When the Season 1 finale of Brilliant Minds aired, there were some cliffhangers.
Oliver learns that his father is still alive, which rocks his world. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave due to an ethical conflict of interest. Erica experiences post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing Celia’s death in an elevator.
Life is constantly changing for almost everyone.
TV Fanatic had a chance to chat with EP Michael Grassi about those nasty cliffhangers, Oliver and Josh’s relationship, the chances of a second season renewal, and more. It was a pleasure talking to him.
Check out the interview below.
So, Michael, this is a cliffhanger. Was it the plan all along to reintroduce Oliver’s father once Oliver was happy?
That was the plan all along. When I first met Zack [Quinto]I developed a season arc for his character. When I was pitching it, I said, “And then Dad comes back — imagine Mandy Patinkin — and we haven’t cast him yet, we haven’t even started the conversation.”
However, since we’re in the middle of the season, we’re close to these storylines necessitating the hiring of Noah Wolf.
We caught up with Mandy and had a great chat with him and his team, it was a privilege and a dream come true. Mandy was the person I initially pitched to Zach in our first meeting.
Wow. This is impressive. With that in mind, how likely is it to be renewed for a second season?
Oh my goodness. I hope and pray that we can continue to tell these stories with Wolfe and all of our doctors and Mandy. I don’t have a definite answer yet, but I pray for the Brilliant Minds family with determination over and over again.
We can’t just let it go. Fans will scream.
Wolfe has a major medical mystery with his father, and many other things that must be solved. I think all of our characters ended on some cliffhangers and had a lot to resolve. It’s only going to get more dramatic before it gets better, that’s for sure.
Yes, that’s why I say we can’t just let it go. We must have a season 2.
I love this spirit, Lola. Excitingly, when we return in January we will be hosting this fantastic two-part finale event. It will be fun for fans to have a night of “Brilliant Minds.” This will feel epic and leave everyone wanting more.
Absolutely. Oliver and Josh have become fan favorites in such a short time. What do you think contributes to their success?
First and foremost, Zack and Teddy [Sears] Such a unique chemistry. When they walk onto the set and block a scene or rehearsal, the magic begins in that moment. The first is how they approach their characters, discover conflicts, discover small moments with each other.
I think that’s what our audience clings to: the sense of life and authenticity of it. I wanted to give it to Zach and Teddy.
I think the other thing that the audience enjoyed was that even though it was a metaphor, we tried to find some nuance in the storytelling, which is that they come together as they work with patients.
But we bring them in as competitors, which allows people to lean in and see what’s going on there. I think audiences sometimes like to see things happen, and they like to be surprised.
We set them up as rivals, which makes you want to root for them in the classic rom-com way we love, but we’ve never seen two leading men in NBC primetime before, which is exciting.
This is very true. I know a lot of people are hoping they’ll have more moments next year if we get a season 2.
The plan is to find new ways to connect the two. The series also delivers what we love: They have very different views on medicine but come together at the right time, which is nice.
So, which part of Oliver Sacks’ life most inspired you to write Brilliant Minds?
This is a very good question. Oliver Sachs’s approach brought me into contact with his patients. He very simply comes to them and asks them, “How are you?” He gets to know them in order to find the best treatment.
Things were never one size fits all for Oliver Sachs. He believes that just because you have a specific condition doesn’t mean that the treatments assigned to others are the right treatments for you.
He is dedicated to his patients, walking with them to help them find a way forward, even when their condition is incurable.
I feel like that’s something else I’m interested in, telling stories that don’t necessarily have a cure. So how can doctors help patients find a way forward when there’s no cure?
Many of the stories we tell are about adapting, not just for our patients but for our physicians as well. We explore this in different storylines throughout the season.
About his personal life. I love that he rides a motorcycle. I love his obsession with ferns and the periodic table, collecting minerals and gemstones, and being passionate about many things. These things allow him to avoid looking inward and forming relationships, similar to Oliver Wolfe on our show.
What has been your favorite case to cover so far?
It’s hard to pick a favorite case, but I loved the man who mistook his wife for the hat we were introduced to in the season finale. The play stars Eden Espinosa, one of the greatest Elphaba actors on the stage.
This is one of my favorite cases. I also love the color-blind painter, and the disembodied woman is mesmerizing. I love a lot of this season’s work, but I think our season-ending case is so iconic that I could pass on this one.
Very interesting. What do you think led Oliver to go from not caring about his interns to almost treating them as part of the family? This is one of my favorite things to see.
Oh Laura, I love this too. It’s also one of my favorite things about this show. When we started the season, I thought he was kind of a lone wolf and his season arc was about him finding his pack.
When we get to the last two episodes, he sees one intern in danger and then sees other interns step up and get the job done.
He’s grown to like the group more and more this season, and you can really see that, especially in the scene with Erica in episode 12 and how he turns on them at the end in episode 13.
It’s one of his most important journeys, starting to let people in and tear down his walls, and it’s satisfying to see that. Interns should learn from him, right? But the difference is that he also learned a lot from them.
You can play Brilliant Minds Season 1 Peacock. We will notify you when we learn about its renewal status.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Watch “Ingenuity” online
