Brilliant Minds

Brilliant Minds is an American medical drama television series created and written by Michael Grassi for NBC that is inspired by the Oliver Sacks books The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars. It premiered on September 23, 2024.
In May 2025, the series was renewed for a second season. This premiered on September 22, 2025 with a mid-season break at the end of episode ten. NBC later announced that season 2 was scheduled to return with more episodes on January 5, 2026.

Premise

Primarily set in New York City, Dr. Oliver Wolf reluctantly takes a job leading a team of interns to treat very complex neurological and psychological patients at Bronx General Hospital. Although Wolf may be a brilliant and caring physician, he suffers from prosopagnosia, and sometimes may apply unconventional and unpredictable methods in order to fully connect with the patients he encounters on a daily basis. Despite this critical setback, Wolf remains committed to ensuring his patients get the appropriate and effective care they need while finding meaning in their unique conditions they're suffering from.

Cast and characters

Main

Zachary Quinto as Oliver Wolf, an attending physician in neurology at Bronx General Hospital. Wolf has prosopagnosia and manages his condition while working with patients.
*Ted Sutherland as teenaged Oliver Wolf
*Jaden Waldman as young Oliver Wolf
Tamberla Perry as Carol Pierce, the chair of psychiatry who is Wolf's best friend
Ashleigh LaThrop as Ericka Kinney, a first-year resident in neurology
Alex MacNicoll as Van Markus, a first-year resident in neurology
Aury Krebs as Dana Dang, a first-year resident in neurology
Spence Moore II as Jacob Nash, a first-year resident in neurology
Teddy Sears as Josh Nichols, the chair of neurosurgery who becomes Wolf's boyfriend
Brian Altemus as Charlie Porter, a new second-year resident in neurology
John Clarence Stewart as Anthony Thorne, an attending physician in the emergency department
Al Calderon as Nurse Scotty Silva
Recurring
Donna Murphy as Muriel Landon, Wolf's mother, the chief medical officer at Bronx General Hospital.
Alex Ozerov-Meyer as John Doe
Mishel Prada as Katie Rodriguez
Rainbow Sun Francks as Morris Allen
Julia Chan as Alison Whitaker
Dorrett White as Nurse Carter
Mandy Patinkin as Noah Wolf, a family medicine physician who develops a mentor relationship with his son Oliver.
* Gray Powell plays a younger Noah in flashbacks.
Bellamy Young as Amelia Frederick, a clinical director of Hudson Oaks Behavioral Health Services Facility
Sarah Steele as Sofia
Stacey Farber as Michelle, care worker and Van Markus's former wife
Guest
André De Shields as Harold
Steve Howey as Wyatt James
Alexander Pennecke as Ezra Smith
Sammi Hanratty as Bridget
Brendan Hines as Simon
Susan Bay Nimoy as June Sullivan
Laura Vandervoort as Cynthia Grudko
Porsha Williams as Bitsy
Molly Bernard as Lauren Brooks
Connor Tomlinson as Tom
Jane Krakowski as Arianna Burnett, a wealthy donor of the hospital claiming her family is using a conservatorship to abuse her
Eric Dane as Matthew Ramati, a firefighter battling ALS
Casimere Jollette as Juliette, a ballerina who suffers a medical issue while rehearsing for The Nutcracker
Brennan Clost as Mikhal, a ballet dancer who is rehearsing a pas de deux with Juliette for The Nutcracker
Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2024–25)

Season 2 (2025–26)

Production

Development

In November 2019, it was announced that the series was in development at Fox, with the network landing the project with a script deal plus penalty. However, Fox did not go forward with the project. On January 24, 2023, the show's development was moved to NBC; it was given a series order on October 20, 2023. The series is created by Michael Grassi, and he is also expected to executive produce alongside Lee Toland Krieger, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, Henrik Bastin, Melissa Aouate, Andy Serkis, Jonathan Cavendish, Will Tennant, and DeMane Davis. Production companies involved with the series are Grassi Productions, Berlanti Productions, Fabel Entertainment, The Imaginarium, Universal Television, and Warner Bros. Television.
Brilliant Minds was moved to the 2024–25 season due to strike-related production delays. On May 1, 2024, the name change from Dr. Wolf to Brilliant Minds was announced. The show was given a 13 episode, season 1 order. On May 12, 2025, NBC renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

On February 23, 2023, Zachary Quinto was cast to star. In April 2023, Teddy Sears, Tamberla Perry, Alex MacNicoll, Spence Moore II, Aury Krebs, and Ashleigh LaThrop joined the main cast. On November 28, 2023, Donna Murphy was cast in a recurring capacity. In July 2025, Brian Altemus, John Clarence Stewart, and Al Calderon joined the cast as new series regulars for season 2, while Bellamy Young was cast in a recurring capacity. On December 1, 2025, Sarah Steele joined the cast in a recurring roles for the second season.

Filming

for the series began on April 8, 2024, and concluded on August 23, 2024, in Toronto, Canada. Filming for the second season began on July 2, 2025 and is scheduled to conclude on March 31, 2026.

Broadcast

Brilliant Minds premiered on September 23, 2024, on NBC. The second season premiered on September 22, 2025. In Canada, the series airs on Citytv and is available to stream on Citytv+.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating based on 17 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Benefitting from a characteristically sharp performance by Zachary Quinto, Brilliant Minds is a medical procedural with brains but also a surprising amount of heart." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
In November 2025, guest star Eric Dane received praise for his performance as a firefighter battling ALS in the second season episode "The Fire Fighter", his first role since announcing his own ALS diagnosis in April 2025.