TV doctors to the rescue
Viewers are responding to heroic lead characters who save the day, and sometimes the network.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
TV doctors have been around since the days of City Hospital, Medic, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey in the 1950s and ’60s….
Right now they are back in vogue with hit shows including The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Doc Martin and Doctor Doctor.
Newbie The Good Doctor, starring Freddie Highmore, has now launched at #1 with 1.06m viewers -an impressive feat by any measure.
All four revolve around their heroic lead character. Granted, two of them are arguably anti-heroes….
Medical dramas afford writers plenty of scope for sympathetic characters, a constant line of new cases / storylines coming in the door, and a pragmatic production spend, utilising the same interior sets week in, week out.
Over the decades TV has entertained us with endless variations and favourite docs in House, ER, Chicago Hope, Grey’s Anatomy, MASH, Scrubs, Doogie Howser MD, All Saints, The Young Doctors, Offspring, GP, The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice.
But there’s an equally long list of those that have been reaching for the defibrillator, including some this year.
Who have been your favourite TV doctors, and are there any you want to see back?
24 Responses
As a kid, I loved Marcus Welby M.D.
Why not compare it to The A Word, which does a far better job of covering the topic of autism?
Dr Meredith Grey , just wish they would air it!!!
Dr Dorian, Dr Cox and Dr Turk for the win!! I love Scrubs!! In fact I think it’s time for my annual re-watch!
“In fact I think it’s time for my annual re-watch!”
That beats me, I’ve only watched it 3 times. But I did make a 21m highlights video of JD and Kim re-united (blocked by youtube) and a 9m 55s video of “Scrubs Elizabeth Banks playing Kim Briggs episodes 620-702” which they were ok with.
Becker!
Dr Terrence elliot I can’t believe he hasn’t been mentioned yet
Doctor Who of course 🙂
Dr. Ray Good from Let the blood run free. Best doctor ever
One of the archetypal subjects for TV-Lawyers, Cops ‘n Docs.
Greatly enjoying the late Sunday night repeats of ‘House MD’ on 9.
And I have watched most of them….hands up…I am a Doctor addict…. *G*
Doctor Zoidberg from Futurama (Hooray for Zoidberg!)
LOL Seriously
Leonard McCoy.
Bones…my favourite Doctor !
Dr Kimberly Shaw From Melrose Place LOL. Best TV Character Ever ?
Man, i was gonna say Michael Mancini, but I think you topped me!!!!
Haha I thought of him to , then obviously she came into my mind n their was no competition ?
I have seen every episode of MASH (too many times), ER (I have no idea why there are no repeats on FTA), GP and Scrubs (3 times). I loved House for seasons and the Mandy Patinkin episodes of Chicago Hope.
If I had to choose what to watch now it would be between a Julianna Margulies George Clooney episode of ER and Scrubs, depending upon what I was in the mood for.
The Good Doctor is a lame Hollywood interpretation of autism. It’s like Norman Bates has conned his way into a hospital.
Autism is a disorder that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees of severity. As shown in the show, Working Memory is the ability to hold and process quantities of information, both verbal and non-verbal, such as memorizing medical textbooks and rewriting them in your head. In a study of children with Autism all the children scored off the charts when tested on measures of working memory with most in the 99.9th percentile. To compare a person with Autism to Norman Bates is harsh and ill-informed.
It’s approved in the context of actor playing Norman Bates in Bates Motel.
What do you make of Netflix “Atypical”
You can’t beat Dr Karl Kennedy for longevity … although is he still a doctor, I haven’t seen the show for a while.