7 Medical TV Shows We Wish Still Aired
Happy Thursday! I hope this week is treating you well. I have been spending my free time productively today, that is, if you call searching for the perfect Halloween costume productive. The holiday has passed me by the last few years with no costume at all (don’t worry, I always eat the candy regardless), so this year I need to pull out all the stops. In searching for the perfect getup I have been exploring old TV shows and movies. Don’t you miss so many of the old medical TV hits? In celebration of Throwback Thursday, here’s a nostalgic look at some of my faves.
Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
I mean, just look at that guy’s hair in this picture. How could you not miss Dr. Quinn? Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman stars Jane Seymour who plays a physician leaving Boston in search of adventure out west. Medical drama meets the classic Western pretty much sums up the show’s plot-line. Frankly, Dr. Quinn reminds me of having the flu as I used to watch back to back episodes lying on the couch when I stayed home from school sick during the show’s 1993 to 1998 airing.
M*A*S*H
Admittedly before my time, M*A*S*H aired from 1972 to 1983. Many of the TV hit’s plot lines were based on true stories form real MASH surgeons interviewed by the show’s writers. While the show provided lots of drama, moments of comic relief were plentiful. Always a classic, M*A*S*H deserves consideration the next time you’re in for a Throwback Thursday evening consisting of popcorn, couch time, and back to back episodes of a classic in front of the TV.
Diagnosis: Murder
Starring Dick Van Dyke, Diagnosis: Murder is a must-mention when it comes to medical TV hits. In the show, Van Dyke plays a medical doctor who solves crimes with his homicide detective son. Diagnosis: Murder debuted in 1993, and while it was not an instant hit, lasted eight seasons.
ER
Ahh, yes, the favorite of medical TV junkies, ER aired for an impressive 15 seasons. The show is responsible for launching the careers of George Clooney, Noah Wiley and the like. Thanks to a production team made up of A-listers, the show’s plot successfully navigated the inner workings of an inner city urban hospital and its overburdened emergency department. The drama is the most Emmy-nominated series in the history of television.
Scrubs
Leave it to Zach Braff to lighten the medical TV mood. Following the lives of teaching hospital employees from even the lowest levels (surgical scrubs), Scrubs’ slapstick humor made us laugh from 2001 to 2010. Unlike other medical shows airing at the time, Scrubs featured frequent daydreams and narration from Braff giving a first-person perspective.
House
Admittedly, House isn’t my favorite medical TV throwback. But, given the show’s popularity it deserves a spot on this list. The show, which aired from 2004 to 2012, features Dr. Gregory House, a medical genius and diagnostician working at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. House’s unconventional diagnostic methods and prickly personality give the show it’s unique medical TV twist.
Northern Exposure
A spin on the classic big city meets small town plot, Northern Exposure follows Dr. Joel Fleischman, a New York City doc sent to practice in the tiny town of Cicely, Alaska. Facing quirky townies and culture shock, Dr. Fleischman braves life in Alaska as part of a medical student loan repayment program. Northern Exposure aired for five years and received several Emmy award nominations.
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