"Medical Investigation" storms onto NBC filled with high-tech toys and high-profile cases.

Still, it's careful to follow TV's new rules: Shows can be as smart as they want, but only if they solve a straight-ahead case each hour.

That's what "Medical Investigation" (premiering at 10 p.m. Sept. 9 and 10 on WTHR ) does. Think of it as "CSI" or "Law & Order" with doctors.

At the core is a mobile medical team from the National Institutes of Health. "These guys are the doctors of last resort," says Marc Buckland, one of the show's producers.

When an epidemic emerges, they're called. Helicopters take them to a plane with a mobile lab.

Such jobs are fictional, based loosely on the real-life NIH or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; these are mystery-solvers, in the "CSI" fashion.

"Rather than having a corpse at the start, (they're) in the business of saving lives," says the show's executive producer, Larry Andries.

One real-life example is Dr. Don Francis, who has spanned the globe to probe the Ebola virus, AIDS and more.

"Don Francis is just an amazing human being," says Neal McDonough, the "Medical Investigation" star. "Here's this guy who has saved millions of lives. And you look at him and he's just this regular guy who loves his work."

McDonough is one of several links between this series and NBC's late, lamented "Boomtown."

Two years ago, "Boomtown" arrived as a cop show with tangled stories and multiple perspectives.

The American Film Institute called it one of the 10 best shows on TV, but NBC programmer Jeff Zucker moved "Boomtown" to a tougher night, then canceled it.

"That's probably one of the many, many, many mistakes that I have made," Zucker says.

Now he can partially redeem himself with "Medical Investigation," filled with former "Boomtown" people. They include McDonough, Andries and Michelle Ashford, who co-wrote the first episode.

In "Boomtown," McDonough was an intense assistant district attorney whose family life had crumbled. Now he's playing a similar character. "I still get to play a flawed, very human guy," he says.

The difference is that "Medical Investigation" will stick to straight storytelling. Some stories -- including the one in the opener -- are from true cases.

That one will borrow the "ER" spot at 10 p.m. Thursday on NBC. The next night, the show moves to its regular spot at 10 p.m. Friday.

Unlike "Boomtown," this has a small cast. McDonough, Kelli Williams ("The Practice") and Christopher Gorham ("Jake 2.0") are doctors; Anna Belknap ("The Handler") is a press liaison, and Troy Winbush is a medical inspector.

The stars must say some medical mouthfuls. That becomes easier, however, because Williams is a doctor's daughter.

"We look it up," she says. "We find out what we're talking about. And, of course, I help Neal out with pronunciation."