Welcome to HawthoRNe

Jada Pinkett Smith is the latest actress to join the roster of TNT’s female-driven programming, starring in the series HawthoRNe set to debut on Tuesday, June 16 at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Christina Hawthorne (Pinkett Smith) is the Chief Nursing Officer at Richmond Trinity Hospital in Richmond, VA. She is compassionate and headstrong. She is described as “the kind of nurse you want on your side when you or someone you love is in the hospital.”

Christina juggles her professional career with her personal life as a recently widowed mother of a willful teenager, Camille, played by Hannah Hodson (TNT’s The Ron Clark Story). She “challenges hospital administrators, heartless doctors, apathetic colleagues and a system that sometimes forgets it’s there to serve the sick.”

Rounding out the cast is Michael Vartan (Alias) as Dr. Tom Wakefield, the oncologist who treated her husband and is the Director of Medicine at the hospital; Suleka Matthews (Men In Trees) as Bobbie Jackson, one of Christina’s best friends and fellow nurse; David Julian Hirsh (Lovebites) as Ray Stein, a nurse struggling with being accepted in a female-oriented profession; and Christina Moore (90210) as Candy Sullivan, a nurse with a unique sense of duty. Special guest star Joanna Cassidy portrays Amanda, Christina’s mother-in-law, who happens to be a member of the hospital board.

NGTV was recently informed that actress Jillian Armenante (Judging Amy) – who is featured in our “They Deserve Their Own Show” article – will have a recurring role in HawthoRNe and James Morrison (24) will also have a recurring role in the series.

It is too soon to tell if HawthoRNe will succeed like ER or Chicago Hope but the production comes from Sony Pictures Television in association with Pinkett Smith’s 100% Woman Productions, John Masius Productions and Jamie Tarses’ FanFare Productions. The show was created by Emmy winner John Masius (St. Elsewhere, Providence, Dead Like Me), who also wrote the pilot and the series. Mikael Salomon directed executive-produced the pilot.

Special guest stars to look out for include Cloris Leachman and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

Here is a two-minute clip courtesy of TNT via YouTube of HawthoRNe: