Why Asher From Good Sam Looks So Familiar
CBS' new medical drama "Good Sam" adds a familial conflict to the procedural. The new show focuses on the turbulent relationship between heart surgeon Dr. Sam Griffith (Sophia Bush) and her father Dr. Rob "Griff" Griffith (Jason Isaacs). The latter wakes up after being in a coma for months to claim his position as the chief of surgery at Lakeshore Sentinel Hospital, which is handed to Sam in his absence.
As the father and daughter fight over the coveted title and power in their professional lives, their personal relationship becomes collateral damage. Caught in the crossfire are the other hospital doctors and staff, which includes Sam's mother and Rob's ex-wife, Vivian Katz (Wendy Crewson). Among the complex and chaotic mix of characters, Episode 3 of "Good Sam" also sees a charmingly familiar face return to the screen.
In order to help the duo mend their relationship, Vivian enlists her new husband and therapist Asher Pyne, played by Sendhil Ramamurthy, to help. Ramamurthy easily steps into the role of a mild-mannered therapist and loving husband, and that comes as no surprise since Ramamurthy is no stranger to the camera. The actor has been an integral part of several popular TV shows that you might have watched. Let's take a look at some of Ramamurthy's most memorable roles.
Ramamurthy had a splendid claim to fame as a part of Heroes
Ramamurthy's first major part was in NBC's 2006 show "Heroes," playing the role of a geneticist named Dr. Mohinder Suresh.
Before the Marvel and DC superheroes took over film and TV, NBC's "Heroes" focused on ordinary people who find out that they have superpowers. Together, the group of superpowered characters prevents disasters that would impact humanity. At the beginning of the show, Ramamurthy's Suresh is a professor of genetics at the University of Madras in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The sudden death of his father in New York City makes him consider the possibility of foul play.
After relocating to New York City to find out how his father's research in "superhumans" got him into trouble, Suresh decides to continue work on the research, looking to find the biological source of superhuman powers. In the third season of the show, Suresh injects himself with a faulty formula that gives him superhuman powers as well, making him one of the "Heroes."
The show, which gained massive popularity with its first season, ended its run after four seasons. In 2015, NBC released a 13-episode miniseries called "Heroes: Reborn," for which Ramamurthy reprised his character.
Early critical fame came to Ramamurthy through Covert Affairs
Before venturing into more popularly known shows, Ramamurthy appeared on a critic favorite show called "Covert Affairs." The USA Network series, which has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, began in 2010 and went on for five seasons. Centered around Annie Walker (Piper Perabo), the show traces her journey from a CIA trainee to a thick-skinned spy. For the first three seasons, Ramamurthy is a regular on the show as CIA agent Jai Wilcox.
Ramamurthy's Wilcox, whose father is the former director of CIA's Clandestine Services and whose mother is a neurosurgeon, spends his initial years in the CIA away from his family. He returns at the request of CIA Director Arthur Campbell (Peter Gallagher) and works as a partner and backup for Annie. Unfortunately, in Season 3, Ramamurthy's Wilcox suffers a tough fate. Wilcox dies in a car bombing, but thanks to this role, Ramamurthy became a known face on American television.
Ramamurthy was a beast in Beauty and the Beast
Ramamurthy played the role of Gabriel "Gabe" Lowan in the first and second seasons of The CW's fantasy drama "Beauty and the Beast." The show revolves around Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan) a former soldier who suffers experimentation by a secret government organization that turns him into a "beast." Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk), an NYPD detective looking into her mother's mysterious death, finds a connection to Vincent and begins investigating. As she gets sucked into the murky world of beasts, Catherine and Vincent begin falling in love.
Gabe, who initially poses as a man of the law, intends to work with Catherine to solve the mysterious crimes being committed by a "beast" in the city, that is, until it is revealed that Gabe himself is a beast. His constant conflict with his identity and feelings for Catherine pit him against Vincent in Seasons 1 and 2. A climactic confrontation in the Season 1 finale leads Gabe to lose his beastly powers.
In Season 2, Gabe also takes on a romantic role in Catherine's life. Desperate for affection and acceptance, Gabe decides to go down the villainous path once again as he tries to kill Vincent. Sadly, the dramatic saga ends with Gabe's death. While Ramamurthy lost this love triangle, his luck turned in the popular sitcom "The Office." As Ravi, Kelly Kapoor's (Mindy Kaling) fiancé, Ramamurthy finally gets the girl, while Ryan (B.J. Novak) ends up a single parent to a baby boy.
Good Sam is not Ramamurthy's medical drama debut
Ramamurthy actually has had quite a few doctor roles throughout his career. After playing a geneticist in "Heroes," Ramamurthy dons the white coat in "New Amsterdam." As Dr. Akash Panthaki, the actor plays the short-lived love interest of Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman) in the first season of the popular NBC series.
The drama focuses on Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) as he tries to dismantle the bureaucracy in New Amsterdam Medical Center, a public hospital. In the first season of the show, as Max battles cancer and Sharpe tries to help him with his treatment, Dr. Panthaki appears as a trial director for Max's cancer treatment and immediately asks Sharpe out on a date.
Later, Sharpe finds out that Panthaki has two kids from a previous relationship. This fact — and her growing feelings for Max — end their relationship. Despite the character only having a short arc on the show in its debut season, Ramamurthy plays the role of the learned doctor in an effortless manner. His character was loved and lost.
Ramamurthy played Bloodwork in The Flash
In Season 6 of "The Flash," Ramamurthy plays the role of research oncologist Dr. Ramsey Rosso, who, in trying to find a cure for his own cancer, goes down a dark path. Introduced in the first episode of Season 6 as an acquaintance of Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Rosso joins Team Flash. But his experimental treatment, which involves experimenting with other people's blood, leads him to inject himself with a blood that turns him into a monster. In a nine-episode arc, Bloodwork (the name of his character's alter ego) proves to be one of the most formidable enemies of Team Flash.
Apart from being a villainous force in Central City, he also impacts Team Flash on an emotional level. He compels Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), a.k.a. The Flash, to come to terms with his impending death in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths," since it seems like an inevitability that links both the characters together. Talking about this shared connection with The Flash to Entertainment Weekly, Ramamurthy said, "I think [Rosso's] hope is that Barry can at least try to understand where he's coming from because they find themselves in the same situation in that they're both destined for death."
Ramamurthy was offered a role on another popular show at the same time as "The Flash," and he took that part too.
Ramamurthy plays Devi's deceased father in Netflix's Never Have I Ever
While playing a bloody monster on CW's "The Flash" in Vancouver, Ramamurthy had to split time to fly to Los Angeles, to play a doting dad in "Never Have I Ever."
For two seasons now, Ramamurthy has played Mohan Vishwakumar in Netflix's comedy series "Never Have I Ever." Season 1 of the comedy-drama came out in April 2020 (per IMDb). The pilot explains how Ramamurthy's character, the father of the witty Indian-American teen, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), died of a heart attack during Devi's school concert. The psychological trauma of her father's death leaves Devi unable to use her legs for three months.
Though the series picks up almost a year after Mohan's death and focuses on Devi as she tries to revitalize her social standing in high school, Ramamurthy's Mohan constantly appears in flashbacks and as a part of Devi's hallucinations as she comes to terms with her grief. Mohan appears as a voice of reason and love in Devi's imagination, helping her navigate the tricky world of high school.
In an interview with ET, Ramamurthy spoke about what attracted him to the role. "It really appealed to me because of the role that Mohan plays in Devi's life. It's kind of like an idealized version of what a father can be. And you can really only get away with that in dreams and flashbacks," Ramamurthy said. Throughout his long career, Ramamurthy's diverse roles and their transformational arcs have proven him to be a compelling actor. It will be interesting to see where his most recent character, Asher Pyne, heads as "Good Sam" progresses.