Medical dramas are made or broken based on their ensemble casts, with The Resident having one of the best in the genre, which made Dr. Bell's season 5 diagnosis even more heartbreaking. First premiering in 2018, The Resident is considered one of TV's best medical dramas. Centered around the lives of the staff members at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia stands apart from similar shows for its intense focus on the bureaucratic practices within the health industry. Though there was talk of The Resident season 7, the show was canceled after six seasons in 2023.
Though the cast of The Resident is a tight ensemble, it's led by protagonist Dr. Conrad Hawkins, the titular resident. Conrad frequently finds himself butting heads with Dr. Randolph Bell, who was the Chief of Surgery at Chastain Park Memorial at the beginning of the show. The main source of conflict is that Dr. Bell appeared to care more about his reputation as a surgeon than the lives of his patients. Of course, Dr. Bell evolved over time, and a certain life-altering reveal changed his character for the rest of the show.
Dr. Bell Is Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis In The Resident Season 5
His Diagnosis Changes The Way He Viewed His Career
Dr. Randolph Bell was one of the most important characters in The Resident, being featured in all 107 episodes of the show during its run. He saw his fair share of challenges over the course of the series, with his biggest challenge being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the latter part of the show. In season 5, episode 11, "Her Heart," Dr. Bell finally learns the results of his test, which was confirmed to be MS.
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After the episode aired, The Resident executive producer, Andrew Chapman, sat down with TV Line to discuss Dr. Bell's diagnosis and the thought process that went behind deciding that MS would be the disease he had, stating:
We talked extensively to our doctors. MS is a really complicated diagnosis, and it’s a variable one... What we learned — and I’m certainly no expert — is that some people can have MS and have hardly any symptoms, and for other people, it can be this incredibly debilitating disease...We wanted something that could potentially be interesting in terms of clinical trials, because there’s all kinds of trials going on with multiple sclerosis right now. It was also something that Bruce Greenwood — our Dr. Bell — could get behind and really do the research on, and find out about the community of people who suffer from it. It was not an easy decision. It was a complicated, very thoughtful decision.
Upon his diagnosis, Dr. Bell questions everything about his life, including his romantic relationship with Kit. One of his first thoughts is to leave Chastain Park Memorial Hospital for good, but he eventually continues his work as a doctor, treating his MS along the way. Dr. Bell also finds long-lasting happiness with Kit, marrying her in The Resident season 5.
Where You've Seen Dr. Bell Actor Bruce Greenwood Before
He Plays Captain Pike In The Star Trek Kelvin Timeline & Has Frequently Collaborated With Atom Egoyan
Starting in the late '70s, actor Bruce Greenwood had a long and storied acting career long before he was cast as Dr. Bell in The Resident. Greenwood is most famous for his role as Captain Pike in the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline, and he also appeared in the movies I, Robot, 13 Days, Capote, and Eight Below. In 1994, Bruce Greenwood starred in the film Exotica, directed by influential Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan. After that, Greenwood appeared in several other Egoyan films, with the most recent being The Captive in 2014.
Prior to Anson Mount assuming the role in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Bruce Greenwood had portrayed Captain Pike the longest in the Star Trek franchise.
Atom Egoyan isn't the only director that Bruce Greenwood has continued to work with, as much of his more recent work is with Mike Flanagan, one of the best horror filmmakers working today. Greenwood has had roles in Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, and The Fall of the House of Usher. As of now, Bruce Greenwood has two projects lined up; Any Other World, and Terra Infirma. It's great to see him pop up in various other projects with The Resident no longer running.
The Resident is a medical drama that follows a senior resident named Conrad Hawkins and other staff members at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital. The series provides a look into the practices of the healthcare industry that are frequently scrutinized by those who must participate, as well as the personal lives of the staff as they attempt to juggle an increasingly difficult work/life balance.
Release Date January 21, 2018
Seasons 6
Network FOX
Writers Amy Holden Jones , Hayley Schore
Showrunner Andrew Chapman
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English (US) ·