NBC presented their upcoming slate of shows at the the Television Critics Association (TCA) Summer Press Tour in Pasadena on July 14 with five series including Brilliant Minds from showrunner and executive producer Michael Grassi‘s (Degrassi:The Next Generation, Riverdale), who was in attendance in Pasadena alongisde series stars Zachary Quinto and Tamberla Perry.
Based on the real life of world-famous author and physician Oliver Sacks, Brilliant Minds follows the aforementioned revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier – the human mind – while grappling with their own relationships and mental health.
The real-life Sacks was celibate and acknowledged his homosexuality later in life. During the press tour, Quinto pointed out that his queerness was a big part of Sacks’s life and said it was a “significant honor” to play an openly gay character on prime time television.
“I feel deeply grateful for this experience to tell these stories and to use Oliver Sacks’ life as the origin point for those stories,” said Quinto. “Oliver Sacks was somebody who was deeply influenced by the time in which he came of age and the social restrictions on people being able to live fully who they were so he didn’t come out until very much later in life. He ended up meeting a partner and having a really happy relationship till the end of his life…but to play a character who is embracing that aspect of himself in the modern world and in a way that is vital and contemporary and forward looking is really special.”
He continued, “I’m incredibly grateful to NBC for telling these stories — and not only the stories from an LGBTQ perspective, but from a perspective of diversity in all the characters that we meet at Bronx General. I think there’s a really organic sense of inclusion in our show. I think audiences will see themselves in these characters no matter what their personal experiences. And that’s something that is especially gratifying to me and really exciting as we start to share it with audiences.”
In addition to Brilliant Minds, NBC shared presentations for their returning series that feature queer characters. Found includes the character Dhan Rana (Karan Oberoi), a military vet and security expert that lives with his husband Ethan (Lee Osorio). The Irrational from showrunner/EP Arika Lisannne Mittman features queer character Kyle played by Travina Springer.
Rounding out NBC’s TCA Summer Press tour slate were the new comedy Happy’s Place starring Reba McEntire and Belissa Escobedo as well as the new workplace comedy St. Denis Medical from the Superstore team which stars Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, and Allison Tolman.