'NY Med' brings medical procedures you probably don't want to witness

Before I get any further, I should tell you that this new series is not supposed to be a comedy. It appears to be dead serious in arguing that severe mental illness is useful in detective work. You can tell by the fact that a piano earnestly tinkles every time Daniel makes a cockeyed pronouncement about his condition. Would his theories pass muster with the American Psychological Association? I doubt it, particularly his notion that curing mental patients “robs them of an essential part of who they are.”

I recommend that you consult with a licensed physician before putting any of Perception’s ideas to use in crime-fighting.

NY Med (9pm Tues, ABC)

This documentary series, set in New York-Presbyterian Hospital, promises to show us places “off limits to cameras until now.” Turns out there was a very good reason that cameras have never been in these places: Most TV viewers don’t want to watch other people’s gross, depressing medical procedures. The dialogue you hear in NY Med (sample: “They found a large mass in my head”) will not brighten up your summer vacation.

One man can’t bear to contemplate the treatment he’s about to receive for a genital problem. “You don’t have to watch this,” the doctor assures him.

If the patient himself doesn’t have to watch, why do we?