Pulse’s Celebrity Ensemble: Familiar Faces from Other Netflix Series

Netflix is making its foray into the scripted medical genre with the launch of the new procedural Pulse, featuring a remarkable ensemble cast.

Scheduled to premiere on April 3, the series explores the personal and professional lives of medical practitioners and their colleagues at a bustling trauma center in Miami as they deal with intense medical emergencies and their own interpersonal conflicts. Leading the cast are Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, and Justina Machado, alongside other notable actors such as Jessica Rothe and Nestor Carbonell.

The show’s official synopsis states: “As a hurricane approaches Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center, third-year resident Dr. Danny Simms finds himself unexpectedly promoted when beloved Chief Resident Dr. Xander Phillips is put on suspension.” It continues on to describe how, “with the storm escalating and trauma cases surging, the hospital goes into lockdown. Danny and Phillips must collaborate, even as the shocking secrets of their complicated and forbidden romance begin to surface.”

The synopsis further reveals: “Meanwhile, the rest of the ER team must grapple with the aftermath of their relationship while addressing their own challenges—both personal and professional—under the immense pressure of life-and-death scenarios. For this closely-knit group of doctors, saving their patients is often less challenging than navigating their own lives.”

Pulse joins an array of ongoing medical dramas, including Max’s The Pitt, NBC’s St. Denis Medical, Fox’s Doc, and ABC’s Doctor Odyssey.

Keep reading for an overview of the main characters, including background on where you may have seen each actor before:

Willa Fitzgerald

Before taking the lead in Pulse, Fitzgerald garnered recognition for her role as Emma in MTV’s somewhat overlooked Scream series. She subsequently appeared in a range of TV projects, including Dare Me, Reacher, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

Fitzgerald has also established a presence in film, featuring in Strange Darling and the upcoming adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Regretting You.

Colin Woodell

This actor may look familiar from his roles in The Continental, The Flight Attendant, Devious Maids, Masters of Sex, or the Purge TV series. Longtime fans might recall Woodell as Aidan in the The Vampire Diaries spinoff, The Originals.

Woodell is currently in a relationship with actress and former co-star Danielle Campbell, and has also acted in films including I Love America, Ambulance, and Fly Me to the Moon.

Justina Machado

Machado has been quite active prior to joining Pulse, appearing in the acclaimed series Six Feet Under, which earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series. Her other credits include ER, Jane the Virgin, Queen of the South, One Day at a Time, Happy’s Place, and The Horror of Dolores Roach.

Jessie T. Usher

Before joining Pulse, Usher portrayed Reggie Franklin, also known as A-Train, in Prime Video’s The Boys. He also made appearances in Level Up and Survivor’s Remorse. Usher has starred in films including Ride, The Banker, Dangerous Lies, and Smile.

Jack Bannon

Bannon is best recognized for his role as Alfred Pennyworth in Pennyworth. He has also worked on projects such as Endeavour, Clique, The Loch, Medici, and The Darkness.

Daniela Nieves

Pulse marks a significant milestone for Nieves as her first TV role following her performance as Lissa Dragomir in the Peacock series based on Richelle Mead’s novels. She has also appeared in Every Witch Way, WITS Academy, Five Points, and Sex Appeal.

Jessica Rothe

Fitzgerald isn’t the only standout star in the Pulse line-up, as Rothe captivated audiences in Happy Death Day and its 2019 sequel. She has also starred in Valley Girl, All My Life, and Boy Kills World.

More recently, Rothe appeared in Utopia and Virgin River. Since 2020, she has been married to Eric Clem.

Nestor Carbonell

Rather than listing all of Carbonell’s contributions, it might be more efficient to highlight what he hasn’t participated in. His notable TV roles have included appearances on Lost, Bates Motel, The Morning Show, and Shōgun. He also portrayed Mayor Anthony Garcia in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight franchise.

Carbonell has been happily married to Shannon Kenny since 2001, and together they have two children.

Santiago Segura

Pulse marks a Scream reunion for Fitzgerald and Segura, as Segura joined the show’s second season as Gustavo Acosta. He may also be recognizable for his performances in Faking It, Grey’s Anatomy, MacGyver, Roswell, New Mexico, and Walker: Independence.

J.R. Ramirez

When Ramirez isn’t portraying a doctor on Pulse, he has been featured in various hit shows like Manifest, Jessica Jones, Power, and Arrow.