When the Brilliant Minds Season 1 finale aired, there were some generous cliffhangers.
Oliver learned his dad was alive, which shook up his world. Carol was put on administrative leave for an ethical conflict of interest. Ericka experienced PTSD after watching Celia die in the elevator.
Almost everyone’s life was in flux.
TV Fanatic had the opportunity to chat with EP Michael Grassi about those pesky cliffhangers, Oliver and Josh’s relationship, the chances of a Season 2 renewal, and much more. It was a joy to speak with him.
Check out the interview below.
So, Michael, that was a cliffhanger. Was it the plan all along to reintroduce Oliver’s father once Oliver was happier?
That was the plan all along. When I first met with Zach [Quinto], I pitched the season arc for his character. When I pitched it, I said, “And then Dad comes back – and imagine Mandy Patinkin – and then we haven’t cast him yet, and we haven’t even started conversations.”
However, as we were in the middle of our season, we got close to these storylines and needed to cast Noah Wolf.
We approached Mandy and had great conversations with him and his team, and it was an honor and a dream come true. Mandy was the person that I had initially pitched to Zach back in our first meeting.
Wow. That’s impressive. With that in mind, what are the chances of a Season 2 renewal?
Oh, my goodness. I hope and pray that we get to continue telling these stories with Wolf, all of our doctors, and Mandy. I don’t have a firm answer yet, but my fingers are firmly crossed over and over for the Brilliant Minds family.
We cannot just leave things like that. The fans will scream.
Wolf has a significant medical mystery with his father, and many other things must be sorted out. I think all of our characters ended on some cliffhanger, and a lot needs to be worked out. It’ll only get more dramatic before it gets better, that’s for sure.
Yes, that’s why I said we can’t leave it like that. We must have a second season.
I like that spirit, Laura. What’s exciting is that we have this fascinating two-part finale event when we return in January. It will be fun for fans to have a Brilliant Minds night. It will feel epic and will leave everybody wanting more.
Absolutely. Oliver and Josh became fan favorites in such a short time. What do you think has contributed to their success?
First and foremost, Zach and Teddy [Sears] have such unique chemistry. When they walk onto the set and block a scene or rehearse it, the magic starts at that moment. It begins with how they approach their characters, find conflict, and find little moments between each other.
I think that’s what our audience is holding on to: how lived-in and authentic it feels. I want to give that to Zach and Teddy.
I think another thing that audiences love, and even though it is a trope, we tried to play against it a bit and find some nuance in our storytelling, is that they come together when they’re dealing with patients.
But we introduced them as rivals, which made people lean in and see something happening there. I think audiences like to see something coming sometimes, and they also like to be surprised.
We set them up as rivals, which makes you want to root for them in that classic rom-com way that we love, but we haven’t seen two leading men before on prime-time NBC, which is exciting.
That’s very true. I know many people hope that they will have many more moments next year if we get a second season.
The plan is to find new ways to connect those two. The series also delivers on what we love about it: They have very different views on medicine but come together at the correct times, which is nice.
So, what part of Oliver Sacks’ life inspired you the most to create Brilliant Minds?
That’s such a good question. Oliver Sacks’s approach took me to his patients. He came to them very simply, asking them, “How are you?” He got to know them as people to find the best treatment.
With Oliver Sacks, it was never sort of a one-size-fits-all situation. He believed that just because you have a specific condition doesn’t mean that the treatment assigned to everybody else is the proper treatment for you.
He dedicated himself to his patients, walked with them, and helped them find a path forward, even when there wasn’t a cure for their condition.
I felt like that was something else I was interested in, telling stories that don’t necessarily have a cure. So, when there isn’t a cure, how do the doctors help their patients find a path forward?
A lot of our storytelling is about adaptation, not just for our patients but also for our doctors. We explore that in various storylines throughout the season.
Regarding his personal life. I love that he rode motorcycles. I love that he was obsessed with ferns and the periodic table, collected minerals and gems, and was passionate about many things. These things allowed him to avoid looking inward and having relationships, similar to Oliver Wolf on our show.
What has been your favorite case to cover so far?
It’s hard to pick a favorite case, but I loved the man who mistook his wife for a hat that we covered in our season finale. It featured Eden Espinosa, who is one of the great Elphaba’s on stage.
That’s one of my favorite cases. I also love the colorblind painter, and the disembodied woman is fascinating. I love so many from this season, but I think our season finale case is so iconic that I can discard that one.
Very interesting. What do you think led to Oliver’s evolution from not caring about his interns to almost considering them part of his family? That has been one of my favorite things to see.
Oh, Laura, I love that, too. It’s one of my favorite things about the show as well. When we started the season, I thought he was a bit of a lone wolf, and his season arc was about him finding his pack.
As we got to these last two episodes, he saw one of his interns in danger and then saw his other interns step up and deliver on the job.
He’s grown fond of this group over the season, and you really get to see that, especially in that scene with Erica in Episode 12 and how he turned to them in Episode 13 at the very end.
That’s been one of his most significant journeys, starting to let people in and letting down his walls, and it’s satisfying to see. The interns are supposed to be learning from him, right? But the twist here is that he’s also learning a lot from them, too.
You can binge Brilliant Minds Season 1 on Peacock. We’ll update you when we learn of its renewal status.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Watch Brilliant Minds Online
