The title of this CBS medical drama referred to the average weight of the human brain. Clearly inspired by the success of Fox's House, 3 lbs, like the Fox series, was built around the exploits of a brilliant but arrogant and witheringly sarcastic medico, in this case waspish neurosurgeon Doug Hanson (Stanley Tucci), who headed his own foundation. Wasting no time suffering fools (or at least, people whom he regarded as fools) and periodically plagued by mysterious visions which suggested that he suffered from more than his share of personal demons, Dr. Hanson was both mentor and tormentor of his idealistic new partner Jonathan Seger (Mark Feuerstein), better known to the Hanson Foundation staff as "The Sorceror's Apprentice." Also in the cast were Indira Varma as Hanson's gorgeous associate surgeon Dr. Adrienne Holland and Griffin Dunne as Hanson's equally prickly rival Dr. Cole. The cases at hand were generally "illustrated" with animated sequences, in which the protagonist's description of the brain as "wires in a box" was literalized. Debuting November 14, 2006, 3 lbs was made available to certain markets in both English- and Spanish-language versions.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
