Smallville’s Erica Durance Saving Hope

The gang from Smallville is moving on. There’s no word yet on if Tom Welling might one day satisfy the desires of fans by stepping into the blue tights on the big screen, but CinemaBlend brings word that former Lois Lane Erica Durance has snagged a lead role in the pilot for Saving Hope, a new Canadian series planned for CTV.

Durance will play Dr. Alyse Joy, a “young, idealistic neonatal doctor” that works with flashy cancer surgeon Joel Gottlieb, who (of course) also happens to be her former lover. While it almost sounds like another version of Grey’s Anatomy, Saving Hope plans to go down a slightly different path by letting a comatose patient guide the viewer through the show. The patient, Chief of Surgery Harris Coles, can’t communicate with the outside world but he’s aware of everything going on around him.

The show is expected to begin production on June 22nd, and is executive produced by Ilana Frank, who also helmed Rookie Blue, which was able to cross over to the U.S. on ABC. Will the medical drama be able to follow in the footsteps of the police drama? Casting Durance probably improves the chances of that answer being yes.