PREMIERE

SUMMERTIME SERIES "COMBAT HOSPITAL" DEBUTS TUESDAY, JUNE 21 ON ABC

"Combat Hospital" (working title; formerly known as "The Hot Zone") is a fictional medical procedural set in 2006 at the only military hospital providing advanced surgical care in all of Southern Afghanistan. The series charts the frantic lives of the hospital's resident doctors and nurses from Canada, America, the U.K. and other allied countries, following them as they navigate the relentless life-and-death battles on the operating table and the never-ending conflicts that arise from working in a war zone military hospital. "Combat Hospital" premieres TUESDAY, JUNE 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In the series premiere, "Welcome to Kandahar," it's 2006: Major Rebecca Gordon (Michelle Borth, "Hawaii Five-O"), a highly-trained trauma surgeon, and Captain Bobby Trang (Terry Chen, "Sanctuary"), a brand-new doctor, report for duty at the NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield. Perched at the edge of the airfield and built out of plywood and canvas held together with duct tape, the temporary building that houses the Role 3 shakes every time a plane takes off. The hospital's commander, Colonel Xavier Marks (Elias Koteas, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), tells the newcomers to expect an experience unlike any they've had before. Rebecca thinks she can handle anything, while Bobby is acutely conscious of his inexperience. They both get off to a rocky start, as Colonel Marks points out Rebecca's mistakes and tries to build Bobby's confidence. But over the next 48 hours, as they deal with rocket attacks, flying shrapnel and wave after wave of injured and wounded U.S. Marines, Canadian soldiers, Afghan civilians and even a Taliban prisoner, they manage to rise to the challenge, even as they grow more and more exhausted. Welcome to Kandahar, indeed.

The series is being shot on an expansive 185,000 square foot (17,187 square meters) indoor and outdoor set recently constructed in Toronto. It is one of the largest standing sets ever built for a Canadian original production and is modelled after the real Canadian-lead NATO Role 3 Hospital at Kandahar Airfield. The set is a meticulous re-creation of a portion of the hospital compound and the vast Kandahar Airfield, including the helicopter landing zone, boardwalk area and barracks, which housed over 15,000 military and civilian personnel.

"Combat Hospital" stars Elias Koteas as Colonel Marks, Michelle Borth as Canadian surgeon Dr. Rebecca Gordon, Luke Mably ("The Gates") as neurosurgeon Dr. Simon Hill, Deborah Kara Unger ("The Hurricane") as Australian Army psychiatrist Major Grace Pedersen, MD, Terry Chen as trauma team leader Captain Bobby Trang, and Arnold Pinnock ("The Listener") as Commander Will Royal, Chief of Nursing.

Guest stars in "Welcome to Kandahar" are Shane Kippel as LCPL Chuck Braddock, Steven Yaffee as PFC George Lowen and Farzad Sadrian as Fahran Nawabi.

The teleplay for "Welcome to Kandahar" is by Daniel Petrie Jr., and the story is by Jinder Oujla-Chalmers & Douglas Steinberg and Daniel Petrie Jr. The episode is directed by Iain MacDonald.

"Combat Hospital" is a production from Canada's Sienna Films and the U.K.'s Artists Studio. Academy Award(R)-nominated Daniel Petrie Jr. ("Beverly Hills Cop") is executive producer and showrunner. Executive producers are Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny for Sienna Films ("The Cry of the Owl," "Diamonds," "How She Move"); Gub Neal, Justin Thomson-Glover and Patrick Irwin for U.K.-based Artists Studio ("The Last Enemy"); as well as Simon Vaughan of Lookout Point. "Combat Hospital" was created by Jinder Oujla-Chalmers ("Ralph Klein - No Ordinary Man") and Douglas Steinberg ("Boston Public").

"Combat Hospital" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.

For more information on "Combat Hospital," please visit ABC.com.