“People die. It’s a side effect of being alive” – Dr. Noah Knelman

Before House, before Doc Martin, a Canadian took the gold medal for TV’s least lovable doctor.

As portrayed on the drama series Side Effects by the ever-reliable Albert Schultz (Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story), Dr. Noah Knelman was a cynical, smug, self-serving – and thoroughly compelling – character (even if you’d never want him as your physician in real life).

The recipient of six Gemini Award nominations during its original run on CBC (1994-96), Side Effects joins the VisionTV weekday drama lineup on Wednesdays, starting March 26, at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. PT.

Blending intimate drama with pointed commentary on timely social and ethical issues, Side Effects takes viewers inside a small Toronto community clinic where the staff struggle to give their patients the best treatment possible in an age of public health care cutbacks.

In addition to the impeccable Schultz (better known these days as Artistic Director and founding member of Toronto’s renowned Soulpepper Theatre Company), the cast includes Nadia Capone as the Kingsview Family Clinic’s pragmatic chief physician; Joseph Ziegler as a crusading former ER doctor; Barbara Eve Harris (Prison Break) as Kingsview’s level-headed administrator; and Anna Pappas as a fledgling resident.

The series regulars also include Jovanni Sy, Elizabeth Shepherd, Janne Mortil, Lawrence Dane and Jennifer Dale.

The list of guest stars is a who’s who of the Canadian acting community, featuring notables such as Arsinée Khanjian (Ararat), Tom McCamus (Shake Hands with the Devil), Bruno Gerussi (The Beachcombers), Jayne Eastwood (Billable Hours), Melissa DiMarco (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Djanet Sears (How She Move), Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica) and stage great Tom Kneebone.

Filmmaker Clément Virgo (Poor Boy’s Game, The Wire) earned a Gemini nomination for his work on the series.

For more information on VisionTV’s comedy and drama programming, please visit www.visiontv.ca.