By Nermeen Nabil Khear 
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Noah Wiley can’t seem to escape the emergency room. After spending more than a decade on NBC’s ’90s mega-hit E.R., he’s back in scrubs for HBO’s buzzy new doctor show The Pitt. If that show hasn’t quite scratched your itch for medical drama, there are plenty of other shows to stream.
The genre’s roots can be traced back to the early ’60s, and the sexy Dr. Kildare, but it really exploded in the ’70s with shows like Medical Center, Emergency!, and Quincy, M.E., all of them fairly soapy dramas with plenty of action and occasional doses of silliness. Later in the decade, M.A.S.H. became a hit by lacing the sit-com formula with medical pathos, but it was 1982’s St. Elsewhere that gave us the template for the medical shows of today: dramatic, serious, and with a large cast of doctors and nurses whose personal lives are often in conflict with their work. That show set the standard, and inspired dozens of medical shows that followed—a bunch of which you can currently find on your favorite streaming service.
The Pitt (2025 – )
But first, a little about The Pitt if you have yet to check in for your appointment. Noah Wyle (ER) is back in scrubs as Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch, senior attending at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital’s emergency room. Robby’s mentor died during the height of COVID-19, and he’s only just recovering from his traumatic experiences. It’s gonna be a long day, though: Each episode is a single hour of his 15-hour shift. It’s relatively early days, but the show has already won critical acclaim and a renewal for a second season. You can stream The Pitt on Max.
Watson (2025 – )
Hard to say if this new Morris Chestnut-led series will go any kind of distance, but it’s looking promising, and the premise is so wacky, it’s worth checking out either way. Chestnut plays a modern-day Dr. John Watson (yes, that Dr. Watson), who was sidekick to Sherlock Holmes before his detective pal took a header off of the Reichenbach Falls. Now he’s on his own in Pittsburgh, running clinic dedicated to helping people with mysterious ailments—ones requiring a doctor who’s also a bit of a detective. You can stream Watson on Paramount+.
Call the Midwife (2012 – )
Set at the dawn of Britain’s National Health Service, Call the Midwife explores an era when many were receiving modern healthcare for the very first time, as the nuns of London’s Nonnatus House, who had been providing basic midwifery services for decades, are joined by secular nurses and given public funding. The show deals frankly with women’s health issues in a way that few other series have ever bothered, and its rotating cast of characters has helped it to remain a beloved favorite for over a decade, both in its native Britain and across the pond. You can stream Call the Midwife on Netflix and PBS.
New Amsterdam (2018 – 2023)
Even the most realistic medical dramas have soapy aspects, but New Amsterdam leans into that side of things more than most. Ryan Eggold plays Dr. Maximus “Max” Goodwin, the slightly annoying new medical director at one of the oldest public hospitals in the U.S. He looking to freshen up the outdated hospital and bring down its stodgy bureaucracy, with Doctor Who’s Freema Agyeman by his side. The show occasionally sags under the weight of its subplots, but it’s still fun to watch Max fight for public health. You can stream New Amsterdam on Peacock.
House (2004 – 2012)
Like the much more recent Watson, House showcases investigative medicine, with Hugh Laurie’s as the titular Dr. Holmes (er, House) and Robert Sean Leonard as Watson (OK, Wilson). Not only is the show tightly paced and compact, it also has the benefit of Laurie, giving a career-defining performance as one of TV’s greatest assholes, a wonderfully acerbic curmudgeon who nonetheless gets results. You can stream House on Prime Video, Hulu, and Peacock.
Getting On (2013 – 2015)
One of the few medical shows willing to tackle aging and geriatric care, Getting On considers the trials faced by the staff at an underfunded extended care facility. The fact that it’s a frequently very dark comedy doesn’t make it any less impressive in its handling of tough topics. Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, Niecy Nash, and Mel Rodriguez star. You can stream Getting On on Max.
The Knick (2014 – 2015)
The Steven Soderbergh-directed The Knick takes us back to the glory days of American medical care—specifically, 1900 New York, and the fictional Knickerbocker Hospital, with Clive Owen’s Dr. John Thackery as the well-intentioned head of surgery who also happens to have a rather significant opium addiction. He’s joined by André Holland as Dr. Algernon C. Edwards, a Black assistant chief surgeon who runs rings around most of his colleagues but still can’t seem to get any credit for it (he’s based on a couple of real-life doctors of the era). Like the best period medical dramas, this one’s a good reminder that modern medicine ain’t so bad. You can stream The Knick on Max.
St. Elsewhere (1982 – 1987)
Beginning life as a gritty, realistic-ish hospital drama, St. Elsewhere grew into something weirder, funnier, and far more experimental, leading to that all-time memorable series finale (iykyk). In doing so, it also created a template followed by every medical show that followed it. The cast alone is wild, made up of TV and movie greats past and present, including Norman Lloyd, William Daniels, Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon, and Alfre Woodard, among many, many others. It’s a little slower than the more frenetic shows that followed it, but still a deeply engrossing watch. You can stream St. Elsewhere on Hulu.
E.R. (1994 – 2009)
A natural successor to St. Elsewhere, E.R. is less weird but does one better in its commitment to portraying something hospital drama that at least feels like reality. With another rotating cast that kept the show fresh over an impressive 15 seasons, E.R.’s innovation was in its willingness to drag viewers along at a breakneck pace, counting on us to keep up with the fast-paced dialogue loaded with medical jargon. At its best, the show makes you feel like you’re really catching a glimpse of life in an underfunded city emergency room. You can stream ER on Hulu and Max.
Childrens Hospital (2008 – 2016)
A relentless, and relentlessly memeable satire of medical dramas in general, this comedy centers on the staff of the titular hospital, named for founder Arthur Childrens (motto: “I believe that Childrens is the future.”) The show can’t be bothered with continuity; instead, each episode dives into a very silly/smart brand of dark comedy defined by its commitment to randomness. The stacked cast includes creator Rob Cordry, Lake Bell, Erinn Hayes, Rob Huebel, Ken Marino, Megan Mullally, Henry Winkler, and Malin Åkerman. You can buy episodes of Childrens Hospital from Prime Video.
Scrubs (2001 – 2010)
This scrappy sitcom was resuscitated at least once during its initial run, only finally declared dead after an impressive nine seasons, though it’s due for a revival from original creator Bill Lawrence. Zach Braff plays J.D. Dorian, who begins the show as an intern at the fictional teaching hospital, Sacred Heart. While playing with slapstick and incorporating surreal dream sequences, the show earned high marks from medical professionals, who apparently found it more accurate in depicting details of hospital life than many prestige medical dramas. You can stream Scrubs on Hulu and Peacock.
Grey’s Anatomy (2005 – )
From Grey’s Anatomy did Shonda Rhimes’ mighty TV empire spring, yet the show that started it all is somehow still going strong in its 21st season. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompey) continues to head the team of doctors at Seattle Grace alongside Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. Deft cast rotations have kept things relatively fresh for over two decades and more than 430 episodes. You can stream Grey’s Anatomy on Hulu and Netflix.
This is Going to Hurt (2022)
This British miniseries, loosely adapted the memoir from comedian Adam Kay, chronicles Kay’s time as a trainee doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology circa 2006. Ben Whislaw stars as Kay, facing down daily challenges that range from the very funny to the shocking and horrific. The show makes clear that, while the contexts are very different, British doctors also struggle with chaotic working conditions and lack of institutional support, particularly at the intern level. You can stream This is Going to Hurt on AMC+.
Transplant (2020 – 2024)
There’s much that’s familiar in this Canadian drama, but the show stands apart because of the unique perspective of its lead character (at least as far as mainstream medical dramas go). Hamza Haq plays Bashir “Bash” Hamed, a refugee of the Syrian Civil War who comes to Toronto to rebuild his life and career as an E.R. resident. He‘s unable to get a job in his chosen field until his heroic actions during the first episode garner him the right kind of attention. Even still, he faces discrimination as a doctor, and suffers the aftereffects of wartime trauma, even as his skills and experience prove extremely valuable. You can stream Transplant on Peacock.
Nurse Jackie (2009 – 2015)
Edie Falco followed up her run on The Sopranos with this similarly lauded comedy-drama that earned her six consecutive Emmy nominations and one win. She plays the titular nurse in the Emergency Department at All Saints’ Hospital in NYC. At the outset of the series, Jackie is married but having an affair, mostly to get the various pills she’s addicted to—which gives you a sense of the messiness of Jackie’s life and work. You can buy Nurse Jackie from Apple TV.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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