San Francisco — It’s unlikely that any TV drama filmed in Toronto could ever come close to the bloody reality of war, but ABC’s new summer season series, “Combat Hospital,” makes a pretty compelling attempt at doing so.

The show, premiering Tuesday night, has many of the elements familiar to fans of other hospital dramas: The newbie who freezes at a critical moment, the gruff but sensitive head doctor, the attractive young woman just out of a failed relationship, and even a British McDreamy type who, as a civilian doctor at the combat hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, keeps a well-stocked liquor cabinet to go along with his stock of smooth pickup lines.

Tuesday’s premiere follows a familiar formula as two new medics, Canadian Maj. Rebecca Gordon (Michelle Borth), a trauma surgeon, and Capt. Bobby Trang (Terry Chen), new doctor, arrive for duty at the combat hospital and get an instant reality check when they’re told to mop up the blood. The NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit is commanded by Col. Xavier Marks (Elias Koteas) who is a tough task master because he has to be, but is also sensitive to the fact that his team is dealing with life and, far too often, death. Other key players include civilian neurosurgeon Dr. Simon Hill (Luke Mably) and psychiatrist Maj. Grace Pederson (Deborah Kara Unger).

The fact that the show is set in 2006 is odd, as if the Canadian creative team was worried that the war in Afghanistan might have ended before the show could air. Sadly, there was never any chance of that.

‘Combat Hospital’

When: 10 p.m. Tuesday

Where: ABC