HBO’s Getting On debuts in Asia tonight

MANILA, Philippines - From the creators of Big Love, Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer comes a brand-new half-hour HBO Original comedy series Getting On, that takes an offbeat look at the dysfunctional staff of a beleaguered hospital. Premiering tonight at 10 on HBO Signature/HBO Signature HD — within a week of its US debut and based on the BBC series of the same name, the six-episode season follows the daily lives of overworked nurses and doctors as they struggle with the darkly comic realities of tending compassionately to their aging charges in a rundown, red-tape-filled hospital extended-care wing, blending outrageous humor with unexpected moments of tenderness.

At the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital in Long Beach, California, the staff attends to the needs of female patients who are often “getting on” in years, while dealing with the challenges of a health-care bureaucracy in need of an overhaul. Even as they attempt to serve their charges under less-than-ideal circumstances, the lives of this ragtag crew are complicated by conflicting agendas, both professional and personal.

Cast regulars on Getting On include Laurie Metcalf (three Emmys for Roseanne) as Dr. Jenna James, who once hoped to become a medical-research star, but has instead been sentenced to purgatory at the facility; Alex Borstein (Family Guy) as Nurse Dawn, whose personal shortcomings and obsession with finding a boyfriend undermine her need to excel in her job; Niecy Nash (Reno 911!) as Nurse DiDi, whose easy rapport with patients should be an example to her superiors, but isn’t; and Mel Rodriguez (Community) as Patsy De La Serda, a reform-minded supervising nurse of ambiguous sexuality. Guest stars are Molly Shannon, Daniel Stern, Harry Dean Stanton, June Squibb and Irma P. Hall.

Getting On is executive produced by Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer, Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, and Geoff Atkinson, Jo Brand, Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine; co-executive producers Lisa Bellomo and Courtney Conte; and producer Chrisann Verges.