Hello, everyone! Hope you’re doing well. Today, I’m excited to share my thoughts on the medical drama Pulse, which debuted on Netflix as their inaugural original procedural medical series.
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Launched on Netflix on April 3, 2025, Pulse offers 10 episodes of gripping medical drama, each lasting 45 minutes and rated TV-MA. Created by Zoe Robyn and led by showrunner Carlton Cuse, the series features Willa Fitzgerald and Colin Woodell as they navigate the intense landscape of emergency medicine in Miami.
The show chronicles the personal and professional journeys of doctors and staff at a bustling trauma center in Miami, transcending the standard medical procedural format. It delves into how a group of ER residents face medical emergencies and personal turmoil amidst a contentious allegation at their hospital, crafting a tense ambiance that resonates throughout each episode.
Danny Simms: A Resident in Turmoil
Willa Fitzgerald portrays Danny Simms, a multifaceted character balancing escalating relationship pressures with the demands of working in an emergency room. Danny becomes pivotal to the show’s main conflict when she makes a serious allegation that fractures the hospital community.
Fitzgerald’s depiction of Danny is layered and engaging. As showrunner Carlton Cuse describes, “Danny’s not as straightforward as she seems. She’s even more layered”, and this depth contributes significantly to the series’ emotional core. Her character’s journey touches on themes of workplace harassment, power dynamics, and the personal ramifications of confronting authority in a high-pressure medical setting.
Xander Phillips: The Accused and the Aftermath
Colin Woodell plays Xander Phillips, another resident whose connection with Danny becomes the center of the hospital’s primary controversy. The series employs dual timelines—present-day events and flashbacks to the recent past—to depict the fallout from Danny’s harassment accusation against Phillips.
Woodell’s performance carefully navigates the complexity of portraying a character who must be both sympathetic and dubious. The show refrains from offering simplistic conclusions regarding guilt or innocence, instead highlighting the impact of the allegation on everyone involved, including fellow residents and hospital administration.
The Storm Within and Without: Miami in Crisis
As a hurricane approaches Miami, the atmosphere in the Maguire ER is equally turbulent, with the serious allegation creating divides among the residents. The series cleverly uses the impending hurricane as a metaphor for the internal strife engulfing the hospital staff.
The Miami backdrop is more than just a setting; it plays a crucial role in the show’s essence. The diverse cast mirrors the city’s multicultural makeup, and the high-stakes medical situations often connect to the unique challenges of practicing medicine in a major urban center vulnerable to natural calamities.
Supporting Cast: A Divided Hospital
The ensemble includes Jack Bannon, Jessie T. Usher, Daniela Nieves, Chelsea Muirhead, and Jessy Yates, all of whom add depth to their roles as residents, nurses, and staff caught in the hospital’s turmoil. These supporting characters are not merely background figures; they each have personal stakes in the outcome of Danny’s allegation.
The final five episodes, starting with Episode 6, “Homestead”, act as a reset in many ways, featuring several residents taking a well-deserved day off while more about Danny and her sister Harper’s upbringing is unveiled.
Mixed Reviews on Netflix: A Challenging Launch
All ten episodes of Pulse became available on Netflix on April 3, 2025, but the series has encountered difficulties with audience reception. For some viewers, Pulse is merely a casualty of unfortunate timing, debuting shortly after the acclaimed HBO medical drama The Pitt, which premiered on January 9, 2025. Regrettably, Netflix canceled the series after just one season on July 2, 2025, despite the ambitious storytelling and strong performances.
The series garnered a 6.5 rating on IMDb, indicating a mixed but not entirely unfavorable reception. While some critics commended the show for tackling challenging topics, others felt it struggled to establish its footing in the saturated medical drama genre.
If you enjoy medical dramas that address serious contemporary matters like workplace harassment and power structures, Pulse is definitely worth a watch on Netflix. Although it may not have achieved the same longevity as other medical series, it presents a thoughtful exploration of how personal disputes can disrupt professional relationships in high-pressure settings.
Even after its cancellation, Pulse offers a captivating albeit brief investigation into medical ethics and personal responsibility that fans of medical dramas 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 allegation