It's safe to say that there isn't really a shortage of medical dramas. Every station has at least one and each has it's own following. The latest addition to the current list of this genre is Three Rivers, a show about the daily lives of transplant surgeons and their patients. Though this series chooses a different medical niche to adhere to, I'm not sure if that will be enough to keep it alive.

Three Rivers takes place, appropriately enough, at The Three Rivers Hospital and Transplant Center in Pittsburgh. The premier transplant team in the nation is headed by Dr. Andy Yablonski (Alex O'Loughlin, Moonlight), a talented young surgeon with a troubled past who has made the hospital his life. His second in command is Miranda Foster (Katherine Moennig, The L Word) the hotheaded daughter of one of the greatest doctors to grace the halls of Three Rivers. Her temper, however, along with her determination to help her patients causes quite a few problems in the hospital and the transplant community. Through the eyes of these two, and the rest of their team, you will see just how difficult the world of organ transplants can be.

This series has a lot going for it. The premise is intriguing, the characters, for the most part, are likeable and the stories are enjoyable. There is a constant sense of urgency throughout the show which should keep viewers hooked, and the patients are developed in such a way to make the viewers care as well. Even if you somehow don't care about the patients, however, the casting just might fix that problem. In the spirit of Gray's Anatomy, Three Rivers has quite an attractive cast of characters that, for some viewers, may make up for any shortcomings. This appears to have been planned seeing as instead of wearing the layered scrubs pictured above, the doctors go for a much tighter ensemble to accentuate key features. It's a cheap tactic, but I have a feeling that the key demographics won't complain.

On the other hand, Three Rivers does have some noticeable flaws. The most obvious is the limited premise. Though I appreciate the direction this series is going in, I don't think it can go very far. There is only so much you can do with transplants as your main focus, and knowing that a transplant has to happen at some point takes some of the suspense out of the medical cases. That means the series is going to have to rely on personal interactions, and this pilot doesn't really set up any key relationships. It may happen in future episodes but right now I don't see it. My other issue with the series is Dr. Foster. Katherine Moennig plays the character well, but the character herself doesn't seem to have much range. She is going to be the troublemaker of the team and a key source of conflict, but it seems like her dialog will always boil down to "I need these organs" or "Someone has to get these organs." Not to mention that she somehow manages to maintain a filthy appearance in the sterile world of surgery.

Overall, Three Rivers straddles the line between good and bad for me. I can see where it could be a great series, but it also has some clear flaws. I'm not a big fan of shows with this much emotion in the first place, so the fact that I was able to find some enjoyment in the pilot says something about it's potential. I'll keep an eye on this show, and if you are a fan of medical dramas, so should you. Three Rivers premieres Sunday at 9pm EST on CBS.