Hello, everyone! How’s everything? Today, I am excited to review the drama Pulse, which debuted on Netflix as its inaugural original procedural medical drama series.
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Pulse made its debut on Netflix on April 3, 2025, offering 10 episodes of gripping medical drama, each lasting 45 minutes and rated TV-MA. Created by Zoe Robyn and led by showrunner Carlton Cuse, this series features Willa Fitzgerald and Colin Woodell as they navigate the intense realm of emergency medicine in Miami.
The show delves into the personal and professional dynamics of doctors and staff at a bustling Miami trauma center, presenting more than just the usual medical procedural. It highlights how a group of ER residents confront medical emergencies and personal turmoil amid a contentious allegation at their Miami hospital, creating a charged atmosphere that influences every episode.
Danny Simms: A Resident in Crisis
Willa Fitzgerald takes on the role of Danny Simms, a multifaceted character balancing rising relationship issues with the high-pressure demands of the emergency room in Miami. Danny becomes the focal point of the show’s primary conflict when she makes a serious accusation that fractures relationships throughout the hospital staff.
Fitzgerald’s performance as Danny is rich and engaging. As showrunner Carlton Cuse notes, “Danny’s not as complicated as she appears. She’s even more complex”, and this intricacy drives much of the series’ emotional depth. Her character arc tackles themes of workplace harassment, power dynamics, and the personal toll of confronting authority in a high-stress medical setting.
Xander Phillips: The Alleged and the Aftermath
Colin Woodell portrays Xander Phillips, a fellow resident whose connection with Danny becomes the catalyst for the hospital’s central controversy. The series employs dual timelines—present-day and flashbacks to a recent past—to explore the repercussions of Danny’s harassment claim against Phillips.
Woodell’s portrayal maintains a delicate balance, depicting a character who is both sympathetic and ambiguous. The show refrains from offering straightforward answers regarding guilt or innocence, instead focusing on the ripple effects of the allegation on everyone involved, from fellow residents to hospital management.
The Tempest Inside and Out: Miami Under Strain
As a hurricane approaches Miami, the atmosphere within the Maguire ER is equally tumultuous, with the serious allegation causing rifts among the residents. The show cleverly uses the imminent hurricane as a metaphor for the internal turmoil affecting the hospital staff.
The Miami setting serves not only as a backdrop but is essential to the show’s identity. The diverse cast mirrors the city’s multicultural fabric, and the high-stakes medical scenarios often reflect the unique challenges of practicing medicine in a major urban area vulnerable to natural disasters.
Supporting Characters: A Divided Hospital
The ensemble cast features Jack Bannon, Jessie T. Usher, Daniela Nieves, Chelsea Muirhead, and Jessy Yates, each adding depth to their roles as residents, nurses, and staff caught in the hospital’s turmoil. The supporting characters are not mere background figures; they each have their stakes in the outcome of Danny’s allegation.
The concluding five episodes, starting with Episode 6, “Homestead,” act as a reset in certain ways, as several residents take a well-deserved day off while further details about Danny and her sister Harper’s upbringing are unveiled.
Mixed Reviews on Netflix: A Challenging Launch
All ten episodes of Pulse were released on Netflix on April 3, 2025, but the series encountered difficulties with audience reception. For some viewers, Pulse was simply a casualty of unfortunate timing, arriving shortly after the critically acclaimed HBO medical drama The Pitt, which premiered on January 9, 2025. Regrettably, Netflix canceled the series after one season on July 2, 2025, despite its ambitious storytelling and strong performances.
The series achieved a 6.5 rating on IMDb, indicating a mixed but not entirely negative reception. While some critics lauded the show’s courage in addressing challenging topics, others felt it struggled to establish its footing in the competitive landscape of medical dramas.
If you appreciate medical dramas that confront serious contemporary issues such as workplace harassment and power dynamics, Pulse is worth your time on Netflix. While it may not have reached the longevity of other medical dramas, it provides a thoughtful exploration of how personal disputes can disrupt professional relationships in high-pressure settings.
Despite its cancellation, Pulse offers a captivating, albeit brief, examination of medical ethics and personal responsibility that fans of the genre should not overlook.
Series Information:
Number of Episodes: 10 episodes
Platform: Netflix
Rating: 6.5/10 (IMDb)
Genre: Medical Drama, Workplace Drama
Protagonists: Willa Fitzgerald (Danny Simms), Colin Woodell (Xander Phillips), Justina Machado
Antagonist: The systemic issues within the hospital and the repercussions of the harassment accusation