B Positive
B Positive is an American television sitcom created by Marco Pennette, who is also the show's executive producer along with Chuck Lorre for Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series aired on CBS from November 5, 2020, to March 10, 2022.
In May 2021, the series was renewed for a second and final season, which premiered on October 14, 2021. In May 2022, the series was canceled after two seasons.
Premise
The series initially follows Drew, a therapist and newly divorced father with B-positive blood who needs a kidney donor. When he is unable to find a donor within his family, a woman from his past named Gina offers him one of her kidneys.Following Drew's successful transplant surgery, the Season 2 focus shifts to Gina, who inherits a large sum of money and buys the retirement home where she works, while Drew reassesses his life goals and sets out to rediscover himself.
The sitcom is inspired by the true story of series creator Marco Pennette, who received a kidney transplant in 2013.
Cast
Main
- Thomas Middleditch as Drew Dunbar, a divorced father and therapist in need of a kidney transplant and a social life
- Annaleigh Ashford as Gina Dabrowski, a former acquaintance of Drew's from high school who becomes his kidney donor, as her blood is an incredibly rare match for his. Gina initially works as a van driver for the Valley Hills assisted living facility. In season 2, she receives a surprise inheritance from one of the elderly residents, and decides to buy the retirement home.
- Kether Donohue as Gabby, Gina's best friend, a party girl who works with her in the Valley Hills assisted living facility
- Sara Rue as Julia Dunbar, Drew's ex-wife, a realtor who aspires to climb the social ladder; her frustrations with trying to get Drew to embrace her interests more led to her having an affair that resulted in their split
- Izzy G as Madeline "Maddie" Dunbar, Drew and Julia's teenage daughter
- Terrence Terrell as Eli Russell, a retired football player with an upbeat personality whom Drew meets during dialysis treatment; he has a brief romantic relationship with Gina
- David Anthony Higgins as Jerry Platt, a divorced dentist who has been in dialysis for over a year. He always sees the glass half-empty, convinced he'll never find a donor; when he does, his body ends up rejecting the donated kidney. In season 2, he falls due to a heart-related incident, and moves into Valley Hills to recover.
- Darryl Stephens as Gideon, an empathetic gay nurse who works at the dialysis center. He cares deeply about the people to whom he gives treatment, often getting involved in their personal lives. There is a recurring theme of Gideon referring to himself in the third-person. In season 2, he becomes head nurse at Valley Hills.
- Linda Lavin as Norma Goldman, one of the senior citizens at Valley Hills assisted living facility. She has a maternal, nurturing relationship with Gina, but she can be fairly randy, irresponsible, and demanding. Part of her close bond with Gina stems from the sad fact that Norma and her daughter are estranged from each other.
Recurring
- Briga Heelan as Samantha Turner, an uptight, intense millennial in Drew's dialysis group who does not suffer fools. She is angry about her illness and often takes it out on those around her, but she is ultimately a good-hearted person. She is trying not to let dialysis get in the way of her climbing the corporate ladder. She tells her colleagues that her mother has cancer in order to have an excuse to leave work for dialysis appointments, revealing that if her workmates knew about her kidney failure, it would kill her career "faster than being pregnant."
- Bernie Kopell as Mr. Knudsen, one of the senior citizens at the Valley Hills assisted living facility. He dies off-screen in the season 2 premiere, leaving millions of dollars for Gina in his will.
- Jason Kravits as Dr. Baskin, Drew's nephrologist
- Adam Chambers as Paul, one of Gina's friends
- Rosa Salazar and Michelle Ortiz as Adriana, Drew's ex-girlfriend who has cancer; she leaves him when she learns of his feelings for Gina
- Anna Maria Horsford as Althea Ludlum, the sarcastic and grumpy administrator of Valley Hills
- Héctor Elizondo as Harry Milton, a resident at Valley Hills, who spends all of his time and energy trying to keep his terminally-ill wife, Meredith, comfortable. After Meredith's death, he decides to travel down the road with Drew in the camper van.
- Jane Seymour as Bette, an aging beauty who is incapable of coming to terms with her senior status
- Ben Vereen as Peter Morgan, a brilliant, retired professor who is facing his rapidly fading memory
- Jim Beaver as Spencer Williams, former NYPD transit cop who was a 9/11 first responder. Politically and socially, he finds it difficult to behave appropriately; he is attracted to Bette but usually just grosses her out with sexist comments.
- D.B. Sweeney as Bert, a laughably incompetent cook at Valley Hills
- Priscilla Lopez as Meredith Milton, a resident at Valley Hills who was dealing with her terminal illness as best as she could while trying to help her husband, Harry, move on. She succumbs to her cancer after a romantic Parisian-themed date with Harry.
- Rondi Reed as Irene, Norma's rude sister, who moves to Valley Hills
Guest starring
- Tim Bagley as Minister
- Jessica Tuck as Dr. Goodson
- Jessica Lundy as Charlene, Gina's stepmother
- Melissa Tang as Megyn, a patient who occupies Samantha's chair while she is out of town
- Merrick McCartha as Guy
- Ernie Grunwald as Mr. Kafkaman
- George Wyner as Bill, Gina's inheritance attorney
- Johnathan McClain as Mark, a magician that Gina hires to entertain the residents
- Katie Finneran as Natalie, Gina's older sister
- Christopher Darga as Roy
- Anthony Montgomery as Kyle, Peter's son
- Ryan Cartwright as Asher, the regional director of Golden Horizons, the rival retirement home of Valley Hills
Episodes