The last few years have seen many new medical dramas and comedies hit networks and streaming services. Fans of the genre have had no shortage of new series to capture everything that makes these types of series so captivating. Medical shows of the last five years have had to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Many characters in more recent medical series have had to face new challenges and adapt to new realities that exist in the healthcare system.
These recent medical shows are a mix of comedies and dramas. Some series, likeThis is Going to Hurt, focus on the real challenges faced by medical professionals as they work in often challenging conditions and try their best to do right by their patients. Other series, likeHospital Playlist, focus on the interpersonal relationships of those working in healthcare.The best medical dramas of the last five years reflect how the healthcare system has evolved to handle new stressors.
10’Doctor Odyssey' (2024–)
Created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken
Doctor Odysseyfollows the medical crew on a cruise ship. Led by Dr. Max Bankman (Joshua Jackson), the medical staff tend to cruise ship patrons. He is joined by nurse practitioner Avery Morgan (Phillipa Soo) and registered nurse Tristan Silva (Sean Teale). Captain Robert Massey (Don Johnson) leads the staff in welcoming patrons to the ship each week. Most weeks on the ship feature a theme, like one catering to those who have had plastic surgery, and singles' week.
What makesDoctor Odysseyone of the best medical showsof recent years is that it never takes itself seriously for a moment.Despite this, the series manages to present some surprisingly emotionally resonant storiesabout the realities of working in healthcare in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s hard to fault the staff for wanting to stay as far away from hospitals themselves, and join the fun on this floating paradise.
Doctor Odyssey
9’St. Denis Medical' (2024–)
Created by Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer
St. Denis Medicalis a mockumentary-style comedy that follows the medical staff of its titular hospital. Led by executive director Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey), the nurses and doctors of St. Denis confront the realities of working in an overburdened healthcare system while treating often highly complex patients and their families. Alex (Allison Tolman), the supervising nurse, has workaholic tendencies and does her best to keep herself and her fellow front-line workers afloat.
St. Denis Medicalhas brought back the medical comedyand shows that these stories are also capable of tackling tough, real-world issues.Underneath its humor, this series is a commentary on an overburdened healthcare systemstaffed with people who are often just trying their best.St. Denis Medicalsucceeds in setting up sweet and chaotic characters who are always worth rooting for as they try to do right by their patients.
St. Denis Medical
8’Wakefield' (2021)
Created by Kristen Dunphy
Wakefieldisan Australian medical dramathat follows the staff of a psychiatric hospital in New South Wales. The series mainly follows Nikhil “Nik” Katira (Rudi Dharmalingam), a psychiatric nurse who’s notably empathetic to his patients when many of his colleagues are less so. The series is a mystery, as different patients present with often alarming symptoms.Wakefieldfocuses on Nik’s personal and professional struggles as he confronts his own traumatic past.
What makesWakefieldone of the most notable medical series of the last five years is thatit combines typical medical drama with an element of mystery. The series stands out among other recent medical shows because it highlights the story of a medical professional who is dealing with his own health issues. This series offers a unique look at what medical staff at psychiatric hospitals face, especially if they themselves have lived experience with mental illness.
7’Nurses' (2020–2021)
Created by Ilana Frank, Vanessa Piazza, and Tassie Cameron
Nursesis a Canadian medical dramathat follows the nursing staff of a large Toronto hospital. Told through the perspective of new and experienced nurses, the series begins with the staff at St. Mary’s Hospital responding to the victims of a terrorist attack involving a car ramming.Nursesprimarily focuses on the daily challenges the nursing staff face as part of their job, as well as the ethical dilemmas they find themselves in the middle of while providing patient care.
Nursesis one of the most notable medical series of the last five yearsbecause, unlike many other medical series, this one focuses almost exclusively on nurses. Because of this, the series offers a unique perspective on the often overlooked aspects of healthcare. Rather than featuring good-looking surgeons making spectacular and often improbable saves,Nurseshighlights the often underappreciated role nurses play in keeping patients alive.
6’Doc' (2025–)
Created by Barbie Kligman
Docis based on the Italian medical drama of the same name. The American version of the story introduces Dr. Amy Larsen (Molly Parker), the chief of internal medicine at a fictional Minneapolis hospital, who suffers a traumatic brain injury after a car accident.Doc’s first season follows Dr. Larsen’s quest to remember key parts of her past, including her professional career and her personal life, which was upended by tragedy.
Docis a unique medical series because it offers an intimate character study of someone re-learning who they are. Even at her most flawed, it’s difficult not to root for her. Dr. Larsen is a compelling character to follow as she puts the pieces of her life together. Following Dr. Larsen as she tries to reconcile the different parts of herself and her experiences is what makes the series one of the best medical shows of the last five years.
5’This is Going to Hurt' (2022)
Directed by Lucy Forbes and Tom Kingsley
This is Going to Hurtis based on the memoirofAdam Kay(Ben Whishaw), a former British physician who worked in obstetrics and gynecology. The series follows Adam as he navigates England’s overburdened and understaffed National Health Service and tries his best to do the most good for his patients with limited resources.This is Going to Hurtpaints a heartbreaking picture of the realities healthcare professionals face when they’re given little to no support.
This is Going to Hurtstands out as one of the best medical series of the last five years becauseit’s an honest look at the inner workings of a struggling healthcare system. While the series can be funny, there’s a darkness to the humor featured here. Each character introduced has to find ways to cope with the fact that they have the lives of patients in their hands and that it isn’t always possible to provide the care their patients need.
This Is Going To Hurt
4’Hospital Playlist' (2020–2021)
Created by Lee Myung-han
Hospital Playlistis a K-dramathat follows the lives of five doctors, now in their forties, who initially became friends in medical school. Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk), Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho), Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Dae-myung), and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do) all work at the Yulje Medical Center and face personal and professional challenges that they rely on each other to get through.
Hospital Playlistis one of the best medical series to be released in the last five years because it’s so charming. The focus on friendship immediately makes this series stand out as one that’s about more than just medicine or the experiences of doctors working in a hospital. These characters, who have been friends for years, have magnetic chemistry that makes them all easy to root for. Ultimately,Hospital Playlistis about healing, and how it often takes many forms.
Hospital Playlist
3’Transplant' (2020–2024)
Created by Joseph Kay
Transplantfollows Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed (Hamza Haq), a Syrian doctor who has found refuge in Canada. After responding to an emergency at the restaurant at which he works, he is given the opportunity to rebuild and continue his medical career as a resident at the fictional York Memorial Hospital.Transplantfollows Bash as he processes the trauma of fleeing his war-torn homeland while trying to start a new life.
Transplantis one of the most important medical showsfrom the last five years because ithighlights the important real-life issues of medical professionals who flee war and persecution, and struggle to make a new start. Through Bash, viewers are invited to consider the challenges that anyone in such a position faces. The series is a compassionate look at a man who has the skills to save lives, and just needs the opportunity to do so.
Transplant
2’Brilliant Minds' (2024–)
Created by Michael Grassi
Brilliant Mindsis based on two non-fiction books by British physicianOliver Sacks, “The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat” and “An Anthropologist on Mars”. The series introduces Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto), a neurologist who treats and diagnoses patients with complex neurological disorders and trains a group of resident physicians. Each episode ofBrilliant Mindsintroduces a new patient caseand highlights Wolf’s unique approach to patient care.
Brilliant Mindsstands out as one of the best medical series of the last five years becauseit goes beyond what has become typical for medical shows. The series features deep dives into patient cases, which makes it unique in a genre that can sometimes feature patient stories as secondary plot points.Brilliant Mindscombines this deep dive into rare neurological disorders and the challenges of managing them with a character study on a protagonist who has to confront his own mental health challenges.
Brilliant Minds
1’The Pitt' (2025–)
Created by R. Scott Gemmill
The Pittintroduces Dr. Robbie Robinavitch (Noah Wyle), an attending physician in the emergency department of a fictional Pittsburgh hospital. The series is unique in that the first season takes place over the course of a single shift, with each episode representing a single hour of the day. Staff have to face significant challenges, including a mass shooting, challenging families, and chronic staffing and resource shortages.The Pittalso focuses on the relationshipsbetween the medical staff as they support each other through the shift.
The Pittis among the most notable medical shows of the last five years becauseit’s an authentic representation of many typical situations emergency medical professionals face. The series is an often heartbreaking and infuriating commentary on the state of American healthcare, as it showcases many patient stories that have been directly impacted by a lack of access to regular care.The Pittis another example of a recent medical series that introduces characters who have to fight for their patients and what they need.
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