There's much to be said about the new Netflix series Pulse, premiering on April 3rd, but one of first words can be: why? Pulse is set over the span of a few days, as the doctors and surgeons of Maguire Trauma Hospital in Miami brace for a Category 1 hurricane. It's not the first time the streaming giant attempts to delve into the medical genre, but it might want to consider leaving this as their last.

Creator and lead writer Zoe Robyn tries to make this series feel fresh and edgy with its specific setting and romantic intrigue, but they fail to succeed, as it's nothing we haven't seen before. The hotshot medical resident having a secret relationship with her boss and mentor; the arrogant surgical resident who thinks he knows better than everyone else, no matter what consequences he faces; the best friends, but one's secretly in love with the other; the chief of staff who's a stickler for the rules, but completely disobeys them when it comes to her own family.

Whilst the cast are competent, with the likes of Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell and Justina Machado (who is criminally and severely underused) effectively doing the best they can with the scripts they've got, the story itself is nothing spectacular. The series is set around the mystery of Fitzgerald's Danny Simms and Woodell's Xander Philips, as their characters are forced to face a recent breakup and a secret past.

Whilst Fitzgerald and Woodell are both very attractive people, their characters have little to no chemistry with one another, despite both having fallen so deeply in love. Those hoping for a Mer-Der style romance will be better off looking elsewhere. The ‘secret' past is hinted and teased through all the ten one-hour long episodes, that when all is revealed, you'll find yourself turning into Pam Shipman and screaming, is that it? Even the series' supporting characters and patient stories just aren't enough to keep you interested, and boy do they give you a few sob stories.

The series tries to push itself towards the younger generation, from the way the characters talk to each other, to the music that plays out each episode, a ‘what's hot on TikTok this week' medley which includes Benson Boone playing out, not one, not two but three of the episodes.

With the recent surge of discussions around ‘second screen' shows, which you can play in the background whilst constantly looking at your phone, Pulse is, unfortunately, a prime example. A show that will undoubtedly do well because of how good looking its cast is, and not for how well produced it is. One thing is for sure, it's time to stop the adrenaline, discontinue compressions and call time of death — Pulse is uninspired and, ultimately, lifeless.

Pulse is now streaming on Netflix.