"By request, Mandy Patinkin to return to 'Chicago Hope' " Philadelphia Inquirer, May 10, 1999 When David Kelley asks, Mandy Patinkin delivers. Patinkin was in Toronto shooting a flick for Showtime (Strange Justice, based on the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas fiasco) six weeks ago when Kelley called and pitched his return to CBS's Chicago Hope. "David said he was coming back, too, and would make the show as good as it used to be," says Patinkin, 46, who played manic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Geiger for the first 11/2 seasons. "He said it was important to him that I be there and that my character have a big connection to the piece. He said we'd work out the schedule. I couldn't say no." Geiger will pop up on Hope's fifth-season finale May 19. (Next season, he'll appear as often as his concert schedule permits.) As usual, he'll hit the joint as subtly as a heart attack. In a sudden management change, Geiger becomes head honcho and immediately fires half the doctors - Austin (Christine Lahti); Kronk (Peter Berg); Hancock (Vondie Curtis-Hall); Catera (Stacy Edwards); and Yeats (Eric Stolz.) Dr. Grad (Jayne Brook) quits in protest. Geiger "simply walks in and says, 'X, Y and Z have lost too many patients. It's unacceptable. There are no second chances,' " Patinkin says. "This is a man who will do anything to fight for the quality of life." The mass firing is a convenient story line - the actors are leaving the show anyway. Plus, Geiger's appearance won't be a total surprise. He's popped up sporadically over the years, always unexpectedly. The finale script "is a killer," says Patinkin, in the midst of a concert tour. "To say David stepped up to the plate like Mark McGwire is an understatement." Patinkin left Hope midway through the second season, saying he wanted more time with his New York-based family. His last Hope guest shot was a cameo in the 100th episode, Oct. 28. With Hope on the bubble to make CBS's fall lineup - the freshman L.A. Docs has already been picked up - Kelley has promised to re-commit. He's been pretty much Hope-less since launching Fox's Ally McBeal and ABC's The Practice. Kelley's commitment was enough to convince Patinkin. "I told him, 'As long as you're writing the words, I want to say them.' David's going to oversee everything. He promised me he'd have a much heavier hand in it." These days, Patinkin says, the most important thing in his life is his 15-city concert tour, the partial proceeds of which he's donating to Doctors Without Borders (for Kosovo) and a gun-control organization (for Littleton, Colo.) In January, the two-time Tony winner will star in a new Broadway musical. As for TV, well, Patinkin barely turns it on. Not even for his own shows. "All I watch is CNN on my stationary bike."

Navigation Menu