‘Royal Pains,' LI-based series, ending after Season 8, USA Network announces

“Royal Pains,” the breezy medical dramedy that made Long Island as much a star as its human stars, will end this summer with a shortened eighth season, USA announced Thursday.

The eighth season — beginning May 18 — will originate from the Hamptons, as usual, but also go a little farther afield, specifically to Hong Kong for an episode. The final season will have a total of eight episodes.

Per a joint statement from creator Andrew Lenchewski and executive producer Michael Rauch: “It’s with great sadness, but even greater thankfulness, that we prepare for our final summer sunsets as ‘Royal Pains’ comes to an end. We couldn’t have imagined a more talented and dedicated writers’ room, cast, or crew, and we couldn’t have asked for better partners than USA Network and Universal Cable Productions.”

“Pains” is about a diagnostic surgeon, Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), who moved out to the Hamptons from Manhattan and set up a concierge practice to care for the rich and famous — often the eccentric rich and famous, with an assist from brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) and friends.

“Pains” embraced Long Island as much as any primetime TV series in history, certainly recent history. Many series have shot here, indeed more since the “Pains” launch on June 4, 2009, including the Showtime hit “The Affair.”

But “Pains” was shot entirely on the Island, from the North Shore to the South, from Nassau to Suffolk, and especially (as well as most frequently) from the East End. Production crews have not been an infrequent sight in some towns during production, as Roslyn native Lenchewski sought to incorporate as much local color and flavor as the plot (or traffic conditions) would permit.

The result was a unique visual statement from the outset. Blues and greens predominated; sand and waves were the backdrop. Grand surviving symbols of a lost past, like Oheka Castle or the Lillian Sefton Dodge Estate in Mill Neck, were often the settings.

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It may have been a romanticized, even sanitized, perspective but it was also the one that millions of viewers wanted. “Pains” was an immediate hit for USA, and Lenchewski credited Long Island for much of the success.

He told Newsday a few years ago that the show’s “allure” wasn’t just the beach or the Hamptons but places like Inisfada, the 72,000-square-foot Tudor glory in Manhasset, that appeared in one of the early episodes.

“There are fewer and fewer of these grand old Gold Coast estates we can use,” he said. “We’ve got the Hempstead House and a couple out in Glen Cove where we’re trying to shoot before they’re gone, too. These aren’t just local treasures but national ones.”

Inisfada was demolished in December 2013.

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According to a USA news release, in the final season, “Hank (Feuerstein) must decide if his professional fulfillment equals his personal fulfillment. Evan (Costanzo) and Paige (Brooke D’Orsay) endure challenging marital decisions and must examine what family really means to them.”

And yes, what would a beloved series be without a musical episode? There will be one in Season 8, starring Christine Ebersole and Cloris Leachman.

In addition, guest stars will include Annie Potts, Teri Polo, Sebastian Roche, Dan Lauria, Constance Wu, Hal Linden, Ana Ortiz and Maria Dizzia (“Orange Is the New Black.”)

By Verne J Gay

Verne.Gay@newsday.com@vernejgay

Verne J Gay is the television critic