clear about certain aspects of Transplant as he points out that, “We’re not just telling patient stories here, but what is really happening is that we’re telling a story about this guy’s past and about what he went through, and how he takes that and uses it as a lens to process what’s happening to him in the present. That’s really first and foremost what it is. And then I think at the same time, we’re having a great amount of drama and fun in the hospital, which I know audiences like.”

Along those lines, Kay acknowledges that there are many medical dramas available for viewers to enjoy, but, he believes that Transplant is distinctive in its own way. “There aren’t many medical dramas that are firmly vested in one person’s point of view. I mean, I’m a big fan of medical dramas across the board, but I think that we try to adhere to a kind of emotionally grounded, high stakes, relatable tone that people respond to.”

He quickly adds, “I’ll also say that we’re unique in that we tell a complete story about a refugee who has to redo his medical training. This guy was a fully educated, vetted doctor back in his home country of Syria. Then, there was a civil war in his country, so he comes to Canada, and he has do all his training over again, and that’s something that everyone can relate to — having to begin again in some way. What’s more universal than that? And that’s what our show is about, so if you’re interested in that idea, this series is for you.”

The two episode premiere of Season 4 of ‘Transplant’ debuts on Thursday, May 22^nd at 8/7c on NBC. Seasons 1-3 are available for streaming on Peacock. Season 4 episodes will be available on Peacock the day after airing on NBC.