“Coma”: A&E update is fearfully entertaining

Lauren Ambrose stars in "Coma" - A&E Photo

“Coma,” a four-hour, two-night event premiering at 8 p.m. Sept. 3 and 4 on A&E Network, is a solid retelling of the story from the bestselling novel by Robin Cook and the 1978 movie by Michael Crichton.

The multiple Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning cast of “Coma,” from Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, includes Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”), Steven Pasquale (“Rescue Me”), Geena Davis, James Woods, Ellen Burstyn and Richard Dreyfuss.

Emmy Award winner Mikael Salomon (“Band of Brothers”) is “Coma’s” director, and the script writer is John J. McLaughlin (“Black Swan”).

The feature centers on Susan Wheeler (Ambrose), a medical student who discovers several patients have gone into comas after routine procedures at her hospital. She decides to investigate, which leads to consequences that directly affect a co-worker and her roommate, and eventually Susan herself.