Q&A with Executive Producer Clyde Phllips
How is this season different from previous seasons?
This season on Nurse Jackie, we're going to more deeply explore the
consequences of Jackie's behavior: the shrapnel that affected
everyone in her life because she was a drug addict. W e're also
introducing three new characters:
Dr. Ike Prentiss (Morris Chestnut), a veteran doctor with several tours
in Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt. He's a no bullshit, get-it-done
medical professional...not unlike Jackie in many ways. Dr. Carrie
Roman (Betty Gilpin), a first-year resident. She's a beautiful young
woman who has had the road smoothed for her whole life. Now she's
in the thick of a life and death world and is put to the test. Oh, and
she's as funny and quirky as she is beautiful. Sergeant Frank Verelli
(Adam Ferrara), an NYPD patrol cop, confident and warm. He
becomes Jackie's love interest. Also, Grace, Jackie's daughter, will
be acting out like any teenager would. Well, not just any
teenager. She is, after all, the child of a drug addict.
What is the biggest change in Jackie’s life and how will she deal
with it now that she is clean?
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Her daughter will be acting out and her divorce will be finalized. Her
daily life will be filled with the battle that any newly clean addict
endures: wanting to back-slide. And she's going to meet a man, a
healthy non-danger guy. This will be the first time in her life that
she's dated a man while completely sober. We'll be rooting for her to
make the right choice.
How is running a comedy different than running a drama?
Interestingly, running Nurse Jackie is similar to running Dexter. Each
character has a deep, dark secret that she/he has to keep from her
family and colleagues. Only the audience gets to know what Jackie
(or Dexter) is really thinking and feeling. Also, in each of these
shows, there are real and surprising moments of inner realization and
growth. Mining the comedy out of the heavy drama is always a
challenge, but when it works, it's just so satisfying. Really, it's all
about storytelling; the trick is to make it authentic and original and
entertaining.
What attracted you to working on Nurse Jackie?
Nurse Jackie was at a crossroads when I came aboard, poised to
move to the next level. This was a show that had been on the air for
four years and SHOWTIME was looking to push it further than
before. So, coming to this show was attractive because I wasn't
being asked to babysit an established show, but to help re-imagine it
and to stretch its boundaries.
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BIOS
EDIE FALCO
(Jackie Peyton)
EDIE FALCO has broken many awards records. For her role as Jackie Peyton in
Nurse Jackie, she has won the Emmy® for “Best Actress in a Comedy,” thus
making her the only actress to have won an Emmy® in both the comedy and
drama categories. This year, she broke the Screen Actors Guild record by
earning her 19th nomination; 11 for individual achievement and 8 for her
ensemble work. Other credits include winner in AFI’s Top Ten TV Programs of
2009, as well as a 2009 Golden Globe®. She became the only actress to ever
receive the Emmy® Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series,’
the Golden Globe® Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic
Television Series,’ and the SAG Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a
Female Actor in a Drama,’ all in the same year for her performance as ‘Carmela
Soprano’ in the groundbreaking series The Sopranos’ debut season. She has
subsequently been nominated for each award for every eligible television
season, winning two additional Emmy® Awards, another Golden Globe® Award
and SAG Award, as well as the American Film Institute’s Award for ‘Female
Television Actor of the Year.’ Most recently, she appeared on Broadway with
Ben Stiller in House of Blue Leaves in which she was nominated for the Tony
Award for Best Actress.
When she received the Television Critics Association Award (TCA) for ‘Individual
Achievement in Drama,’ it was the first time in the history of the TCA that this
Award was presented to a woman. She is also known to television audiences for
her recurring roles in the dramatic series Oz and the acclaimed NBC series Law
& Order and Homicide. Falco made her Broadway debut in the Tony® Awardwinning play Sideman, which she originated in its off-Broadway production. For
her performance, she received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award
nomination for ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.’ She
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went on to make her London stage debut in the West End premiere of Sideman,
and thereafter opened the London production of the highly successful play The
Vagina Monologues. When Falco starred opposite Stanley Tucci in the lauded
revival of Frankie And Johnny In The Claire De Lune, the play broke four house
box-office records at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre, making it the most successful
play on Broadway all season. More recently she appeared off-Broadway in the
highly-acclaimed “This Wide Night.” Falco can currently be seen on Broadway
starring in The Madrid, a play written by Nurse Jackie writer Liz Flahive.
For the feature film Cost Of Living, Falco received the American Film Institute’s
‘Best Actress’ Award. Her performance in the film Laws Of Gravity earned her an
Independent Spirit Award nomination for ‘Best Female Lead Actor.’ Her other film
credits include A Price Above Rubies, Copland, Trouble Corner, Private Parts,
Hurricane, Layin’ Low, Breathing Room, The Funeral, The Addiction, Bullets
Over Broadway, Trust, The Unbelievable Truth, Random Hearts and the title
character in the award-winning film Judy Berlin. For her performance in John
Sayles’ Sunshine State, Falco received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association
and New York Film Critics Online Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress.’ She also
starred
in
the
feature
films The
Quiet,
The
Great
New
Wonderful and Freedomland.
EVE BEST
(Dr. Eleanor O’Hara)
EVE BEST is an award-winning classically trained British actress. She has twice
been nominated for a Tony Award: in 2008 for her portrayal of ‘Ruth’ in The
Homecoming, and in 2007 for the role of ’Josie,’ in Moon for the Misbegotten (in
which she starred opposite Kevin Spacey). In addition to the Tony nomination for
Moon, she won both the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle Awards for
Best Actress.
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After reading English at Oxford, Best trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art (RADA). She made her professional London stage debut starring opposite
Jude Law in Tis Pity She’s a Whore, and won both the Evening Standard Award
for Outstanding Newcomer and the London Critics Circle Award for Most
Promising Newcomer 1999. In 2003, she won the London Critics Circle award
for Best Actress in Mourning Becomes Electra, and in 2005, she won both the
Olivier Award for Best Actress and the London Critics Circle Award for Hedda
Gabler.
Her additional theater credits include The Duchess of Malfi, Much Ado About
Nothing, Three Sisters, The Coast of Utopia, The Heiress, and The Cherry
Orchard As You Like It, The Misanthrope and Macbeth.
She starred as the title role in Dolley Madison for PBS in addition to such British
television credits as Final Flight, The Shadow Line, Prime Suspect VII, Lie With
Me and Shackleton.
Her feature film debut was in the Academy® Award nominated The King’s
Speech, directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, in
which she plays Wallis Simpson, opposite Guy Pearce and she has just started
shooting on the feature Someone You Love.
MERRITT WEVER
(Zoey Barkow)
MERRITT WEVER graduated from LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and
the Performing Arts.
Wever has appeared in such feature films as Righteous Kill, Into The Wild,
Michael Clayton, Neal Cassady, Twelve & Holding, A Hole In One, Season Of
Youth, Bringing Rain, Signs, Series 7: The Contenders, The Adventures Of
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Sebastian Cole, Arresting Gena, Tough (‘Best Actor’ award, First Run Film
Festival), Greenberg, The Missing Person and Tiny Furniture.
Her television credits include Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Conviction, ¼ Life,
NCIS, The Wire, Blue River, Something The Lord Made, The Good Wife. She
was nominated for a 2012 Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a
Comedy Series for Nurse Jackie.
Her theater appearances include Sam & Lucy, Bad Girls, Smashing, Cave
Dweller, Roulette, Cape Cod Souvenirs, To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday,
Running On Earth, Here We Are, Children Of The Flames, Female of the
Species, Touch(ed), The Illusion and Uncle Vanya (2012 Joe A. Callaway
Award).
PAUL SCHULZE
(Eddie Walzer)
PAUL SCHULZE is a true New Yorker: he was raised on the East Side and
attended S.U.N.Y. Purchase in Westchester County where he was exposed to
theater. Not long after graduating, he landed his first feature film role in the
critically acclaimed, independent film Laws of Gravity, which co-starred fellow
S.U.N.Y. Purchase alum Edie Falco. Schulze went on to star in numerous films
and television series, most notably in The Sopranos where he played ‘Father Phil
Intintola,’ a priest with an arguably inappropriate fondness for ‘Carmela Soprano’
(played by Falco). He also appeared for three seasons in the hugely successful
series 24 as CTU director ‘Ryan Chappelle’ before his character’s unexpected
and controversial demise.
Schulze’s other film credits include Panic Room, where he played the rookie cop
opposite Jodie Foster in one of the film’s most memorable and intense scenes,
and Rambo, the latest installment in the franchise, where he played missionary
‘Michael Burnett’ who continually butts heads with Sylvester Stallone’s character.
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Schulze turned in an emotional performance on the crime-drama Law & Order:
SVU, playing ‘Patrick Holbart,’ a father who has unknowingly sold his children
into a human trafficking ring. He also recently guest starred on various TV series
such as Fairly Legal, Person of Interest, Franklin & Bash, and The Mentalist.
Paul will next appear in the road trip comedy You Are Here alongside Zack
Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, and Owen Wilson.
DOMINIC FUMUSA
(Kevin Peyton)
DOMINIC FUMUSA recently starred in Sarah Ruhl's critically-acclaimed Passion
Play in New York. Other recent stage work includes Stephen Belber’s hit play
Fault Lines, directed by David Schwimmer at the Cherry Lane Theater. In New
York and in London, Fumusa originated the role of ‘Toddy Koovitz’ in Richard
Greenberg’s Tony® Award-winning Take Me Out, directed by Joe Mantello. In
New York, London and Los Angeles, he created the character of ‘Vince’ (a role
that was specifically written for him) in Stephen Belber’s Tape. He also starred in
the New York premiere of Melissa James Gibson's Obie Award-winning Sic at
SoHo Repertory. Fumusa made his Broadway debut opposite Marisa Tomei and
Quentin Tarantino in Wait Until Dark. Other Broadway credits include A Flea In
Her Ear at the Roundabout Theater Company. In addition, he portrayed Mitch
Albom in a six-month, twelve-city national tour of Tuesdays With Morrie, opposite
Harold Gould. Regional credits include plays at the Guthrie, Huntington, Kennedy
Center, Actors Theater of Louisville, Williamstown, NY Stage & Film, The
Stratford Festival of Canada and Chicago Shakespeare.
Fumusa’s television credits include Damages, Sex and the City, The Sopranos,
SHOWTIME’s Brotherhood, Person of Interest, Bones, Kings, NYPD Blue, Hack,
Numb3rs, Threshold, and numerous appearances on Law & Order and CSI.
His feature film work includes the recently released independent films Allegiance
(with Aidan Quinn), Staten Island / aka Little New York (opposite Ethan Hawke)
and Helena FromThe Wedding. Other features include Management (with
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Jennifer Aniston and Woody Harrelson), This Is A Story About Ted And Alice
(opposite Melissa Leo), Dealbreaker (directed and written by Gwyneth Paltrow),
Grilled (opposite Burt Reynolds), and The Guru (opposite Heather Graham).
ANNA DEAVERE SMITH
(Mrs. Gloria Akalitus)
ANNA DEAVERE SMITH has performed in film, television and on stage. She has
received numerous awards for her work including the prestigious 2013 Gish Prize
for achievement in the arts and the 1996 MacArthur Award.
Smith has been featured in several films, including Rachel Getting Married, The
American President, The Human Stain, Dave and Rent. She was a regular on
the CBS series Presidio Med and she played the National Security advisor on the
West Wing.
Smith has been said to have created a new form of theater which combines
journalism, dramatic writing and keen acting skills. She creates one-person
shows, based on interviews, in which she portrays several characters – as many
as 46 in one show. She has toured the US and abroad, to critical acclaim with
her plays Fires in the Mirror, Twilight Los Angleles and Let Me Down
Easy. Those plays were also broadcast on PBS.
She has received honorary degrees from Juilliard, The University of
Pennsylvania, Northwestern among many other schools. She is a professor at
New York University and is the author of the books Talk To Me: Travels in Media
and Letter to a Young Artist: Straight Up Advice on Making a Life in the
Arts. She is founding director of Anna Deavere Smith Works an organization that
convenes artists from around the world who use art to enhance the betterment of
humankind.
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RUBY JERINS
(Grace)
RUBY JERINS played Robert Pattinson’s sister in the Summit feature,
Remember Me. In 2010, Jerins starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in the Martin
Scorsese feature, Shutter Island.
The daughter of artist Edgar Jerins and actress Alana Jerins, and sister of child
actress Sterling Jerins, she made her début in the film The Wedding in
2001, alongside Jaid Barrymore and Stephen C. Bradbury, playing the flower
girl. Jerins has also guest-starred or recurred in television series such as
Kidnapped, Law & Order, The Guding Light, As The World Turns, Six Degrees
and SNL.
Jerins is a trained professional ballet dancer and recently performed a solo with
the American Ballet Theatre Company in their production of Les Sylphides at The
Metropolitan Opera Theatre in Lincoln Center. She is currently attending the
illustrious, La Guardia High School in NYC where she continues to hone her
craft.
MACKENZIE ALADJEM
(Fiona)
MACKENZIE ALADJEM started her entertainment industry career when, at the
age of seven, she was cast as "Molly" in the National Broadway Tour of Annie.
Recent film credits include The Lincoln Lawyer and This is Forty, and other
television credits include the Lifetime movie Of Two Minds, and recurring roles in
The Middle, All My Children, and Passions. When she's not acting, Aladjem loves
to sing, dance, and play with her four dogs Charlie, Jackson, Lucy and Lucky.
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PETER FACINELLI
(Dr. Fitch Cooper)
PETER FACINELLI recently appeared on the big screen as Dr. Carlisle Cullen in
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. He also starred in the previous four
installments of the blockbuster franchise, Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon,
Twilight Saga: Eclipse and The Twiglight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, all of
which are based on Stephenie Meyer's #1 New York Times best-selling literary
series.
Last summer, Facinelli traveled to Bogota, Colombia to film Gallows Hill, directed
by Victor Garcia and written by Richard Do’Ovidio. He also recently completed
work in the independent film Freezer, which stars Dylan McDermott. His past film
credits include Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys with Drew Barrymore,
The Scorpion King opposite Dwayne Johnson, the dramedy Finding Amanda with
Matthew Broderick, Tempted with Burt Reynolds and Saffron Burroughs, a
starring role in Walter Hills' sci-fi thriller Supernova with James Spader and
Angela Bassett, The Big Kahuna opposite Kevin Spacey and Danny Devito,
Dancer, Texas, Pop 81, Foxfire, alongside Angelina Jolie, and the cult classic
Can’t Hardly Wait opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt.
For television, Facinelli’s past television credits include the following: a pivotal
supporting role on the 2007 season of Damages, FX's award winning legal thriller
starring Glenn Close; a recurring role on the award winning HBO Series Six Feet
Under, for which he shared the cast's 2005 nomination for the SAG Award for
Best Ensemble in a Drama; as well as a starring role in McG's sexy one-hour
drama Fastlane in 2003.
In 2010, Facinelli started a production company, A7sle Films. A7sle Films' first
feature, Loosies, was released earlier this year by IFC. Facinelli wrote and
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starred in the fast-paced dramatic comedy about a successful pickpocket in the
New York City subways. The company has produced projects across film, TV
and digital platforms with Electus, 5x5, Boom Comics, College Humor, YouTube,
ISH, and ARC Productions. A7sle Films has acquired the rights to several
properties including Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer for Whitey Bulger and
the Boston Irish Mob by Edward Mackenzie Jr. and Phyllis Karas, My Name Is
Not Isabella Jennifer Fosberry's New York Times bestselling children's
storybooks, and The Last Word a documentary that tells the chilling true story of
Johnny Frank Garrett.
A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Facinelli splits his time between
New York and Los Angeles.
BOBBY CANNAVALE
(Miguel Cruz)
BOBBY CANNAVALE worked with legendary director, Woody Allen on his soon
to be released untitled film. Other film credits include Roadie, Weakness, Win
Win, The Station Agent (Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival; SAG Award
nomination), The Other Guys, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Brief Interviews with Hideous
Men, Diminished Capacity, Fast Food Nation, The Night Listener, Snakes on a
Plane, Haven, Shall We Dance, Happy Endings, Romance & Cigarettes, Gloria,
The Bone Collector and Washington Heights.
His many television appearances include Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie
(Emmy nomination), Modern Family, Will and Grace (Emmy Award), Six Feet
Under and the starring role in Cupid.
He is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company. He received the 2011
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, as well as a Tony nomination
for his performance in The Motherf**cker with the Hat. He made his Broadway
debut in 2008 in Theresa Rebeck’s, Mauritius (Tony nomination). He also
received rave reviews in the 2005 Off-Broadway revival of Hurlyburly. He most
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recently starred on Broadway opposite Al Pacino in David Mamet’s, Glengarry
Glen Ross.
MORRIS CHESTNUT
(Dr. Ike Prentiss)
MORRIS CHESTNUT is in high demand for leading roles in major motion
pictures, having starred in films such as Think Like A Man, Not Easily Broken,
The Game Plan and Ladder 49.
Born in Cerritos, California, the athletic actor grew up playing sports and
attended college at Cal State Los Angeles before entering the film business in
1990 with a small role in Freddy's Nightmares. This led him to a memorable costarring role as high school football player, Ricky Baker, in director John
Singleton's acclaimed Boyz n the Hood, a part that brought the actor into
mainstream Hollywood stardom.
Among his many credits are the films The Cave, Anacondas: The Hunt for the
Blood Orchid, Like Mike, The Last Boy Scout, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, G.I.
Jane, The Best Man, The Brothers, Breaking All the Rules, Confidence, Two Can
Play That Game, G.I. Jane, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and The Inkwell.
Most recently, Chestnut starred in Identity Thief (Melissa McCarthy and Jason
Batemen) and The Call (Halle Berry), and will next been seen in Kick-Ass 2 (Jim
Carrey).
He has also appeared on numerous television series such as American Horror
Story, V, and C-16: FBI. •
STEPHEN WALLEM
(Thor)
STEPHEN WALLEM was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois and worked as a
stage actor and After Dark Award-winning cabaret singer in Chicago before
moving to New York to make his television debut on NURSE JACKIE. National
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tours include Forever Plaid, Into The Woods and Scrooge with Richard
Chamberlain. He accrued nearly 2,500 performances as both ‘Jinx’ and ‘Sparky’
in various companies of Forever Plaid, including Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver
and the first national tour.
Wallem portrayed 'Hazel' in the Encores! City Center production of Pipe Dream,
'Judas’/‘Padre’ in the Court Theatre’s acclaimed production of Man Of La
Mancha (After Dark Award for ‘Outstanding Performance,’ Joseph Jefferson
Award for ‘Best Ensemble’) and reprised his performance at the Long Wharf
Theatre in New Haven. For the Ravinia Festival, he appeared with Tony®
winners Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris and George Hearn
in A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday In The Park With George and Doll with
David Hyde Pierce (all directed by Lonny Price). In New York, Wallem originated
the role of ‘Arvid’ in the Broadway workshop of Kristina, written by Benny
Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA. He also performed his cabarets Off the
Wallem and Schwartz and All at Don't Tell Mama and Birdland along with guest
appearances in the Sondheim Unplugged series at 54 Below. He teamed with
Edie Falco for a sold-out run of the original cabaret The Other Steve and Edie at
the Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Wallem is also a playwright, composer, and director. Along with longtime
collaborator Danny Musha, he is the author of Something on My Mind, produced
by Ben Vereen for Good Vibes and the musical Frozen River, which workshopped at Lamb's Theater in Manhattan. He co-directed Is There Life After High
School? at Chicago Academy for the Arts, and wrote and directed Crisis at
Broadway High. Wallem and Musha's ballad "Another New Place" was recorded
by cabaret duo Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael for their latest CD, Better Twogether.
BETTY GILPIN
(Dr. Carrie Roman)
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BETTY GILPIN recently created the role of ‘Elizabeth’ in the premiere of Sam
Shepard’s Heartless at the Signature Theatre in New York. She made her OffBroadway debut in the Second Stage’s production of Roberto Aguirre-Saca’s
Good Boys and True and appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s
production of The Language Archive, the Second Stage’s production of Howard
Korder’s Boys Life and in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s productions of That Face
and We Live Here. She co-starred with Wendie Malick in Noah Haidle’s two
character play, What is the Cause of Thunder? At the Williamstown Theatre
Festival and also co-starred in the world premiere of Lucas Kavner’s Fish Eye at
Here in New York. Television and film appearances include The Good Wife, Past
Life, The Unusuals, Possible Side Effects, Fringe, New Amsterdam, Law &
Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU, Medium, Death in Love,
The Northern Kingdom, Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais and the soon-to-be
released Beach Pillows. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Fordham
College at Lincoln Center and lives in New York City.
ADAM FERRARA
(Officer Frank Verelli)
ADAM FERRARA, the stand-up comedian and actor who Entertainment Weekly
dubbed “hilarious,” proudly played Chief Needles Nelson on the Emmy®
nominated FX drama Rescue Me. He has also costarred alongside Kevin James
in the hit movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop and in Definitely Maybe with Ryan Reynolds
and Isla Fisher.
Besides hosting the critically-acclaimed BBC sensation, Top Gear US, Ferrara is
an internationally touring headliner. A two-time nominee for best male stand-up
by the American Comedy Awards, he appears on numerous TV shows, including
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Late Show With David Letterman, Late Night
With Jimmy Fallon, The View and Rachael Ray. His third comedy special is
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entitled Funny as Hell where he brings the stage to life with his honest, clever
and fearless perspective on family, relationships and himself.
Ferrara began his TV career on NBC’s Caroline in the City. Since then, he has
appeared as a series regular in the critically acclaimed ABC series The Job,
which also starred Denis Leary. He also guest-starred on NBC’s Law & Order
and was a frequent guest star on the CBS hit The King Of Queens and ABC’s
Ugly Betty. At a Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, Denis Leary was
quoted as saying, “Adam Ferrara is a great comedian, but he’s really pissing me
off now because he’s become such a great dramatic actor.”
Apart from opening for his comedy idol, George Carlin, and performing at both
Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, Ferrara was asked to perform at a
benefit for the President and all of the Senators. Stuck in traffic on the way to the
event, Ferrara quipped, “I’m still moving faster than Congress.”
CLYDE PHILLIPS
Executive Producer
Veteran showrunner Clyde Phillips has vast experience in both drama and
comedy, having been the showrunner of the SHOWTIME hit Dexter for four
years. Additionally, he created Get Real, Suddenly Susan, and Parker Lewis
Can’t Lose; as well as working on Boomtown as Consulting Producer. Prior to
that, Phillips produced several made-for-television movies including Police Story
and Charles & Diana. A national best-selling mystery novelist, Phillips’s fourth
book “Unthinkable” will be published this Spring.
He lives in Wilton, Connecticut and on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
RICHIE JACKSON
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Executive Producer
RICHIE JACKSON is the president of Jackson Group Entertainment, a
production and management firm. His producing credits include the Broadway
musical A Catered Affair (‘Best Musical,’ Drama League Award) written by
Harvey Fierstein and John Bucchino, directed by John Doyle, and the
film Shortbus, written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Jackson recently
produced the highly-acclaimed off-Broadway play This Wide Night starring Edie
Falco.
TOM STRAW
Executive Producer
TOM STRAW is an Emmy and Writer’s Guild-nominated writer-producer as well
as New York Times best-selling author.
After a decade as a DJ, radio programmer, and TV weathercaster, Straw began
his television writing career on the CBS sitcom, Mary. After joining the hit NBC
series Night Court, his writing was recognized with two WGA “Best Comedy
Writer” nominations in consecutive years and the show was nominated for an
Emmy for “Best Comedy Series.”
Straw co-executive produced Parker Lewis Can’t Lose in its first season (his first
of several collaborations with Clyde Phillips), then went on to become executive
producer of Good & Evil and Nurses, for which he also wrote and directed
multiple episodes. He also directed episodes for The Home Court. Straw has
also executive produced Dave’s World and Grace Under Fire for which he was
also the head writer. After moving to the New York Area, Straw to over as the
head writer and executive producer of Cosby and later, Whoopi. Other television
credits include a stint as a writer for The Late Late Show with Craig
Ferguson. Straw’s first novel, The Trigger Episode, a mystery, was published in
2007 by Carroll & Graf, New York. Under a pseudonym, he subsequently has
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written four mystery novels, all of which have been top-10 New York Times
Bestsellers. He lives in Connecticut with his family.
SYNOPSES
Episode 501 - "Happy Fucking Birthday"
Written By: Clyde Phillips
Directed By: Randall Einhorn
An overturned bus makes for a crazy day at All Saints. Two new doctors join the
staff: Dr. Carrie Roman, a resident who fucked her way to the middle, and Dr. Ike
Prentiss, a badass Army doc. Dr. Eleanor O’Hara just wants to spend every
minute with her new son. Coop is wary of Prentiss but starts crushing on Carrie.
And in the middle of the chaos, Akalitus gives Eddie back his old job. After
witnessing yet another tense morning between the Peytons, Zoey announces
that it’s time for her to move out of Jackie’s house and O’Hara tells Jackie it’s her
last day at All Saints and she’s moving to London to be with her baby and her
family. And all this, the day before Jackie’s birthday. And the end of a long day,
Jackie puts one pill into a small jewelry box next to her wedding ring in her night
stand. It’s a new year.
Episode 502 – “Luck of the Drawing”
Written By: Tom Straw
Directed By: John Cameron Mitchell
Jackie and Kevin are at a stalemate in their divorce mediation. Unless Jackie
can figure out her work hours, Kevin wants full custody. A little boy comes in with
a spider in his ear Prentiss uses a skill he picked up serving time in Rikers and
coaxes the spider out. Hannah Cohen, a patient from the bus crash is back, she
contracted sepsis at All Saints. Zoey is named hand wash monitor while Prentiss
is named Chief of the ER. Coop is pissed and wants to quit but Jackie tells him
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he’ll get respect if he mans up. Jackie takes advantage of Akalitus’s memory
lapses and gets her to sign off on a schedule but Kevin surprises her by
announcing he’s petitioning for psych tests on the girls. Jackie, overwhelmed by
the day, downloads to the only person who will understand. She calls Charlie
Cruz’s voicemail. When Jackie gets home, Zoey surprises her with the girls,
cake, a piñata, and a surprise Skype guest, O’Hara. Grace releases her wrath
on the piñata.
Nurse Jackie
SEASON 5
Cast and Production Credits
Cast Credits
Jackie Peyton ................................................................................................................EDIE FALCO
Dr. Ellie O’Hara ................................................................................................................ EVE BEST
Zoey Barkow ........................................................................................................ MERRITT WEVER
Eddie Walzer ........................................................................................................... PAUL SCHULZE
Kevin .................................................................................................................. DOMINIC FUMUSA
Mrs. Gloria Akalitus ................................................................................... ANNA DEAVERE SMITH
Grace.......................................................................................................................... RUBY JERINS
Fiona ........................................................................................................... MACKENZIE ALADJEM
Dr. Fitch Cooper .................................................................................................. PETER FACINELLI
Special Guest Stars
Miguel Cruz ..................................................................................................... BOBBY CANNAVALE
........................................................................................................................ MORRIS CHESTNUT
Guest Starring
Thor ................................................................................................................... STEPHEN WALLEM
...................................................................................................................................BETTY GILPIN
.............................................................................................................................. ADAM FERRARA
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Production Credits
Executive Producers ............................................................................................. CLYDE PHILLIPS
..................................................................................................................................... TOM STRAW
............................................................................................................................. RICHIE JACKSON
...................................................................................................................... CARYN MANDABACH
Co-Executive Producers ............................................................................................... LIZ FLAHIVE
..................................................................................... MICHAEL DAVIDOFF & BILL ROSENTHAL
......................................................................................................................... RANDALL EINHORN
Supervising Producer .........................................................................................CINDY CAPONERA
Consulting Producers .............................................................................................. LINDA WALLEM
...................................................................................................................................... LIZ BRIXIUS
Producers ................................................................... BRAD CARPENTER, MICHELE GIORDANO
Associate Producers ........................................................ BRIAN SABOWSKI, RUSS HAMMONDS
Director of Photography ........................................................................................... BILL COLEMAN
Production Designer ...................................................................................................... RAY KLUGA
Edited by ............................................................................................ AGNES CHALLE-GRANDITS
Costume Designer .................................................................................................... INGRID PRICE
Music byPAT IRWIN
Music Supervisor ....................................................................................................... MICHAEL HILL
Casting by ............................................... JULIE TUCKER, C.S.A. and ROSS MEYERSON, C.S.A.
NURSE JACKIE is a co-production of Showtime and Lionsgate
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