# Anybody else watching "B Positive"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [April 10, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757 "2021-04-10T16:37:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/1 "2021-04-10T16:37:18Z")
I’ve been watching this unlikely CBS sitcom. It’s about a therapist who’s suffering from renal failure and needs a kidney donor. His blood type is quite rare: B-positive. He finds a woman he knew in high school who’s a perfect match, and she decides to be his donor. Plot conflicts ensue. I started watching the show because I have a serious crush on Thomas Middleditch, the star. But the rest of the cast does a fine job as well. I applaud the show for having some scenes in a dialysis clinic. One criticism, though: Drew is supposed to be a therapist. You’d never know this, based on anything he’s ever said or done. It’s like they needed the main character to have a profession, so they decided on “therapist” without ever reflecting this in the script. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/2 "2021-04-11T02:04:23Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > One criticism, though: Drew is supposed to be a therapist. You’d never know this, based on anything he’s ever said or done. It’s like they needed the main character to have a profession, so they decided on “therapist” without ever reflecting this in the script. I’ve not seen the show. Just addressing your criticism. Maybe it’s just a spacing error, and he’s not a “therapist” but rather “the rapist.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/3 "2021-04-11T04:42:04Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’ve not seen the show. Just addressing your criticism. Maybe it’s just a spacing error, and he’s not a “therapist” but rather “the rapist.” Yes, I thought of that. Either way, a total lack of evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/4 "2021-04-11T07:06:15Z")
I’ve been watching it. The show had some weaknesses that they seem to be addressing. Drew (the lead male character) was insufferable, but they’re making him more likeable. Gina (the lead female character) was over-the-top quirky, but they’re making her more of a normal person. If the show has a second season, I hope they re-do the lead-in, because it’s hard to watch singing kidneys. I like Linda Lavin as Norma. She could have been the stereotype of a wise old woman, but instead she can be selfish, and even a little dumb sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/5 "2021-04-11T14:34:23Z")
It’s one of several sitcoms on CBS with Chuck Lorre as the creator and showrunner and I noticed that all seem to have a “message” or intend some social commentary. Most of the characters on _Mom_ are in recovery from alcohol or drug abuse (the characters often meet in AA sessions); this one features people who are in dialysis and waiting for kidneys to become available for transplant, _Bob Hearts Abishola_ is about a well-to-do white Detroit business owner who falls in love with a Nigerian immigrant nurse and _United States of Al_ is about an Afghani man who worked with the US military as a translator during the war and came to the US to live with the family of the soldier he worked with. I get the impression that the PTSD and trauma experienced by the characters is going to be an ongoing element. Even _Young Sheldon_ has a message, in terms of how to deal with an insufferable know-it-all. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/6 "2021-04-11T16:22:01Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > this one features people who are in dialysis and waiting for kidneys to become available for transplant, How is that a message? The show doesn’t feel like a “please become a organ donor” commercial or anything. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/7 "2021-04-11T22:54:09Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > If the show has a second season, I hope they re-do the lead-in, because it’s hard to watch singing kidneys. Oh god, I forgot to mention that. 😬 I’d like to have been in the room when that idea was brought up. And yes, I’d like to see more of the Linda Lavin character. > [@FigNorton](#): > > How is that a message? The show doesn’t feel like a “please become a organ donor” commercial or anything. As someone with Stage 3 kidney disease, it’s reassuring to see that people on dialysis can still have lives. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/8 "2021-04-12T00:56:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s one of several sitcoms on CBS with Chuck Lorre as the creator and showrunner and I noticed that all seem to have a “message” or intend some social commentary. The only message Chuck Lorre shows seem to have is that there are a limitless number of ways to remake _The Odd Couple_ - two temperamentally mismatched characters who become better while fixing the other person. BTW, that format doesn’t get tiresome for me, and I think _B Positive_ is improving steadily. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/9 "2021-04-12T14:09:19Z")
I’ve been watching from the beginning. As usual, the first couple of episodes had me wondering if I should continue. But it has been improving as it goes along and I am now enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/10 "2021-04-12T16:32:49Z")
When the show was announced, there was much interest in the transplant and kidney disease communities I belong to. I watched one episode. Yes, it’s a comedy. Yes, it’s a good thing that kidney failure is being shown as something where you still live your life while on dialysis vs all the episodes of _House_ / _Chicago Med_ / any other medical drama. I didn’t find any of the characters likable. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/11 "2021-04-12T16:43:54Z")
I’ve been watching it as well, though my reasons were more due to Annaleigh Ashford. I don’t think I’d ever heard of Thomas Middleditch before this. Annaleigh, I knew from Masters Of Sex, Unbelievable and whatever other random stuff she popped up in. > [@panache45](#): > > One criticism, though: Drew is supposed to be a therapist. You’d never know this, based on anything he’s ever said or done. It’s like they needed the main character to have a profession, so they decided on “therapist” without ever reflecting this in the script. It did come up in one scene. When Gina had her psych evaluation, Drew coached her. > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I hope they re-do the lead-in, because it’s hard to watch singing kidneys. I’ve yet to make it all the way through the opening. As soon as I hear “The more you…” I skip it. I don’t know if it’s the song or the style or the animation, but I really hate it. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Most of the characters on _Mom_ are in recovery from alcohol or drug abuse Counter-point. On Two and a Half Men, drug and alcohol abuse was all but celebrated. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/12 "2021-04-12T16:48:44Z")
Perhaps his current shows are meant to atone for the earlier ones? And, by the way, Two and a Half Men might have celebrated drug and alcohol abuse but it _was_ successful and often very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/13 "2021-04-12T18:27:40Z")
So does the show end when he gets the kidney? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/14 "2021-04-12T19:31:56Z")
It could, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they dragged it out for a while, somehow. He already has the donor and I don’t recall why they’re waiting. At least at first, I thought Gina just had to sober up, but she’s done that for the most part and they haven’t really brought it up since the first few episodes. I always worry that (non-mini series) shows that have, as their premise, a built in ending point risk getting backed into a corner or stretching things out to the point that the quality suffers (ie How I Met Your Mother). Also, Gideon (the actor) is 47. I would have guessed he was closer to 30 than 50. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/15 "2021-04-13T00:32:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > He already has the donor and I don’t recall why they’re waiting. They established that because of Gina’s history of drug and alcohol use, they had to wait X months for her (or her kidneys) to be completely clean and sober before she could donate. X months in TV time can of course be one episode or the entire life of the show.) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/16 "2021-04-13T05:54:02Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > X months in TV time can of course be one episode or the entire life of the show.) While they can slow things down, each time he goes in for dialyses (especially with the other three there as well), it pushes the clock forward a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/17 "2021-04-13T08:19:37Z")
Type B positive isn’t that rare, I have it. So does about 8% of the population. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/18 "2021-04-13T13:05:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Most of the characters on _Mom_ are in recovery from alcohol or drug abuse (the characters often meet in AA sessions) To be fair, it didn’t start out that way. The recovery aspects were part of the background but it was mostly about the dynamic between mother and daughter. When the daughter left the show the dynamic had to change. _B Positive_ is based (however loosely) on a true story. Show creator Marco Pennette had a kidney transplant from someone in his past in 2013. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/19 "2021-04-13T14:33:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > To be fair, it didn’t start out that way. The recovery aspects were part of the background but it was mostly about the dynamic between mother and daughter. When the daughter left the show the dynamic had to change. Didn’t Grace Under Fire follow a similar path? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757/20 "2021-04-13T22:29:39Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > it was mostly about the dynamic between mother and daughter. When the daughter left the show the dynamic had to change. I think Christi’s (the daughter) kids were supposed to be at least the B-plot, but that didn’t work out. The AA portion has been pretty strong since probably season 2 (and the third generation kids pretty much disappeared 3 or more seasons ago). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-watching-b-positive/939757.md?page=2)