B Positive

B Positive is an American television sitcom created by Marco Pennette who also executive produces alongside Chuck Lorre for Warner Bros. Television. The multi-camera series airs on CBS as a Thursday night entry in the 2020–21 television season, and is CBS's only new comedy series to debut in fall 2020. It premiered on November 5, 2020.[1][2][3]

B Positive
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Marco Pennette
Starring	Thomas Middleditch Annaleigh Ashford Kether Donohue Sara Rue Izzy G Terrence Terrell
Theme music composer	Chuck Lorre and Keb' Mo'
Composer	Dennis C. Brown and Grant Geissman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Chuck Lorre Marco Pennette Jim Patterson
Producers	Peter Chakos Kristy Cecil Robinson Green
Cinematography	Gary Baum
Editor	Peter Chakos
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	19–22 minutes
Production companies	Chuck Lorre Productions Warner Bros. Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	CBS
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Original release	November 5, 2020 – present

Premise

The series is about a therapist and newly divorced father with B-positive blood who needs a kidney donor. When he's unable to find a donor within his family, a woman from his past offers him one of hers. The sitcom is based around the true story of series creator Marco Pennette, who required a kidney transplant in 2013.[4]

Cast

Main

• Thomas Middleditch as Drew,[5] a divorced father and therapist in need of a kidney transplant and a social life.
• Annaleigh Ashford as Gina,[5] a former acquaintance of Drew's from high school who works as a bus driver for a senior center. She becomes Drew's kidney donor as her blood is an incredibly rare match for his.
• Kether Donohue as Gabby,[5] a party girl and Gina's best friend who juggles multiple jobs.
• Sara Rue as Julia,[5] Drew's ex-wife, a realtor who aspires to climb the social ladder; her frustrations with trying to get Drew to embrace her interests more led to her having an affair that resulted in their split.
• Izzy G as Maddie, Drew and Julia's daughter.
• Terrence Terrell as Eli, a retired football player with an upbeat personality whom Drew meets during dialysis treatment.

Recurring

• Linda Lavin as Norma, one of the senior citizens that Gina works with at a local retirement home. She has a maternal, nurturing relationship with Gina.
• Briga Heelan as Samantha, an uptight, intense millennial in Drew's dialysis group who does not suffer fools. She is angry about her illness and often takes it out on those around her. She is trying not to let dialysis get in the way of her climbing the corporate ladder.
• David Anthony Higgins as Jerry, a dentist who has been in dialysis for over a year, convinced he’ll never find a donor. He always sees the glass half-empty.
• Darryl Stephens as Gideon, an empathetic nurse who works at the dialysis center. He cares deeply about the people to whom he gives treatment, often getting involved in their personal lives
• Bernie Kopell as Mr. Knudsen, one of the senior citizens at the retirement home where Gina works.

Guest starring

• Jason Kravits as Dr. Baskin, Drew's nephrologist.
• Tim Bagley as the minister of the marriage where Drew and Gina meet.
• Jessica Tuck as Dr. Goodson
• Darien Sills-Evans as Benny, a philosophy professor at Fordham; he is a mix of emotions—excited, nervous and angry—about finding himself single again.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	James Burrows	Marco Pennette	November 5, 2020	T11.10137	5.14[6]
Drew, a therapist who recently separated from his wife Julia, discovers that he is in the early stages of renal failure; if he does not get a kidney transplant soon, his condition will become terminal. At a wedding, he runs into Gina, a girl he once knew back in high school, who offers to give him her kidney on the spot. Drew turns her down, but when all of his other attempts to find a donor fail, he reluctantly turns to Gina when he learns her blood type is compatible with his. Gina is given strict instructions to not consume alcohol or drugs for three months before the transplant, but Drew finds her strung out in her apartment and believes she was never serious about helping him. After learning that it would take ten years to get another kidney—time he doesn't have—Drew ambushes Gina at work and successfully begs her to give him a second chance.
2	"Die Alysis"	James Burrows	Teleplay by : Chuck Lorre & Marco Pennette & Greg Malins & Darrin Bragg Story by : Chuck Lorre & Marco Pennette & Heide Perlman	November 12, 2020	T12.16802	4.90[7]
Drew learns from his doctor that his condition has gotten worse, requiring him to undergo weekly dialysis treatments. At the dialysis clinic, he meets fellow patients Eli, Sam, and Jerry. Gina gets in trouble with some loan sharks she borrowed money from, and runs out on Drew when they meet for coffee. He considers dropping her as his donor, but the other dialysis patients convince him that he's very lucky to have found a match. Instead, Drew comes up with a solution: ask Gina to move in with him. She refuses, not wanting to lose her "independence", but when the gangsters trash her apartment, she accepts his offer.
3	"Foreign Bodies"	James Burrows	Teleplay by : Alexa Junge & Preston Walker Story by : Marco Pennette	November 19, 2020	T12.16803	5.20[8]
When Julia visits, Gina tells her that she's Drew's kidney donor, not knowing that Drew hadn't told his ex yet. This forces Drew to also tell Maddie about his condition. Meanwhile, Drew tries to get used to having Gina in the house with all her quirks, including her befriending and bringing home a huge dog. He gradually accepts that Gina is more than just his donor and makes an effort to bond with her. Gina sneaks into Maddie's room and helps her deal with her fear that her father might die.
4	"Joint Pain"	Richie Keen	Teleplay by : Dan O'Shannon & Nicholas Fascitelli Story by : Bob Daily	December 3, 2020	T12.16805	5.29[9]
Bitter over his divorce and tired of feeling like a pushover, Drew gets Gina to provide him with weed to smoke. The experience inspires him to break into Julia's house so he can steal a ceramic owl that represents one of his few happy memories of their marriage. Julia catches him, but finds she is turned on by his assertiveness and they have sex. Despite Drew telling his friends at the clinic that the whole thing was a one-off, he and Julia start meeting secretly to sleep together.
5	"High Risk Factor"	Richie Keen	Teleplay by : Michelle Nader & Marco Pennette Story by : Carol Leifer	December 17, 2020	T12.16804	4.60[10]
Tensions flare when Drew's controlling nature clashes with Gina's desire to live her life; Gina is annoyed that Drew insists on tracking her every move and calling her constantly. Drew defends himself by saying he's only looking out for his donor, but even Maddie tells him he needs to back off. Julia tries to get Gina to stop risking her health, but instead gets persuaded to go skydiving with her, something she never got to do while married to Drew. Drew finally accepts that he can only trust Gina to keep herself safe.
6	"Open Heart Surgery"	Scott Ellis	Teleplay by : Bob Daily & Darrin Bragg Story by : Michelle Nader	January 21, 2021	T12.16806	5.05[11]
Drew is thrilled when he and Gina receive a scheduling notice for her pre-kidney donation psychological evaluation, a critical step on the road to his transplant. But after Gina finds out an ex-boyfriend is getting engaged, she freaks out and Drew in turn panics because this happens right as she's about to do the eval. Things eventually turn out OK, and Gina even inspires Drew to act somewhat less like a grumpy young-old man.
7	"Phantom Limb"[12]	Scott Ellis	Teleplay by : Jim Patterson & Alexa Junge & Heide Perlman Story by : Bob Daily & Michelle Nader & Dan O'Shannon	February 11, 2021	TBA	TBD
8	"Integration Therapy"[13]	Scott Ellis	Teleplay by : Bob Daily & Dan O'Shannon & Carol Leifer Story by : Alexa Junge & Jim Patterson & Heide Perlman	February 18, 2021	TBA	TBD
9	"B Negative"[14]	Scott Ellis	Teleplay by : Carol Leifer & Heide Perlman & Greg Malins Story by : Marco Pennette & Dan O'Shannon & Darrin Bragg	February 25, 2021	TBA	TBD

Production

Development

The series was among the 14 pilots ordered by CBS in February 2020 and was fast tracked to series the following March, as the pilot had already been completed before production at Warner Bros. Television was closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] The pilot was the only pilot completed for the 2020–21 television season for any of the broadcast networks in advance of the upfronts. On May 8, 2020, CBS picked up the series,[1] and CTV followed soon after, picking up the series on June 23, 2020.[16] On October 26, 2020, Jim Patterson joined the series as an executive producer and co-showrunner.[17] The series premiered on November 5, 2020.[3][18] On December 21, 2020, CBS gave the series a five-episode back order, making the total number of episodes ordered to 18.[19]

Casting

On February 19, 2020, it was announced that Annaleigh Ashford had been cast in the pilot.[20] On March 2, 2020, it was announced that Kether Donohue and Sara Rue had joined the cast.[21] The following day, it was announced that Thomas Middleditch had joined the cast in the lead role.[22] Alongside the series picked up announcement, it was reported that Kamryn Kunody was cast in a starring role.[1][23] On August 11, 2020, Maggie Elizabeth Jones joined the cast in a recasting, replacing Kunody.[24] On September 25, 2020, Terrence Terrell was cast as a series regular.[25] On October 12, 2020, Izzy G was cast to replace Jones in a second recasting while Linda Lavin, Briga Heelan, Darryl Stephens, Bernie Kopell, and David Anthony Higgins were cast in recurring roles and Darien Sills-Evans was cast to guest star.[26]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 87% with an average rating of 6.12/10, based on 15 reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "B Positive's familiar sitcom trappings are elevated by its charming cast—especially the weird and winsome comedic stylings of Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford."[27] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of B Positive

No.	Title	Air date	Rating (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	November 5, 2020	0.6	5.14[6]	0.2	1.09	0.8	6.23[29]
2	"Die Alysis"	November 12, 2020	0.5	4.90[7]	0.2	1.13	0.7	6.03[30]
3	"Foreign Bodies"	November 19, 2020	0.6	5.20[8]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
4	"Joint Pain"	December 3, 2020	0.6	5.29[9]	N/A	0.90	N/A	6.20[31]
5	"High Risk Factor"	December 17, 2020	0.5	4.60[10]	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
6	"Open Heart Surgery"	January 21, 2021	0.7	5.05[11]	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

References

1. Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2020). "Dramas 'The Equalizer' With Queen Latifah & 'Clarice', Chuck Lorre Comedy 'B Positive' Picked Up To Series By CBS". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
2. Porter, Rick (March 2, 2020). "Kether Donohue, Sara Rue Join Chuck Lorre Comedy 'B Positive' at CBS". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
3. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (October 13, 2020). "CBS Sets Premiere Dates For 10 Scripted Series Including 'NCIS' Trio, 'Young Sheldon' & 'S.W.A.T'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
4. Garrison, Anna. "The Wild (but True!) Story Behind CBS Show 'B Positive'". distractify.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
5. "B Positive Cast". CBS. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
6. Metcalf, Mitch (November 6, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.5.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
7. Metcalf, Mitch (November 13, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.12.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
8. Metcalf, Mitch (November 20, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
9. Metcalf, Mitch (December 7, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.3.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
10. Metcalf, Mitch (December 18, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.17.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
11. Metcalf, Mitch (January 25, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.21.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
12. "(#BP107) "Phantom Limb"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
13. "(#BP108) "Integration Therapy"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
14. "(#BP109) "B Negative"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
15. "Development Update". The Futon Critic. March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
16. CTV. "CTV Confirms New Round of Fall 2020 Premiere Dates". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
17. Andreeva, Nellie (October 26, 2020). "Jim Patterson Joins New CBS Comedy 'B Positive' As Co-Showrunner, Reuniting With Chuck Lorre". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
18. Hipes, Patrick (May 19, 2020). "CBS New Series: 'B Positive' Trailer, 'The Equalizer' & 'Clarice' Teases". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
19. White, Peter (December 21, 2020). "'B Positive': CBS Hands Chuck Lorre Comedy Five-Episode Back Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
20. Andreeva, Nellie (February 19, 2020). "Annaleigh Ashford To Star In CBS Comedy Pilot 'B Positive' From Chuck Lorre & Marco Pennette". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
21. Petski, Denise (March 2, 2020). "Kether Donohue & Sara Rue Join CBS Comedy Pilot 'B Positive' From Chuck Lorre & Marco Pennette". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
22. Andreeva, Nellie (March 3, 2020). "Thomas Middleditch To Headline CBS Comedy Pilot 'B Positive' From Chuck Lorre & Marco Pennette". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
23. "CBS Unveils 2020-2021 Primetime Lineup; 3 New Series Join 23 Returning Shows". Business Wire. May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
24. Andreeva, Nellie (August 11, 2020). "'B Positive': Maggie Elizabeth Jones Joins New CBS Comedy Series In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
25. Petski, Denise (September 25, 2020). "'B Positive': Terrence Terrell Joins Cast Of New CBS Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
26. Andreeva, Nellie (October 12, 2020). "'B Positive': Izzy G Joins As Series Regular, Briga Heelan & Linda Lavin Among 5 Set To Recur On CBS Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
27. "B Positive: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
28. "B Positive: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
29. Thorne, Will (November 17, 2020). "Live+7 Ratings for Week of Nov. 2: 'The Good Doctor' Premiere Adds 4.5 Million Viewers". Variety. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
30. Thorne, Will (November 24, 2020). "Live+7 Ratings for Week of Nov. 9: 'This Is Us' and 'Grey's Anatomy' Tussle at the Top". Variety. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
31. Pucci, Douglas (December 19, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: Four ABC Dramas Lead in Raw Adults 18-49 Boosts". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020.

External links

• B Positive at IMDb