New NBC drama blurs line between agencies

A new NBC medical drama blurs the lines between two U.S. government health agencies, displaying the work of one while crediting it to the other.

"Medical Investigation," premiering Friday, centers on the work of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biomedical detectives, known for chasing Ebola outbreaks and anthrax attacks, but they are known in the new series as National Institutes of Health officials, the Washington Post said Wednesday.

"It's infuriating," said one CDC physician who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Atlanta's CDC experts worked with the show's producers for months, but when the first episode was shot, the agency of choice was Maryland's NIH.

"I literally told them they should dub in the word 'CDC' because it's wrong," said Donald Francis, a 20-year CDC veteran serving as an adviser to the series.

NBC has shrugged off the dilemma.

"It's a fudge, I admit it. There are futzes here and there. It's television," said Chris Conti, NBC's senior vice president for drama development.

© Copyright 2004 by United Press International