For seven seasons, audiences tuned in to ABC medical drama The Good Doctor to watch Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), an autistic surgeon with savant syndrome, who uses his skills to solve complicated medical cases while balancing his work with his personal life, from his eventual marriage and new role as father to his clashes with colleagues who question his abilities. The series was based on the 2013 South Korean drama Good Doctor. The Good Doctor lasted for over 100 episodes and came to an end in May 2024.
But despite The Good Doctor's end, there's no shortage of medical dramas to turn to for medical mysteries mixed with interpersonal drama, and even skilled but difficult doctors and the difficulties of running a hospital beyond medical cases. The best medical dramas prove that with compelling characters and unique storylines, they can stand out and present a new take on a very familiar genre and primetime staple.
18 '9-1-1' (2018-)
Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear
Image via FOX
9-1-1 focuses on the chaotic, high-stakes work and personal lives of first responders, from the dispatchers answering panicked calls to the firefighters, paramedics, and police officers sent to respond and save lives – and sometimes, the lives in danger are their own. The series premiered in 2018 and first aired on Fox, then moved to ABC starting with Season 7. It was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear.
9-1-1’s focus on all first responders and dispatch helps it to stand out from other procedural dramas, plus it has become known for its over-the-top storylines based on actual emergency calls – and that’s what makes it such a thrill to watch. There’s no shortage of excitement and drama to keep viewers hooked. 9-1-1 has been a ratings hit, and its success while still on Fox led to the spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star.
17 'Private Practice' (2007-2013)
Created by Shonda Rhimes
Image via ABC
As the first spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy – and part of Shondaland – Private Practice followed neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) as she left Seattle for a fresh start at a private practice in Los Angeles. Like Grey’s, the series focused on Addison’s professional and personal lives. It aired on ABC and lasted six seasons, from 2007 until 2013, with over 100 episodes and often crossed over with Grey’s. Creator Shonda Rhimes has expressed a desire to revive the series.
Like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice presented compelling medical cases but in an environment that wasn’t as chaotic and fast-paced – and although it wasn’t as well-received as the flagship show, it was successful in its own right, and a reboot could offer plenty more great storylines. One of the best things about it was the way it presented Addison as a well-rounded character, as opposed to the way she was defined by Derek (Patrick Dempsey) on Grey’s.
Watch on Hulu
16 'This Is Going to Hurt' (2022)
Created by Adam Kay
2022 British miniseries This Is Going to Hurt followed a young doctor, Adam (Ben Whishaw), working in the OB/GYN ward of a hospital, with all of its ups and downs, from straightforward deliveries to life-threatening complications – and the toll it took, both physical and mental, on hospital staff. The series also often addressed the issues caused by a lack of funding for the NHS. It was based on the best-selling memoir of the same name.
In a genre that can be somewhat predictable and crowded, with new shows every year using familiar storytelling devices and plot points, This Is Going to Hurt was sometimes a breath of fresh air. Adam was a flawed character, sometimes behaving in ways he shouldn’t have, both personally and professionally. It has been praised as one of the best recent medical dramas, in part because of the way it examined how funding affected care and doctors’ decisions.
Watch on Amazon Prime
15 'Scrubs' (2001-2010)
Created by Bill Lawrence
Image via NBC
Scrubs was a comedic take on the medical genre centered on John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff) and his fellow interns as they worked at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital and eventually became doctors and mentors to a new class of interns. The series premiered in 2001 on NBC and lasted nine seasons – it moved to ABC in its later seasons. Creator Bill Lawrence has said a reboot is in the works.
Scrubs was critically acclaimed at the time, and it is still a beloved show, considered one of the most accurate medical shows. Its quality has stood the test of time, and a reboot would be great to watch, especially all these years later. And although it was a sitcom, Scrubs was still full of heart, plus heartbreak – some of its best episodes had a more serious tone and dealt with the same heavy subjects as its dramatic counterparts.
14 'Code Black' (2015-2018)
Created by Michael Seitzman
Image via CBS
In the CBS drama Code Black, the staff of the L.A. County Hospital worked to save lives in their overcrowded but understaffed emergency room, a situation called a Code Black, something a typical hospital experiences just a few times per year compared to about 300 for L.A. County. The ensemble cast included Marcia Gay Harden and Rob Lowe, who joined the show in Season 2. Code Black lasted three seasons and was based on the documentary of the same name.
Code Black explored another aspect of medicine, what happens when so many people need care that a hospital doesn’t have the resources to do so. Although the series wasn’t well-received by critics, audiences enjoyed it, even though it was never a huge ratings hit. The cast impressed as dedicated but overwhelmed doctors, and the series was a grittier take on the medical drama in line with its predecessor ER, with a touch of personal drama.
Watch on Amazon Prime
13 'Chicago Med' (2015-)
Created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead
Image via Lori Allen/NBC
The third show in the One Chicago series created by Dick Wolf, Chicago Med follows the staff of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center as they juggle their personal and professional lives, sometimes using surprising, unconventional methods to save lives and help patients, with stories based on real medical cases. Chicago Med has been on the air for nine seasons and nearly 200 episodes, with Season 10 set to air in the fall of 2024.
Wolf knows good television and knows what he’s doing, he’s behind a number of massively successful TV series. The One Chicago shows are among his more recent hits, and because they’re connected to each other and have characters with ties to each other, the shows sometimes cross over, allowing for more interesting and complex plots. And while characters have come and gone over the years, they’ve also helped make the show a success.
Watch on Peacock
12 'Black Box' (2014)
Created by Amy Holden Jones
Dr. Catherine Black (Kelly Reilly) was a famed neurologist dealing with bipolar, auditory hallucinations, and a tendency to go off her meds on ABC’s Black Box. She worked in a state-of-the-art facility called The Cube, which treated patients with rare conditions that often caused hallucinations while trying to hide her own hallucinations from those around her in order to keep her job. The series only lasted one season and also featured Vanessa Redgrave.
Black Box was sadly short-lived, meaning it never reached its potential, but it had an interesting premise. Similar to shows like The Good Doctor and House, Black Box’s Catherine was a doctor struggling to balance her career with her own personal struggles, and although it wasn’t as strong as those other shows, Catherine was still an interesting character handling compelling cases and was uniquely positioned to understand what her patients were experiencing.
Black Box is currently not available to stream, rent, or purchase in the U.S.
11 'Good Sam' (2022)
Created by Katle Wech
Image via CBS
In Good Sam, Dr. Sam Griffith (Sophia Bush) was forced to step into the role of chief of surgery after her boss fell into a coma, then, after he awoke months later, wanted to return to his job, and the situation was even more complicated by the fact that her boss also happened to be her father, played by Jason Isaacs. Good Sam aired on CBS and lasted just one season.
The underrated Good Sam addressed hospital bureaucracy, medicine, and even ethical dilemmas with an added layer of family dynamics. Bush and Isaacs were both fantastic in their roles and had a great dynamic together as the strained father and daughter, especially as their roles reversed, and she worked as his supervisor. The premise and the show’s approach to it were refreshing, making it all the more disappointing that the show was short-lived.
Buy on Apple TV
10 'The Knick' (2014-2015)
Created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler
Image via Cinemax
Knickerbocker Hospital was in a transitional period in The Knick, set in the early 1900s, as its wealthy patients left and an influx of poor patients sought care instead. Clive Owen starred as Dr. John Thackery, a brilliant doctor introducing new methods in an era before antibiotics – while also struggling with an addiction to cocaine. The Knick aired for two seasons and also addressed issues of morality, race relations, and more.
Period medical dramas can make for some compelling television, even the simplest injuries and illnesses which are commonplace and easy to treat now can become life-threatening and present high-stakes stories when set in another time – The Knick was no exception. While the show’s medical stories may be very different, some issues, from hospital bureaucracy to Thackery’s addiction, are familiar to modern audiences and are often explored in medical dramas set in the modern day.
9 'Transplant' (2020-2024)
Created by Joseph Key
Image via NBC
After Syrian Dr. Bashir Hamed (Hamza Haq) and his sister fled their war-torn country for Toronto in the Canadian series Transplant, they became refugees, forced to build a new life for themselves. Bashir sought to return to working in medicine but had to rebuild his career to do so. The show lasted for four seasons, and although its final season has already aired in Canada, it will air on NBC in the US.
Transplant didn’t just present interesting medical stories – Bashir was a great character with an equally great backstory and plenty of challenges as he adjusted to a new home and had a fresh start to his career. His background in emergency medicine in Syria meant he was able to think quickly and proved his abilities with some creative techniques, making the medical procedures more interesting than the routine procedures often seen in similar shows.
Image via ABC
Image via ABC
Image via ABC
Image via ABC
8 'New Amsterdam' (2018-2023)
Created by David Schulner
Image via NBC
In NBC’s New Amsterdam, Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) wasn’t just a great doctor, he also spent his time as medical director battling the bureaucracy at the oldest hospital in the country to get the best possible care for its patients. New Amsterdam was on the air for five seasons and came to an end in 2023. It was based on the book Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital by Dr. Eric Manheimer.
New Amsterdam was one of a few medical dramas to take a closer look at how its hospital functioned, rather than just focusing on medical cases, doctors’ personal lives and how the two collide, with the bonus of having been pulled from real-life experiences. Max’s dedication wonderfully demonstrated how much just a single life can matter and the difference it can make when a person has someone fighting for them.
Watch on Netflix
7 'ER' (1994-2009)
Created by Michael Crichton
Image via NBC
The NBC medical drama ER followed the emergency room staff of Chicago’s County General Hospital. With an ensemble cast, it helped launch the careers of such actors as George Clooney and Julianna Margulies. The series lasted for 15 seasons and over 300 episodes, making it the second longest-running primetime medical drama in American history, outdone only by Grey’s Anatomy. ER was created by writer Michael Crichton, best known for writing the novel Jurassic Park.
ER is still regarded as one of the best medical dramas ever made and has been praised for its realistic depictions of medical procedures and how chaotic true medical emergencies can be. Although its quality did decline in its later seasons, most of ER's episodes were still consistently enjoyable, and it helped make medical dramas a staple of primetime TV. ER was a ratings hit for NBC at the time and won 23 Emmy Awards in its time on the air.
6 'The Resident' (2018-2023)
Created by Amy Holden Jones, Hayley Schore, and Roshan Sethi
Image via Fox
In Fox's The Resident, charming yet cocky Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) was the best doctor at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, known for using unconventional treatments on his patients, making him beloved by his colleagues. The series also focused on aspects other than treatment, such as the hospital’s financial situation, the ways patients’ financial situations affected the care they received, and the manipulation and dishonesty staff used to protect their careers. The Resident lasted six seasons.
What set The Resident apart from other medical dramas was its focus on not just medical procedures but also the bureaucracy of the hospital, adding a more compelling piece to its stories and making it more interesting than other medical shows. But its strength also comes from its characters. Conrad was fun to watch, even at his most arrogant and insufferable, especially as he clashed early on with his resident, Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal).
Watch on Netflix
5 'House' (2004-2012)
Created by David Shore
Image via FOX
Set at the fictional Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey, House follows the titular painkiller-addicted, antisocial, and at times outright cruel Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) as he uses his knowledge of medicine and people, to solve the most baffling medical mysteries, something of a medical Sherlock Holmes. The series aired on Fox and lasted eight seasons. House was created by David Shore, who worked as the showrunner for The Good Doctor.
Unsurprisingly, given Shore’s involvement, the similarities between House and The Good Doctor are clear. Both follow a brilliant but outcast doctor as they uncover diagnoses and treat ailments others can’t, all while facing criticism, doubt, and even outright dislike from colleagues. House was a fantastic show thanks to fascinating and little-known maladies, as well as Laurie’s portrayal of the doctor, who was great to watch even in his worst behavior.
4 'Chicago Hope' (1994-2000)
Created by David E. Kelley
image via CBS
Yes, Chicago Med is one of the best medical dramas on television, but one must show love to the show that paved the way for that series to be the hit that is: Chicago Hope. Created by legendary producer David E. Kelley, the underrated CBS drama is centered around Dr. Jeffery Geiger (Mandy Patinkin), a know-it-all surgeon at a private charity hospital who performs daily medical miracles despite battling emotional demons stemming from his wife (Kim Greist) drowning their infant son.
Much like The Good Doctor, Chicago Hope showcases a surgeon who strives to save others despite the personal traumas that life throws at him. It also didn’t hurt that this series had a tremendous supporting cast surrounding Patinkin, making this series one that will take you by surprise in how similar both shows truly were.
Buy on Amazon
3 'Nurse Jackie' (2009-2015)
Created by Liz Brixius, Evan Dunsky, and Linda Wallem
Image via Showtime
One must be thinking: “Is it a requirement for a medical professional to face trials and tribulations before being hired at a hospital?” We’re not sure that this is an exact job requirement, but what we do know is that it makes for great television, and Nurse Jackie is no different.
Starring the ever-talented Edie Falco as Jackie Payton, Nurse Jackie follows this iconoclastic nurse as she struggles to juggle her troubled personal life with the extreme grind of working in a hospital in New York City. She relies on narcotics to get her through the days, an element gives this dramedy a darker tone than some of its peers, and does a decent job highlighting the stress that nurses have to go through on a daily basis. Somewhat forgotten in the medical drama universe, Nurse Jackie is well worth a re-visit for those looking for a show to fill that Good Doctor-sized hole in their binge-watch schedule.
2 'Grey's Anatomy' (2005-)
Created by Shonda Rhimes
Image via ABC Studios
One absolutely cannot talk about great modern medical dramas without mentioning the biggest of them all. Beginning its life as a little-known mid-season replacement to Boston Legal in 2005, no one could have foreseen that Grey’s Anatomy would go on to re-define the medical drama genre.
The series follows the physicians of a surgical residency program at Seattle Grace Hospital, who strive to be accepted as full-time surgeons while balancing their personal lives. Along the way, Grey’s Anatomy has been a career launching pad for actors and behind-the-scenes personnel alike, most notably series creator Shonda Rhimes, who used the booming success of the series to create other legendary shows such as How to Get Away With Murder and Bridgerton.
Watch on Hulu
1 'Good Doctor' (2013)
Created by Park Jae-beom
Image via Logos Film
2013 South Korean drama Good Doctor followed Park Si-on (Joo Won), a savant doctor on the autism spectrum hoping to become a pediatric surgeon in a renowned hospital, where his mentor also worked. Si-on was often in conflict with the hospital’s best pediatric surgeon, Kim Do-Han (Joo Sang-Wook), and things between them became even more tense when they fell for the same woman. In addition to the American remake, a Japanese version was also created.
Good Doctor was a popular, award-winning show, and without it, we wouldn’t have its American counterpart. Although the premise is the same – and the plots of the first episodes nearly identical – Good Doctor differed in some ways, such as Park Si-on’s specialty as a pediatrician compared to Shaun’s work as a surgeon, and was also much shorter, with a single season. Yet the two shows are different enough that there’s plenty to enjoy.
