TNT Greenlights Medical Drama from David E. Kelley and Dr. Sanjay Gupta

‘Chelsea General,' based on Gupta's novel, follows the lives of five surgeons

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/6/2011 10:07:46 PM

TNT has ordered a pilot for medical drama Chelsea General from producer David E. Kelley and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the chief medical correspondent at sister network CNN.

Kelley wrote the script based on Gupta's upcoming novel Monday Mornings, which follows the lives of five surgeons over the backdrop of their hospital's weekly morbidity and mortality conference. Both Kelley and Gupta are set the executive-produce the series.

"Chelsea General promises to be a smart, witty and extremely powerful medical drama, the kind of series David E. Kelley is renowned for making," said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "We look forward to working with David and Sanjay in bringing the doctors' fascinating stories and characters to television."

Chelsea General joins TNT's two other recent pilot orders for Gateway, a western about three brothers who step in to save their town after their sheriff father is murdered, and Scent of the Missing, based on the book about an adrenaline junkie who leads a canine search-and-rescue team.