Before ‘Tracker,’ Justin Hartley Made Us Swoon in This Medical Drama

The big picture

• Justin Hartley tried medical dramas with
  Emily Owens, MD
  after
  Smallville
  .
• In
  Emily Owens, MD
  navigated a love triangle with Mamie Gummer and Aja Naomi King.
• After the end of the show, Hartley moved on to
  revenge
  ,
  it's us
  i
  follower
  ruling out medical dramas.

Justin Hartley is the latest Hollywood star to venture into the world of TV crime drama, taking the lead role in the CBS series, followera show about a man who helps solve crimes and locate missing people. The Illinois native is no stranger to television, having spent much of his career working on a variety of episodic projects and getting his big break on the Emmy winner. NBC family drama, it's us.

Unbeknownst to many, Hartley tried his hand at medical dramas; just a few years earlier it's usthe actor got a role The CW series, Emily Owens, MD There, he played an intern who was also the love interest of the series' eponymous character, played by Mamie Gummer. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after only one season, but since then, Hartley has never tried to play a doctor again; however, his appearance makes the series much more attractive to watch.

Justin Hartley landed his role as 'Emily Owens, MD' after appearing on 'Smallville'

Hartley first made his screen debut in the early 2000s after playing the role of Fox Crane on the NBC soap opera. passions. In the following years, he also took on several guest roles on various television shows, including The CW's teen superhero drama, Smallvillewhere Hartley was cast to portray the DC Comics character Oliver Queen, also known as the green arrow. His performance drew high praise from fans, so much so that they were hoping Hartley would reprise the character on The CW's Arrow. However, the network decided against it and cast Stephen Amell instead.

Despite this, Hartley also decided to stick around The CW for a while, auditioning for the network's medical drama, Emily Owens, MD For Hartley, the appeal of Emily Owens, MD. it was quite simple: he was looking for a series that combined comedy and drama, as he likes both genres. So when Emily Owens, MD creator, Jennie Snyder Urmanand her team auditioned for the show, Hartley knew she had to try her luck.

After attending several rounds of auditions, his hard work finally paid off as Hartley was cast as the show's male lead while still using the title, first cut. Just before production began, the actor also made sure to do as much research as possible for the role. During an interview with Task Xhe even talked about interviewing his own doctors just to make sure he would nail his portrayal on screen.

In “Emily Owens, MD,” Justin Hartley is caught in a love triangle

At the time Emily Owens, MD aired, ABC's Grey's Anatomy It had already been running for several seasons and was going strong, which made Urman want to create something similar. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she explained how Emily Owens MD it had to be a show “where Ally McBeal they meet Grey's Anatomy they meet Scrubs.” In Emily Owens, MD, Mamie Gummer he plays the titular character, a new medical intern who soon realizes that the big hospital functions like the high school. Orthopedic surgeons are the jocks, and women who work in plastic surgery are the mean girls. Meanwhile, interns like Emily are freshmen still figuring out where they belong.

Just like high school, there are a lot of crushes in the hospital. In the show's pilot, Emily makes it clear that she has had feelings for Dr. Hartley's Will Collins since they met in medical school, but unfortunately, she's not the only doctor who has her eye on Will. Cassandra (Aja Naomi King), Emily's high school intern and tormentor, is also in Will, and to make matters worse, the two have serious chemistry and eventually get together. As for Emily, the show's writers also made her life a bit more complicated by giving her another love interest in the form of Dr. Micah Barnes (Michael Rady), a senior doctor at the hospital.

Despite this, Emily and Will grow closer throughout the 13 episodes of the show; even though their relationship is platonic, it doesn't take much to figure that out something happens between the two. At the same time, Will and Cassandra are still a staple of the show, which finally makes Emily realize it's time to move on. For Emily, moving on means admitting that she also has feelings for Micah. Interestingly, Will and Cassandra decide to break up in the end, with Will finally admitting to himself that he wants to be with Emily. In the final moments of the series, Will makes his move, unexpectedly showing up outside Emily's door, and after months of teasing the two characters, they finally reunite. Unfortunately, no one knows what will happen next between the two, as The CW decided to cancel the show just a month later. Emily Owens MD released The medical drama struggled with ratings early on, leading to its early demise.

Since “Emily Owens, MD,” Justin Hartley has moved on from medical dramas

Once Emily Owens, MD. ended his career, Hartley moved on from medical drama pretty quickly. For starters, the actor starred in ABC's mystery drama, revengewhere he played Patrick Osbourne, Victoria Grayson's (Madeleine Stowe) prodigal son. Not long after, Hartley returned to his soap opera roots, playing both Adam Newman and Gabriel Bingham in The young and the restless; while working on this project, Hartley joined the cast of it's us.

it's us would finally end his successful career in 2022, and two years later, Hartley switched gears to star follower. The project is unlike anything he's done before, but that's never been a problem for Hartley in his career. On screen, her commitment to her character is on full display, and she has been praised for it by viewers and critics alike. Unlike his previous episodic projects, Hartley also serves as an executive producer follower, which makes it a bit more difficult for him to work on other TV projects. That said, though, it's not too late to rule out another medical drama for Hartley in the future. Who knows, you might just find yourself rubbing it in one more time for good measure.