“Nurse Jackie” was a “Showtime” series that was about an ER nurse battling drug addiction. Throughout the seven-season series from 2009-2015, the show depicted a well-educated woman with an important career that she was very good at, family and friends to love and be loved by, and her attempts at trying to handle the pressures of life while fighting the disease of drug addiction.

Nurse Jackie Peyton, Long Island native Edie Falco, was a likeable character enabling viewers to root for her recovery and feel compassion for her illness and losses. The series was designed to be a medical comedy-drama series that would raise awareness of the devastating effects of addiction, for the affected person and their loved ones. Edie Falco made sure that she was so likeable for this part that she went on to be nominated for many awards such as Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress. The show itself even got many awards such as Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and AFI TV Programs of the Year.

“Nurse Jackie” the kind of show that you could never stop watching and has the possibility to have a lasting effect on its viewers. In the writer’s attempt to use the series to raise awareness, there is an obvious underlying theme that we can all choose our own path in life. The series could also teach its viewers that it is important to look for other ways to cope with life’s pressures.This works with the actor Edie Falco because she is an amazing actor. Edie is actually known for “Nurse Jackie” and other show such as “The Sopranos”, “Freedomland”, and “Cop Land”.

The finale was deliberately left as a cliffhanger to leave viewers with their own interpretation of Nurse Jackie, addiction, and those affected by loved ones with any type of addictive disease. If you have the opportunity to watch the series, you should because it has a mix of every emotion from humor to sadness to compassion and will leave you in a thought provoking state with each episode, while also entertaining you.

By the second episode in season one I was hooked, and I binge watched the series. It’s that good! Even though Nurse Jackie’s addiction starts because of a medical issue, its effects on her life and the people in her life are heartbreaking. She hurts many people that she loves throughout her journey of addictive disease, including herself. Watching her struggle causes you to feel empathy for her though, not disdain. The series definitely highlights how quickly our fate can unravel. The series is a good reminder of the risks we take with the choices we make each day. I highly recommend this series and I know this series will have long-lasting effects on its viewers.