Doctors make like heroes

If you like doctors who swoop down in military helicopters and save the world, you'll like "Medical Investigation."

If you find the concept of doctors who swoop down in military helicopters and save the world sort of, well, unlikely, you've pinpointed the problem with this new NBC series, which premieres tonight at 9 on Ch. 5.

Neal McDonough (formerly in "Boomtown") stars as Dr. Stephen Connor, the leader of a team of doctors from the National Institutes of Health who do the swooping and the saving. He's the ultimate committed professional whose personal life has taken a back seat to his job.

The team includes Dr. Natalie Durant (Kelli Williams of "The Practice"), a brilliant pathologist/epidemiologist; Frank Powell (Troy Winbush) as an "intense" medical investigator; Dr. Miles McCabe (Christopher Gorham of "Jake 2.0"), the boyish new guy; and Eva Rossi (Anna Belknap of "The Handler"), the press liaison.

In tonight's episode, a bunch of people are turning blue and dying, so the team helicopters into action to search for an answer. And, along the way, McCabe gets involved in a separate case of an infant who may or may not have been abused by its parents.

Think "ER" crossed with "CSI" crossed with "S.W.A.T."

There's a lot to like about "Medical Investigation" — good characters, a fairly involving story and a few surprises.

But there are too many TV conventions, including Connors' utterly predictable personal life, the ramped-up drama and the local medical authorities who resent the arrival of those guys from NIH.

And the story line involving the press agent is so utterly stupid it drags down the rest of the show.

If you can suspend disbelief long enough to believe such a team exists — and it doesn't — "Medical Investigation" is a mildly entertaining diversion. Whether it will keep you coming back week after week is an entirely different question.

"Medical Investigation" moves to its regular time slot on Friday at 9 p.m.

THE APPRENTICE returns tonight (7:30 p.m., Ch. 5) bigger and better than ever — or at least Donald Trump and producer Mark Burnett think so.

"I'll make a statement," Trump said. "I think the No. 2 season of 'The Apprentice' is even better than the No. 1 season of 'The Apprentice.' It's unbelievable."

Judging by tonight's 90-minute premiere, that's probably a bit hyperbolic. But, while Season 2 may not be as fresh as Season 1, it does hit the ground running now that we know how this game works.