Forget The Bachelorette. We all know that reality television’s real obsession is medical dramas. Doctor shows have been around for decades, but the new wave of these series is unlike anything that has aired before. Medical TV shows are usually based on doctors working in American hospitals that are supposed to represent what modern-day medicine is like and give viewers an inside look at the field. However, real doctors have often called out these shows for being overly dramatized and unrealistic.
Despite this, viewers can’t seem to get enough of watching those who save lives and cure diseases. Sure, Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy, and House are still some of the most popular, but now fans have a full spectrum of medical shows that range from dark and compelling to lighthearted and humorous. The emotional depth is almost unparalleled despite the fact that it’s about doctors. The main characters are complex and grow as people, which makes for incredible storytelling. The friendships and relationships are also incredibly relatable. We all wish to have a friend like Meredith or Cristina, and some are lucky enough to have it.
We’ve rounded up some of the best doctor shows on TV. Some of these series are still ongoing, so lots of new episodes to binge-watch!
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#1 House
2004-2012 | 8 seasons
The show revolves around Dr. Gregory House, played by Hugh Laurie, and his team. The protagonist, a drug addict and renowned misanthropist, doesn’t have any bedside manners and generally treats his patients with disdain, making for an interesting plot twist. He tries to solve the medical mysteries by diagnosing the patient’s ailments throughout each episode. The show is a must-watch because it showcases some of the finest performances from its gifted cast of characters while also exploring addiction and mental illness in detail.
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75points
#2 ER
1994-2009 | 15 seasons
The original medical drama that made George Clooney a star, ER follows the fictional County General Hospital staff in Chicago, Illinois. ER was known for its ensemble cast of characters, many of whom had their own ongoing story arcs as they navigated hospital politics and romances. Besides Clooney, the show also featured several future A-list stars, including Julianna Margulies and Noah Wyle.
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62points
#3 M*A*S*H
1972-1983 | 11 seasons
M*A*S*H was a highly successful American war comedy-drama tv series about a team of doctors and other medical staff who served in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) during the Korean War. In season five, the actor who played Father Mulcahy contracted a near-fatal case of hepatitis. Producers wanted to write him off the show, but actor Alan Alda pushed to keep him on the series, knowing how dependent William Christopher was on needing steady work to help raise his autistic son.
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61points
#4 New Amsterdam
2018-Present | 4 seasons
Dr. Max Goodwin is brilliant, charming, and the new medical director at America’s oldest public hospital. His goal? Tearing down the hospital bureaucracy, despite the skepticism of the medical staff. I mean, they’ve already heard this before, and no one has delivered on those promises. Not taking “no” for an answer, Dr. Goodwin is set on disrupting the status quo and will do anything to breathe new life into this understaffed and underfunded hospital.
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57points
#5 The Resident
2018-Present | 5 seasons
A strict and brilliant senior resident guides an idealistic young doctor through his first day, pulling back the curtain on the positive and negative aspects of what really happens in modern-day medicine. The Resident is a refreshing change of pace from most medical dramas as it takes an honest and mostly accurate look at the reality of medicine today. It also looks at many healthcare issues today, such as health insurance and patient safety.
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54points
#6 The Good Doctor
2017-Present | 5 seasons
Shaun Murphy is a young surgeon with autism and Savant syndrome, recruited into the surgical unit of a prestigious hospital. Division in the board of directors pitted those who perceived his savant ability as a good thing against those who saw it as an obstacle. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary abilities to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues.
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53points
#7 Chicago Med
2015-Present | 7 seasons
Chicago Med is the third installment of Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise. The show is a spin-off to Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., two previous shows about firefighters and police officers working to keep the chaos of the city under control. Chicago Med observes a similar storyline, following the day-to-day chaos of the city’s most explosive hospital and the courageous team of doctors that holds it together.
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52points
#8 Scrubs
2001-2010 | 9 seasons
It’s funny, lighthearted, and has heart. Scrubs is about a group of young interns as they navigate their way through medical school and beyond. It’s not your typical medical drama, however. It’s more of a comedy that takes place in a hospital setting. This one is definitely worth watching if you like heartfelt series with a touch of teenage angst and a lot of geekiness!
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51points
#9 Code Black
2015-2018 | 3 seasons
With just three seasons, Code Black is a pretty short complete series compared to others you can find on this list. The show’s title comes from a term used by hospital personnel when they have a lot of patients and not enough staff or resources to help them all at once. It sounds perfect for this series, which follows a pretty busy and understaffed ER, where patients are treated by first-year residents under the supervision of senior doctors.
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49points
#10 The Night Shift
2014-2017 | 4 seasons
The Night Shift follows the overnight shift at San Antonio Memorial Hospital, where three surgeons have served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Afghanistan. The team faces life or death decisions every day while navigating their personal lives and conflicting ideologies about medicine and saving people’s lives. It’s an interesting mix of ER, Scrubs, and Grey’s Anatomy and a fun watch that keeps you hooked with its colorful characters and intriguing storylines.
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47points
#11 Grey's Anatomy
2005-Present | 18 seasons
A top-rated medical drama centered on the lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors. The series follows several characters trying to balance their competitive personal desires with their professional lives. Each has their own emotional baggage and unique past that they are still trying to overcome. The show gives you all the drama you need, from romance to breakups, from heartbreaks to cheating, from births to deaths.
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44points
#12 Transplant
2020-Present | 2 seasons
Bashir Hamed is a Syrian doctor with battle-tested skills in emergency medicine who fled his country with his younger sister, Amira. It’s based on a true story and sheds light on the plight of refugees seeking asylum in Canada. Despite the heavy backdrop of immigration, the show is mostly focused on the people working in the hospital. It highlights not only their professional daily life but also personal achievements and failures. The whole show is an emotional rollercoaster, but it’s worth watching for several reasons.
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44points
#13 Doogie Howser, M.D.
1989-1993 | 4 seasons
The series follows Doogie, a genius adolescent who was granted the possibility to work as a doctor despite his young age. The series explores the hardships of being a young professional in a field dominated by older professionals and Doogie’s struggles with love and relationships. Could such a plot be realistic at all? Real-life doctor Sho Yano made it possible: he was a child prodigy with an IQ of 200, and he’s also the youngest student to graduate from medical school, starting his career as a pediatric neurologist at 21.
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Report40points
#14 Private Practice
2007-2013 | 6 seasons
Private Practice is a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off revolving around Addison Montgomery after her departure from the original series following a painful love triangle. The lives of Addison and her colleagues at Seaside Wellness Center in Los Angeles are pretty hectic, and our main character will have to adjust to working at the new practice while dealing with a divorce and her newfound feelings for Sam.
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39points
#15 St. Elsewhere
1982-1988 | 6 seasons
St. Elsewhere presents a realistic view of life in the medical profession, from the emotional problems of its doctors to the various situations that occur in an urban hospital. It explores many topics, including those surrounding abortion, breast cancer, homosexuality, and AIDS. Some medical professionals have criticized it for inaccurately portraying some medical procedures; however, many also consider it one of the most accurate portrayals of life in a big city hospital.
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39points
#16 Chicago Hope
1994-2000 | 6 seasons
The show focuses on the professional and personal lives of the doctors, nurses, and staff at Chicago’s fictional Hope Memorial Hospital. The plots deal with the difficulties of the medical profession, with emphasis on the ethical dilemmas that arise from life-and-death decisions. The series often employs topical issues, such as euthanasia and organ donation. Chicago Hope won multiple Emmy Awards in its first few years and received dozens of Emmy nominations during its run.
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38points
#17 Body Of Proof
2011-2013 | 3 seasons
Body of Proof focuses on the life of Dr. Megan Hunt. After recovering from a car accident, she returns to her job, but she has lost some of her dexterity and is unable to operate due to what happened. Being forced to resign from her career, she reinvents herself when she becomes the Chief Medical Examiner for the city of Philadelphia. Real-life technical advisers were brought in to ensure that the procedures portrayed onscreen were done correctly.
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38points
#18 Nurse Jackie
2009-2015 | 7 seasons
Edie Falco is fantastic as Jackie Peyton, a tough-as-nails emergency department nurse who also happens to be addicted to prescription painkillers. The show also has a diverse and fascinating group of supporting characters. Unusually for a medical drama, Nurse Jackie does not have many doctors as major characters. This was deliberate, as the creators wanted the show to focus on the nurses rather than the doctors.
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37points
#19 Nurses
2020-Present | 2 seasons
2020 has been pretty rough on medical staff because of the whole situation with COVID-19 and some crazy people trying to bring them down just for doing their job. But that’s also the year we got Nurses, a series that tries to pay homage to them. Many real doctors and nurses criticized the series for its inaccuracy but also found it fun to spot all the mistakes made by the main characters.
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36points
#20 Saving Hope
2012-2017 | 5 seasons
The show’s central character is charismatic Chief of Surgery Charlie Harris, who finds himself in a coma after a car accident. Despite not waking up, his spirit can roam freely around the hospital. Charlie effectively becomes the narrator of the series, telling the stories of Toronto’s Hope-Zion Hospital medical staff to the audience.
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35points