The Good Doctor is just one medical drama you need to watch
There’s definitely no shortage of medical dramas. From The Good Doctor to Grey’s Anatomy, this is a genre that continues to pull people in.
The great thing about medical dramas is that there are so many potential storylines for patients. This is why a procedural format works so well. However, you need to have characters that you can connect to at the same time, and they need to see development in their personal and professional lives.
Some of these dramas have come to an end, while others are still going. Here are the ones that you’ll really want to check out.
Start with The Good Doctor
One of the shows coming to an end on ABC this year is The Good Doctor. This series took on a different premise compared to most medical dramas. While it focused on new interns, one of those is Shaun Murphy, a man with autism and Savant Syndrome. He has some terrible bedside manner at times, but he can also figure out the solution to some of the most difficult problems.
This series brings to light a lot of issues within the American health care system. It also shines a light on mental health and disabilities, as well as many other differences seen in the world. Some episodes can get a little preachy, but for the most part, there is a need for the stories to be told.
One of the greatest things is seeing the characters develop. We get to see how Shaun becomes accepted, but how he also has to learn that he doesn’t always have the right answer. He’s not always the best, and Shaun learns to turn to others at times.
The Good Doctor is available to stream on Hulu.
Move onto Grey’s Anatomy
We can’t have this list without one of the longest medical dramas ever on TV. Yes, Grey’s Anatomy is still going.
This is a series that brought us a story about a group of interns figuring out the ropes. There have been some excellent (and heartbreaking!) patient storylines over the years. While we get the steamy elevator moments, we also get the heartfelt stories that leave us craving more. Just stop killing off the characters we connect to the most!
There are some outlandish storylines and moments, but we can overlook them for the development of characters. We can also overlook them for the great patient storylines and lessons characters have learned over the years.
The series did see a bit of a dip in recent years, especially Season 17, but it’s picked things back up again. The new intern class bring us more learning and more potential development.
Catch up on Grey’s Anatomy on Hulu.
Now check out Transplant
You know all about the American healthcare system. That’s the one focused on in a lot of medical dramas. Well, it’s time to see the Canadian healthcare system at work. You can do that with Transplant.
This series brings us the story of refugees as well as doctors. Bash is a Syrian refugee who is a brilliant doctor but unable to work in the Canadian healthcare system. He doesn’t have all his documents from Syria. That changes when he saves the life of the Chief of Surgery at York Memorial.
Now Bash needs to understand the way the Canadian healthcare system works. He can’t do everything that he would have done in Syria, and his way isn’t always the best way. However, his training in a war-torn country certainly helped him deal with situations calmly, something that his fellow doctors can learn from.
We get to see how Bash learns things the Canadian way, while also seeing other doctors learn to trust his instincts. Then there are various developments in the careers of characters, and we can’t overlook Dr. Bishop’s health problems after his life-saving surgery.
Watch Transplant on Peacock.
Don’t overlook ER
The medical drama genre wouldn’t be what it is without ER. This is the series that made a lot of actors famous, including George Clooney. So, yes, it has to be on this list.
The Chicago-set series is arguably where Grey’s Anatomy got a lot of its framework from when crafting storylines. After all, we have the personal storylines and the relationship developments between the doctors and nurses, while we also have the patient storylines.
There are some heartbreaking moments in the 15 seasons of this series. Some patients we grow far too fond of and then have them ripped away from us. ER isn’t afraid to show us the difficult side of medicine and care.
The series itself doesn’t treat us as if we’re dumb, though. While there are some terms that need explaining, we’re not left wondering how that save was even managed except for it being fiction.
ER is available to stream on Max.
Move onto House next
There’s another great medical drama that came to an end a while ago that you simply cannot overlook. It’s all about House. This one stars Hugh Laurie, and it’s very rare that you hear his natural accent come through so you’re not taken out of the show.
Dr. House is not a man you will immediately light. He’s brash and has no bedside manner, but he is brilliant. And he does actually care about his patients, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first. He’s also surrounded by a brilliant team who make up for the lack of bedside manner.
This is one of those medical dramas that touches on some difficult storylines. There are storylines that involve trauma and trafficking. A lot of the storylines are years ahead of their time, bringing to light some important topics.
The best thing is the medical mysteries that come in. Not everything is easy to solve, but House won’t let things rest. He is a Sherlock Holmes of medicine.
Watch House on Prime Video and Peacock.
You can’t miss out on New Amsterdam
Okay, the last couple of seasons went off the rails a bit, but the first three seasons are more than worth the watch to put the show on this list. This series takes on a slightly different approach to a lot of medical dramas out there.
Yes, there is focus on patients, but not in the way that Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Doctor have done. The patients help to bring up failings in the healthcare system. This gives the doctors a specific medical problem to solve rather than offer a medical diagnosis and send people on their way.
Of course, the solutions aren’t always simple. They look it, and then the doctors will carry them out. However, there are often times that the solutions lead to more problems, and now the doctors have to go back to what they were doing. It brings to light that there is a huge need in overhauling the healthcare system in America.
This show also doesn’t just look at one side of medicine. There is a huge focus on psychiatry as well, and this is so important. While not everything requires a psychiatrist to treat, this show gives us a look at how mental health is handle and how it should be handled in the future.
New Amsterdam is available to stream on Netflix.
Go back in time with Call the Midwife
At first glance, Call the Midwife may come across as a period drama rather than a medical drama. It’s actually both, and this series is a great look at healthcare in Britain in the 1950s.
The series is focused on a group of midwives in the East End of London in the 1950s. They work in a convent, so you can guess what some of the medical practices should be. They don’t all follow those practices, and they try to help the people the best they can. Unfortunately, there isn’t always something that they can do, and there is a horrific moment in the series involving a home abortion. Please be warned!
We do get a lot of focus on women’s health in this show. After all, it’s about midwives, who are there to deliver babies. They don’t just deliver babies, though. They help women with pregnancy complications, there are stillbirth and miscarriage storylines, and there are issues during the delivery process that midwives need to assist with.
Then there are the personal storylines. We watch as these midwives learn more about themselves, find love, and simply focus on thriving in 1950s London.
Watch Call the Midwife on PBS Masterpiece.
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