NBCUniversal, CTV Partner on 'The Transplant' Medical Drama

NBCUniversal International Studios, led by Jeff Wachtel, will handle international distribution on the drama about a Syrian refugee working as a doctor in a Toronto trauma unit.


Canada’s CTV and NBCUniversal International Studios are partnering on The Transplant, a medical procedural about a Syrian refugee who finds work as a doctor in a busy Toronto trauma hospital.


The series, comprising 13 one hour episodes from 19-2 maker Sphere Media Plus and writer/creator Joseph Kay (Frontier), will be distributed outside Canada by NBCUniversal.


Developed by CTV, The Transplant follows Bash, a struggling Syrian refugee, who uses his skills and warzone instincts from his former life as a doctor to save lives in a busy Toronto trauma hospital. The drama, blending an immigrant tale with an ensemble medical procedural, is set to shoot in summer 2019.


The partnership on The Transplant follows NBCUniversal distributing two earlier CTV dramas, Motive and The Disappearance.


“With The Transplant, CTV has picked up a series which combines high-stakes drama with a very personal journey about finding your place in the world," Jeff Wachtel, president of NBCUniversal International Studios, said Thursday in a statement.


Development on The Transplant, with help from Syrian consultants, took place against the backdrop of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau agreeing to take in around 25,000 refugees from war-torn Syria, and efforts to settle them across Canada.


"The Transplant is a timely drama that subtly addresses one of the most compelling issues of our time: the question of immigration and refugees,” said Jocelyn Deschenes, Sphère Media Plus president, in his own statement.


Executive producers on The Transplant are Deschenes, Bruno Dube, Virginia Rankin, Jeremy Spry, and Tara Woodbury.