# What is the best medical drama TV show of all time?

> From ER's raw documentary urgency to House's brilliant misanthropy, medical dramas have given us some of TV's most gripping storytelling. Vote for the one that took your breath away.

*By YPB Team · Published April 21, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-medical-drama-tv-show-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **ER**
   The groundbreaking NBC drama that ran from 1994 to 2009, setting the gold standard for medical television with its documentary-style urgency and landmark ensemble cast.
2. **Grey's Anatomy**
   The longest-running primetime medical drama in US history, following surgical interns and their mentors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital since 2005.
3. **House M.D.**
   Hugh Laurie stars as the brilliant, misanthropic Dr. Gregory House, a diagnostic genius whose unconventional methods and caustic wit redefined the medical procedural.
4. **M*A*S*H**
   The iconic CBS comedy-drama set during the Korean War that ran from 1972 to 1983, blending sharp humor with devastating antiwar commentary through its surgical unit characters.
5. **The Pitt**
   Max's acclaimed 2025 medical drama starring Noah Wyle as a Pittsburgh ER attending physician, praised for its real-time storytelling and unflinching portrayal of modern healthcare.
6. **Scrubs**
   The beloved NBC comedy-drama following medical interns at Sacred Heart Hospital, renowned for its blend of absurdist humor, heartfelt storytelling, and the iconic J.D. and Turk friendship.
7. **St. Elsewhere**
   The pioneering 1980s drama set in a rundown Boston hospital that introduced gritty realism, complex characters, and serialized storytelling to the medical genre.
8. **The Good Doctor**
   ABC drama following Shaun Murphy, a young surgical resident with autism and savant syndrome, which became one of the most-watched network dramas of the 2010s.
9. **The Knick**
   Steven Soderbergh's visually stunning Cinemax drama set in a 1900s New York hospital, blending surgical history with addiction, racism, and innovation in a darkly cinematic package.
10. **Nurse Jackie**
   Edie Falco's Emmy-winning Showtime drama about a brilliant ER nurse battling opioid addiction, offering one of the most complex and unflinching portrayals of healthcare workers on television.
11. **The Resident**
   Fox medical drama that distinguishes itself by critiquing the healthcare industry — exposing profit-driven hospitals, insurance battles, and moral compromises alongside the medical cases.
12. **Chicago Med**
   Dick Wolf's long-running NBC drama about the emergency department of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, part of the sprawling One Chicago franchise.
13. **Doogie Howser M.D.**
   The classic early-1990s ABC series starring Neil Patrick Harris as a teenage medical prodigy navigating both medicine and adolescence, a beloved pop culture touchstone.
14. **Private Practice**
   The Grey's Anatomy spin-off following Dr. Addison Montgomery as she joins a holistic practice in Los Angeles, offering a warmer but no less dramatic take on medicine.
15. **Call the Midwife**
   The acclaimed BBC period drama following midwives and nuns in 1950s East London, known for its emotional depth, historical detail, and unwavering focus on women's healthcare.

Tags: streaming, usa, 80s, 90s, tv shows, classics, british