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These three medical drama series never dipped in quality across their runs. The very best medical drama shows of all time include a lot of titles synonymous with network television, like ER, Grey’s Anatomy, or House. It’s a genre that lends itself to long-form storytelling, with the day-to-day minutiae as important as the emergency surgeries.
Some of the longest-running TV shows ever are medical dramas. Just look at the medical drama soap opera, General Hospital, which has been on the air for over half a century. Within the halls of these medical drama TV shows are some incredible works of television. M*A*S*H, *Nurse Jack…
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
These three medical drama series never dipped in quality across their runs. The very best medical drama shows of all time include a lot of titles synonymous with network television, like ER, Grey’s Anatomy, or House. It’s a genre that lends itself to long-form storytelling, with the day-to-day minutiae as important as the emergency surgeries.
Some of the longest-running TV shows ever are medical dramas. Just look at the medical drama soap opera, General Hospital, which has been on the air for over half a century. Within the halls of these medical drama TV shows are some incredible works of television. M*A*S*H, Nurse Jackie, and The Good Doctor are just a handful.
However, fewer of these great medical drama TV shows can be said to have a 100% success rate. With so many of these shows having many seasons, some episodes are bound to fail. So, if you want a medical drama with a perfect batting average, look for series with fewer episodes, or find a true unicorn.
This Is Going To Hurt (2022)
This Is Going to Hurt is a British medical comedy-drama miniseries produced by the BBC and AMC and is an adaptation of Adam Kay’s memoir of the same name from 2017. Set in London in 2006, Ben Whishaw stars as Adam, a junior doctor who works in the obstetrics and gynecology ward at an NHS hospital.
Over seven episodes, This Is Going to Hurt shines an honest light on obstetrics and gynecology as well as the emotional toll that comes with working in a hospital environment, particularly as a junior doctor when you’re given little help. Adam leads, but the series also focuses on the personal and professional lives of those in his orbit.
Though This Is Going to Hurt is mostly a drama, it can’t help but be undeniably funny. The stakes in This Is Going to Hurt are always high, and the show constantly veers between bureaucratic boredom and frustration to moments of incredible heroism that are often forgotten just a few minutes after they happen.
The Knick (2014-2015)
The Knick is a period medical drama series that too few people have seen. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the 20-episode series is set in 1900 in New York City, specifically at the Knickerbocker Hospital, a real hospital that primarily served poor and immigrant patients. Clive Owen stars as Dr. John “Thack” Thackery.
As the chief surgeon at the “Knick”, Thack is a highly talented and respected doctor in the operating room, but outside it, he’s addicted to drugs, regularly using cocaine and opium. The series follows Thack and his doctors’ and nurses’ efforts to practice good medicine despite the limited understanding of medicine at the time.
The series combines excellent period production and insights, with strongly written characters and the fascinating wrinkle that the doctors and nurses of the Knick are well aware of the borders of their knowledge. The frustration that comes from this, combined with their attempts at medical breakthroughs, provides a riveting throughline.
St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)
St. Elsewhere
Release Date 1982 - 1988-00-00
Ed Begley Jr.
Dr. Victor Ehrlich
Howie Mandel
Dr. Wayne Fiscus
St. Elsewhere is often ranked among the greatest TV shows ever, and it’s a testament to the strength of the series that every episode of its 137-episode run is worth checking out for one reason or another. The series is set at the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in a rundown area of Boston’s South End neighborhood.
Referenced as “St. Elsewhere” because of its lack of funds and equipment, St. Eligius is the last stop for patients who can’t afford nicer medical care. Despite its status, St. Eligius employs several talented and caring doctors and nurses, who make do with the little they are given.
St. Elsewhere employs a gritty, realistic style and a large ensemble that breathes life into the series, making it feel like an actual hospital. Ed Flanders stars as Dr. Donald Wesphal, but he’s joined by several notable actors, including Ed Begley Jr., Denzel Washington, and Howie Mandel. It’s a medical drama that never fails to entertain.