Focusing on the birth of the modern medical age the Knick is based on the Knickerbocker hospital in the early 1900’s as well as the staff that runs it.

The stories rely a bit too much on dramatic irony and Soderbergh's direction is distractingly "art on a budget" (he shoots many scenes without traditional coverage), but Owen and the equally wonderful Andre Holland create a simmering, intense rivalry/friendship that pays off like few other pairings in this so-called "Golden Age" of television

Soderbergh’s a true auteur, directing all ten episodes of the first season and making his mark on contemporary television and, in a larger sense, the Golden Age of Television