Gentrified and Mr Mom alum Michelle Ortiz has been officially announced as the latest addition to the pilot of The Hurt Unit, a new medical drama coming to ABC. Ortiz joins previously-announced cast lead Ben McKenzie (Gotham) in the new pilot, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and directed by Marc Webb.
ABC’s pilot for The Hurt Unit features the Hospital Urgent Response Unit – or HURT Unit – a mobile crack team of trauma surgeons and nurses led by Dr Danny Marsh (McKenzie) who respond to critical medical calls and care for the patients who won’t make it to the hospital in time for treatment. To quote the official synopsis, “When the sick and the injured can’t get to the ER, the Hurt Unit brings the ER to them.” Ben McKenzie will appear as Danny Marsh, who TV Insider describes as a “self-made surgeon” who is “unquestionably a hero [but] also a pathological risk-taker who seems headed for a serious comeuppance.”
Michelle Ortiz Joins ‘The Hurt Unit’ as a Dry-Wit Nurse
Michelle Ortiz will join The Hurt Unit on ABC as Ruth, a nurse who assists Danny with dangerous surgeries in even more dangerous situations. Described by Deadline as “A veteran nurse who has seen it all”, Ruth provides the HURT Unit with her wit and ability to stay calm under crushing pressure, skills that will lead to her keeping the team together under Danny’s leadership.
Prior to her addition to The Hurt Unit, Michelle Ortiz’s most recent role was a guest appearance as Mrs. Garcia on the NBC sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez, starring George and Mayan Lopez. Ortiz is best known for her performance as Maggie in This Fool, a Hulu comedy following Julio Lopez, a reformed thug with a heart of gold, but some of her other roles include Connie in the Netflix comedy-drama series Gentrified and Riley Stone in Mr. Mom.
The pilot for The Hurt Unit, starring Michelle Ortiz, was written by Matt Lopez (Promised Land) and John Glenn (SEAL Team) and will be directed by Marc Webb (Why Women Kill). Further details on the pilot will likely become available the closer it gets to production.