Brilliant Minds: The Doctor’s Graveyard, on NBC

Obviously, the psych ward is a great setting for special Halloween-themed episode. Of course, the usual scolds need to lecture us, whining that our genre fun stigmatizes mental illness. Fortunately, showrunner Michael Grassi’s Brilliant Minds embraces the scary season anyway in “The Doctor’s Graveyard,” which airs tonight on NBC.

According to the credits, Grassi’s series is “inspired” by Dr. Oliver Sacks’ writings, but you would hardly know it from this episode—and we’re not complaining. It starts with Dr. Kinney having a panic attack in an asylum-themed haunted house. Soon, Dr. Nichols falls under the curse of room 313 (where patients keep dying), while Dr. Wolf starts having ghostly visions of a patient he wasn’t able to save. Best of all, Dr. Pierce from the psych department is supposed to evaluate the evil looking clown in a holding room, but she is having none of that.

All in all, writers Sara Saedi and Will Ewing deliver a lot of satisfying Halloweeny stuff, without any Scooby-Do-style explanations, which are always a letdown. Despite his limited screentime, Andy Boorman is devilishly creepy as the clown. Frankly, his storyline should have ben bulked up more, because Wolf’s relatively “normal” case is just okay.

Regardless, director Seith Mann handles the hauntings quite nicely. Perhaps best of all, the star, Zachary Quinto agreed to a sly tribute to his signature character. He also acts suitably haunted when confronting his “ghost.”

While it isn’t quite as fun as Elvira hitting on Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy (because nothing could be), “Doctor’s Graveyard” is one of the more amusing Halloween-themed episodes of the last two or three years, at least. It’s also probably the best of the series, because it is such a departure. Recommended for casual and first-time viewers, “The Doctor’s Graveyard” airs tonight (10/27) on NBC (and streams the next day on Peacock).