Code Blue, we need a doctor, fast! It's easy to get caught up in the urgency and intense emotions of a medical drama. Those of us without medical training are treated to an exciting (if fictionalized) behind-the-scenes look. At the same time, we get a close-up look at the lives of the doctors and nurses who save the patients in their care.
For those of you in the medical field, it's probably harder to have fun without pointing out the flaws. However, for the rest of us who are happily naive, there's plenty of action to enjoy.
There's a healthy dose (pun intended) of the best medical dramas on Hulu. We've got some that have been around for years and others that may have gone unnoticed by you, and they all have multiple seasons, making them ideal for binge-watching.
'Home'
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Dr. Gregory House, played by Hugh Laurie, graced our primetime televisions for eight seasons. His eccentric, somewhat crude, but incredibly intelligent character provided us with plenty of medical jargon and wit as he and his team diagnosed complex and rare diseases. His moodiness, while often directed at the patients, was somewhat understandable as he struggled with an injured leg that affected his ability to walk.
Laurie's House wasn't the only series to air. Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), Dr. Remy Hadley (Olivia Wilde) all contributed to making this series a memorable experience. Each had their own way of bouncing off House's superficial answers and adding a level of compassion that he wasn't able to offer to patients. Over the course of its run, “House” won five Primetime Emmy Awards and numerous other awards and nominations.
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“ER”
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It’s impossible to make a list of the best medical shows without including ER. It’s one of the biggest hits on television of all time and set the bar that every other medical show has tried to reach since. Created by Michael Crichton (known as the mind behind “Jurassic Park”), it focused on Chicago County General Hospital and chronicled the ups and downs of working in the emergency room.
This series premiered in 1994 and ran for 15 years. It featured incredible talent like George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, and Noah Wyle, as well as unforgettable and now-famous guest stars like Octavia Spencer, Lucy Liu, and Adam Scott, to name a few. The series won 23 Primetime Emmys and countless other awards.
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“Grey's Anatomy”
Another series that is considered one of the greatest medical series of all time is “Grey's Anatomy”. It was launched in 2005 and is always The series is in full swing, with season 21 (!) set to premiere on September 26, 2024. If you missed it, you can catch up by watching all 20 seasons on Hulu. It's packed with romance amidst all the medical drama. Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, is the show's namesake and our main focus as she starts out as an intern and develops her career into a successful surgeon.
However, Pompeo isn't the only highlight of the show. Dr. Cristina Yang, played by Sandra Oh, provides plenty of humor that lessens some of the drama. You'll also enjoy Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd (aka McDreamy), Grey's love interest. However, that's just scratching the surface of countless other memorable stars. When most of the original cast left, a little something special left the show as well, but that doesn't take away from its entertainment value.
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'Saint-Elsewhere'
“St. Elsewhere” may not be your favorite medical drama. However, it’s a classic series that took a lot of risks. It focused on a teaching hospital called St. Eligius, often referred to as St. Elsewhere because it was sort of a last resort for patients. The series starred a lot of familiar faces, like Denzel Washington, Howie Mandel, and David Morse, to name a few.
Despite the seriousness of the drama, “St. Elsewhere” is also full of humor and romance. Some episodes were groundbreaking, like the 1983 episode about a patient admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with AIDS. As you delve deeper into the series, prepare yourself for a shocking ending. Without going into too much detail, it’s an ending that made headlines — and not for the right reasons.
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“Saving hope”
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While “Saving Hope” didn’t have the longevity of some of its predecessors (it only lasted five seasons), it definitely had a more unique take on the usual format. The series stars Dr. Alex Reid (Erica Durance), whose fiancé, Dr. Charles Harris (Michael Shanks), is in a coma. We get to see Dr. Harris take on the form of a spirit as Dr. Reid fights to save his life. The mix of the supernatural and medical drama makes it a unique series, even if it didn’t attract as wide an audience.
After season 1, NBC stopped airing the series, leaving CTV to continue airing the remaining four seasons. However, if you were captivated by the first season and missed the reruns on Ion Television, you'll be happy to know that the entire series is available on Hulu.
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“Private practice”
You know a show is successful when it produces a spinoff. “Private Practice” follows the journey of neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) as she leaves Seattle's Grace Hospital from “Grey's Anatomy” to join a private clinic in Los Angeles run by her best friend and her best friend's ex-husband.
If you're looking at the show in comparison to Grey's Anatomy, you'll probably be disappointed. The characters in Private Practice act a bit more mature than the characters in the early seasons of Grey's. However, it's a difference you might appreciate. Private Practice ran for six seasons and had a better balance between the relationships between the three friends and the goings-on at the clinic. Also, keep an eye out for a few crossover episodes, which you'll enjoy, especially if you're streaming both shows.
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“The Resident”
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The last episode on our list is “The Resident.” While many medical dramas allude to the complications and hierarchy of the medical field, this one tackles the subject with a no-holds-barred approach. Matt Czuchry plays Dr. Conrad Hawkins, an idealistic third-year resident who clashes with his supervisor, Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood).
What makes this series unique is that it (rightly) portrays insurance companies as super villains. There is also a lot of conflict with some doctors who treat their patients like numbers. The series focuses on what is best for patients and the uncertainty of ethical dilemmas. Keep an eye out for excellent acting from Emily VanCamp, Manish Dayal, Shaunette Renée Wilson, and others.
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