The Knockturnal got to spend a sunny July day on the set of the popular NBC show, The Night Shift.
The medical drama following the ER staff that works the late night shift at San Antonio Memorial Hospital films on the Albuquerque Studios sound stage in New Mexico. Currently, in its fourth season, The Night Shift focuses on a team of doctors and nurses that faces both patient-oriented and personal situations that are a bit out of the ordinary with every new episode.
This season really works to highlight the obstacles the primary night shift players are faced with that could guide them to their growth or their downfall, but it has also further explored the significance of the team working at a memorial hospital that serves the military community. The most recently aired episode “Keep The Faith” saw the show working with a military storyline in a way it hasn’t before, with veterans working both on- and off-screen to capture a veteran’s storyline through a significant vantage point. In last week’s episode, a number of veterans are hurt at a protest turned violent and the night shift team are faced with helping recover them. From a veteran running for political office to a former prisoner of war, this episode touches on multiple military stories that touch on fearlessness and honor in a different way than in the show’s past, while the use of veterans to direct, write and guest star mark a real emphasis on The Night Shift’s overall message.
Still from The Night Shift episode “Keep The Faith” Episode 407. Photo courtesy of NBC
On the day of our visit to the show’s set, they were in the midst of filming the season finale, airing August 31st. As our press group departed the Hotel Andaluz in the early morning, we got a chance to see some beautiful Albuquerque views and landmarks on our ride up to the studios. We arrived to set at around 10:45 and were instantly transported into the San Antonio Memorial Hospital as soon as we entered the soundstage. From fake ambulances to a “check-in” desk with documents and all the works, we found ourselves on a very realistic hospital floor. It’d be really easy to mistake this place for an actual emergency room, and according to showrunner Gabe Sachs, early in the filming process, one woman did. “A pregnant woman came in, and she was really pregnant and we had to tell we’re not doctors and she thought we were insane!” Sachs laughs, “We had transportation take her to a real hospital but she literally pulled in because we have ambulances and everything, and walked through the front door and saw an administrator!”
ER entrance on the set of NBC’s “The Night Shift”
Set of “The Night Shift”
Vehicle stationing on “The Night Shift”
Following the hospital set tour, we got to experience the “wait-and-go” of filming all day, as we set up in one of San Antonio Memorial’s “waiting rooms” to talk to different cast members in between takes. After talking to stars Eoin Macken, Jill Flint, JR Lemon, and Scott Wolf, most remained tight-lipped on what’s to come in the finale. So when we finally got to see some of the action for ourselves late in the day we were all pretty eager to switch locations. We were guided to another area of the soundstage to observe some filming and already there was audible shouting and shuffling being performed. The silence between takes on set was met with a conflicting amount of commotion as soon as the director yelled action.
Filming on the set of “The Night Shift”
We were told a bit about the scene they were filming, and from what we could see from the monitors the cast and crew were doing a commendable job bringing the story to life. Without giving too much away, The Night Shift season finale will be filled with a solid amount of action and surprises, and viewers should look forward to watching how it all unfolds on August 31st.
The Night Shift airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.
