Top 10 Best TV Medical Dramas
From high-stakes operating rooms to morally messy break rooms, medical dramas know how to crank up the tension, pile on the personal drama, and still teach you a new term for kidney failure.
Some series keep it serious, packed with realism and the kind of gut-punching choices that would make any intern cry. Others balance the life-or-death pressure with humor, sarcasm, and the occasional dance party in scrubs. And somehow, they all make the idea of sleeping in a hospital locker room seem weirdly glamorous.
Your vote helps decide which white-coated wonders deserve to rise in the ranks. So scrub in, scan the list, and support the ones that kept you glued to the screen, yelling at fictional doctors like they could hear you. Stat.
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House, M.D.
House is an American television medical drama that originally ran on the Fox network for eight seasons, from November 16, 2004, to May 21, 2012. The series stars Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant but misanthropic diagnostician. The show was widely acclaimed for its writing, character development... read more
The MOST amazing show ever! Addicting, eye-catching, and mind-blowing. Hugh Laurie is so intriguing. You can't even tell his accent is fake. Sadly, it ended too early. As House says, "Everybody dies." Laurie, even off-screen, is just as sarcastic as on-screen. His Twitter account proves that.
The entire cast: 13, Cuddy, Foreman, Chase, Cameron, Wilson, Kutner, and undoubtedly House, are all fantastic. I'm happy Laurie has more family time now. The show teaches you life lessons. It's just one of the best shows ever. No other medical drama can beat House, M.D.
This is by far the best medical drama of all time. Best acting, super characters, just the right amount of humour, mystery, and drama. The best part of House is that it never overdoes any of those things, which is why it's so much fun to watch.
House touches the sense of loneliness in each one of us even though we live among friends and family. After Friends, it's the second series I can watch over and over again.
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Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series that premiered on ABC on March 27, 2005, as a mid-season replacement. The show focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attending physicians at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. As they advance professionally, the... read more
Grey's Anatomy is my favorite show ever! It definitely deserves number one on this list! From the complex and interesting medical cases to the multi-faceted characters, this show has it all.
Sure, there's a lot of drama (don't get too attached to one character, they'll probably die), but it makes the show great. The characters are easy to love, and you're sure to binge-watch this show!
House used to be my favorite program on US TV by a country mile. After watching the first six series of Grey's, then going back to House, House now seems very far-fetched, overacted, and a little too fantastical. Grey's is not as medically accurate, but the characterization and realism are better.
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ER
Let's keep things realistic - ER is the best.
I honestly think all the seasons were fantastic. It was so popular, it kept fans entertained for 15 years! That statistic speaks for itself. All the cast - especially the original - were incredible.
We all know the first few seasons were when ER was at its peak, but it never ceased to amaze me. I couldn't tear my eyes away. It should be #1!
Grey's Anatomy and House are nowhere near as good. ER is the closest to real life. Grey's Anatomy had a musical episode, and the whole soap opera aspect kills it. House had an episode with an alien in it - are you kidding me?
ER is the most realistic, and that's what makes for a good medical drama, not phony stories no matter how entertaining they are.
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M*A*S*H
MASH is an American television series that debuted in 1972 and is based on the 1968 novel by Richard Hooker. Set during the Korean War, it centers around a mobile army surgical hospital and blends both drama and comedy. The show received critical acclaim and became one of the most-watched series in U.S... read more
A very realistic medical show about the Korean War. Hawkeye is a great character. His insanity is one of the things that keep the whole unit from breaking down under the stress of wartime, yet he never lets anyone forget that they operate on living human beings, no matter if they're a North Korean soon-to-be prisoner of war or a child hit from shelling.
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Private Practice
Kate Walsh makes the show absolutely relatable but at the same time so attention-grabbing with her amazing acting skills. The storyline is also filled with surprising twists and turns that are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The setting in a private practice instead of a usual hospital also gives the show a refreshing feel, yet it does not lack the do-or-die element present in many hospital-based medical shows. A must-watch.
I love this show. I wish it never ended. It was great. I love Kate Walsh in this show. She's so pretty and a great actor.
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Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
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Nip/Tuck
So over-the-top with storylines that took comical turns and graphic surgical depictions that made squeamish viewers turn away for certain scenes, Nip/Tuck was a sometimes fun, sometimes deadly-serious drama about plastic surgeons.
BFFs Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) and Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) managed to maintain a joint practice despite their chaotic personal lives and conflicted friendship. This friendship was sorely tested when Sean found out that his randy friend, Dr. Troy, was actually the father of Sean's son Matt.
Scandalous, yes, but nothing some ripped-from-today's-headlines cases (a woman attacked by a friend's chimp, for instance) and a string of big-name guests (Alec Baldwin, Rosie O'Donnell, Larry Hagman, Brooke Shields, Alanis Morissette, Vanessa Redgrave, Joan Rivers, and Mario Lopez) couldn't help the docs through.
(From ivillage.com)
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Body of Proof
The series is top-notch. Dr. Megan Hunt was a very interesting character who delights from episode to episode.
On my top choice for sure. Brilliant.
Why only 3 seasons? Great show!
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Mercy
I really liked the background of the whole show. It isn't just your average hospital show. It's something different, and that's what got me hooked and attached to the characters, like I personally knew them.
Entertaining, humorous, and intriguing! A brilliant medical drama! It keeps you on your toes and makes you anticipate and savor every moment!
I wish this show was still airing. It was great. I enjoyed it.
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Emergency!
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The Resident
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Ben Casey
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Casualty
Casualty, stylised as CASUAL+Y, is a British medical drama series that airs weekly on BBC One. It premiered in 1986 and is set in the emergency department of the fictional Holby City Hospital. The show is the longest-running medical drama television series in the world.
Why isn't this at the top? I'm so obsessed with it. It's the best long-running medical drama out there.
Casualty is definitely the best medical drama I've seen!
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Chicago Med
Chicago Med is about doctors and nurses saving people's lives. Thanks to Dr. Andrew Dennis, the medical advisor for Chicago Med, this show is so successful. Their next step should be family practice. Make sure they are doing it right, then they are ready to do it in real life for the next 10 years.
At first, when I saw Chicago Med, I thought it would be one of those weird types of medical dramas. But the second I finished the first episode, I couldn't stop watching. It is so amazing and realistic. It is the best series in the world.
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Saving Hope
One of the best shows, hands down.
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Code Black
One of the most thrilling and realistic, and above all, ACCURATE portrayals of emergency medicine! Love it!
Great show! I find something in my emotional DNA being stirred with each show! Impressed healthcare worker.
Each episode keeps me glued to my seat from start to end.
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Trauma
Great show! Amazing characters! I'm really hoping for a second season!
I really miss all the characters. Knowing that I am going to wake up with nothing to watch is not pleasant. I miss you, Cliff.
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Hawthorne
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Marcus Welby, M.D.
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Emily Owens, M.D.
Very entertaining show! I felt really connected with Dr. Owens and felt that the things she often discussed were really relatable. She inspired me.
It was a good show. They should not have canceled it, but it makes sense because they rushed into everything too fast.
Fun show! Wish they would bring it back!
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St. Elsewhere
This is such an underrated show. David Morse is amazing in his role on St. Elsewhere. This show is amazing.
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Holby City
My favorite medical drama ever! It has honestly taken over its sister show as the best on television and really needs more recognition.
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Chicago Hope
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Nurse Jackie
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The Knick
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Medical Center
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Off the Map
I loved this one and the differences between medicine here and medicine in those kinds of conditions. It should not have been canceled.
This is kind of like Private Practice, just a bit older. I liked Private Practice more.
Sad to see such an interesting show go out. It, with the characters, was a very good show.