Netflix’s Pulse Faces Flatline From Start

Pulse: A Failed Medical Drama

Netflix’s Pulse attempts to blend high-stakes medical emergencies with personal drama but falls short. Despite an intriguing premise, the show feels hollow, prioritizing shock value over substance.

The hospital setting becomes a backdrop for messy relationships rather than gripping storytelling. Critics and audiences agree, Pulse lacks depth, scoring just 47% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Compared to Grey’s Anatomy, it fails to balance emotional weight with medical realism. The result? A forgettable series that struggles to justify its existence.

Danny Simms: A Wasted Lead

Dr. Danielle “Danny” Simms is Pulse’s central character, but her arc is frustratingly inconsistent. Promoted unrealistically fast, her sexual harassment accusation against boyfriend Xander lacks nuance.

The storyline could’ve explored power dynamics, but instead feels rushed and superficial. Danny’s erratic decisions make it hard to root for her, reducing her to a plot device.

The show misses a chance to craft a compelling, layered protagonist, leaving her development shallow and unconvincing.

Xander Phillips: Ignored Power Dynamics

Xander, Danny’s mentor-turned-lover, never acknowledges the imbalance in their relationship. His wealthy family’s influence adds unexamined privilege, yet the show glosses over these complexities.

Instead of delving into ethical dilemmas, Pulse reduces their dynamic to cheap drama. Xander’s obliviousness feels unrealistic, undermining the potential for meaningful conflict.

The character’s wasted potential mirrors the show’s broader failure to tackle tough themes.

Predictable Medical Emergencies Galore

Pulse leans heavily on overused medical tropes, mass casualty incidents, ethical breaches, and last-minute saves, without subverting expectations. Unlike ER or The Good Doctor, cases lack technical detail or emotional resonance.

The hurricane arc mirrors Grey’s Anatomy’s ferry disaster (a mass-casualty event with triage challenges), but Pulse uses it as a backdrop for Danny and Xander’s drama rather than exploring systemic failures.

The Historical Novel Society’s review of The Surgeon’s Daughter highlights how medical procedurals can balance historical grit with emotional stakes, something Pulse lacks

Disabled Doctor Storyline Wasted

The inclusion of a disabled ER doctor (played by a non-disabled actor) could’ve been groundbreaking, but Pulse reduces her to tokenism. Her struggles, navigating inaccessible equipment or colleagues’ pity, are mentioned in passing, never explored.

Harper’s wheelchair is rarely acknowledged beyond tokenism. Unlike New Amsterdam’s Dr. Reynolds, her disability isn’t tied to hospital accessibility or patient biases

A deeper dive into ableism (e.g., triage biases, patient prejudices) might’ve redeemed the show’s hollow diversity efforts. Instead, her arc is sacrificed for Xander and Danny’s tedious affair.

Forced Drama, Zero Stakes

Pulse confuses volume for tension: every episode crams in infidelity, lawsuits, and disasters, yet none land emotionally. Danny’s harassment claim vanishes without fallout; the hurricane’s casualties are forgotten by the next scene.

Shows like The Pitt use crises to reveal character; here, they’re just noise. The lack of consequences (e.g., Xander faces no repercussions for his relationship with Danny) undermines any urgency.

Even deaths feel cheap, serving as disposable shock twists rather than moments of reflection. The result is a series that screams for attention but offers nothing to remember.

Mixed Reviews: Critics vs. Fans

Rotten Tomatoes’ rare critic-audience alignment (47% vs. 46%) underscores Pulse’s failures. Critics note its “tonal whiplash” (IndieWire), while fans call it “Grey’s Anatomy for the TikTok generation” (Reddit).

The comparison to Grey’s is damning, Shonda Rhimes’ series, despite its soapiness, balances medicine and emotion. Pulse’s attempts at grit (e.g., Danny’s trauma) feel unearned.

Netflix’s algorithm tagged Pulse as both ‘gritty medical drama’ and ‘steamy romance,’ leading to mismatched audience expectations.

Behind the Scenes: Creators

Carlton Cuse’s (Lost) involvement suggested depth, but Pulse lacks his signature layered storytelling. Co-creator Zoe Robyn (Bad Robots) aimed for “gray morality,” yet the characters are merely inconsistent.

The writers’ room prioritized tabloid-style twists over coherence, and Danny’s harassment plot was reportedly added late in production to “spice up” her arc. The lack of medical consultants shows: surgeries resemble General Hospital more than House.

For a team with prestige pedigrees, Pulse feels shockingly amateurish.

Hurricane Chaos: Cheap Tension

The hurricane arc, a blatant Grey’s callback, exposes Pulse’s reliance on spectacle over substance. Power outages and flooded ERS should raise stakes, but the show cuts away to Danny/Xander’s bedroom drama. 

The Pitt’s similar disaster arc worked because it tested doctors’ ethics; here, it’s just a backdrop for slo-mo hero shots. The storm’s logistics (e.g., supply shortages, triage dilemmas) are ignored.

Even the cinematography fails to convey urgency, relying on shaky cam close-ups instead of immersive chaos.

Pulse vs. The Pitt

HBO’s The Pitt (2025) makes Pulse look like fanfiction. Both tackle ER chaos, but the Pitt’s doctors grapple with burnout, flawed systems, and moral compromises. 

Pulse’s staff, in contrast, fixate on love triangles. Critics praised The Pitt’s documentary-like realism (e.g., actual PPE protocols), while Pulse’s doctors wear stilettos to surgery.

The timing hurt Netflix; viewers, fresh off The Pitt’s realism, had no patience for Pulse’s glossy absurdities.

Social Media Backlash Grows

Twitter skewered Pulse: “Danny’s ‘trauma’ lasts as long as a Snapchat story” (@TVHotTakes). Memes mocked Xander’s “I’m a victim too!” meltdown. Even Netflix’s own hashtag (#PulseNetflix) was hijacked by Grey’s fans posting side-by-side comparisons.

Reddit threads dissect plot holes (e.g., How is Danny the chief resident at 27?). The backlash reflects a broader fatigue with Netflix’s “style over substance” trend.

Netflix’s First Medical Procedural

As Netflix’s maiden medical drama, Pulse had to prove the streamer could compete with network staples. Instead, it highlighted their weaknesses: no writers’ room experience in the genre, rushed production timelines, and a “more is more” approach to plot.

Unlike House or Scrubs, which balanced episodic cases with serialized arcs, Pulse’s cases feel like afterthoughts. Even the soundtrack (generic pop covers) lacks the iconic needle drops of Grey’s.

Will There Be Season 2?

Renewal odds are near-zero. Netflix’s renewal calculus weighs cost (high for medical shows) against engagement (Pulse didn’t crack the Top 10 in key markets). Compared to The Night Agent, another Cuse project, which scored an S2 within weeks. 

Co-creator Zoe Robyn confirmed post-Pulse* work on a spy thriller. Carlton Cuse returned to Jack Ryan Lead actors (e.g., Kylie Bunbury) rarely promoted Pulse post-launch, unlike their active hype for past projects.

Characters: Potential vs. Reality

Episode 1 hints at Danny’s ‘dark past’ (e.g., pill abuse, family strife), but it’s abandoned by mid-season, undermining her erratic behavior. Xander’s privilege is mocked, not examined. Even supporting players, like Jessie T. Usher’s underused paramedic, are reduced to clichés (the “noble Black best friend”).

The actors try (Fitzgerald’s intensity almost sells Danny’s rage), but the scripts give them nothing. Contrast this with The Pitt’s ensemble, where even minor nurses have arcs.

What Pulse Could’ve Been

A tighter focus, say, on Danny’s harassment case as a season-long arc, might’ve saved Pulse. (For more on the show’s missteps, check out everything to know about Netflix’s Pulse.) Imagine exploring hospital corruption (à la The Resident) or the disabled doctor’s fight for accommodations.

Even the hurricane could’ve been Station 19-style crossover gold. Instead, the show chased trends (see: those cringeworthy TikTok-style montages) without understanding what makes medical dramas endure.

Final Diagnosis: Skip It

Pulse is a case study in squandered potential. For procedural thrills, try Chicago Med; for soapy fun, Grey’s early seasons. Even Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal handles power dynamics better. (Meanwhile, HBO’s The Pitt set the bar high. Will it return for Season 2?

Let us know what you’re hoping for! Unless you’re hate-watching, this one flatlines fast.

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