FOX to premiere new series tonight

NBC’s legendary hit show "ER" paved the way for increasingly popular medical dramas such as "House" and "Grey’s Anatomy."

Tonight, we could see TV’s next big sensation in the genre, as FOX’s pilot episode of "The Mob Doctor" premieres at 9 p.m.

Set in Chicago, "The Mob Doctor" is a medical drama with a twist. Main character Dr. Grace Devlin is a young surgeon with a promising future at Roosevelt Medical Center. Unfortunately, she must first pay off her family’s debts to the Southside mob.

Manhattan-born actress Jordana Spiro plays the lead role of Dr. Grace Devlin. Spiro is best known for her performances in the movie "Must Love Dogs" and television shows "My Boys" and "Dexter."

Aiding Spiro is a phenomenal supporting cast of well-known actors and actresses.

William Forsythe ("Boardwalk Empire") plays mobster Constantine Alexander, and Zach Gilford, the star of "Friday Night Lights," plays Dr. Brett Robinson.

Along with the star-studded cast are two ideal executive producers in Josh Berman and Rob Wright.

Berman helped executive produce "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Bones," while Wright worked on popular shows such as "Law & Order."

"It’s also ‘ER’ meets ‘The Sopranos,’ so it’s on two levels," Wright said of "The Mob Doctor." "It kind of works really great, and it lets us put a character who’s being pulled in two directions in a way that we really haven’t seen before. (Instead of) two women who lead one life, (‘The Mob Doctor’ is) one woman who leads two lives."

There is a lot of moral conflict in the show that deals with what people will do in tough situations and certain gray areas, and Wright and Berman see this struggle as an invaluable aspect of the show.

"I think that’s fascinating, and I think it makes for great drama, and I think it’s what people want to see," Wright said.

"We’ve really mapped out the whole first season, and there is an event in Grace’s personal life that will push her over that line, and she will do an action that she would not have done in the pilot," Berman said. "We’re excited to watch her character grow and watch what we assume her morality would be change over the course of a season."

"The Mob Doctor" begins tonight at 9 p.m. on FOX. For more information on the series, visit www.fox.com.