10 Most Realistic Medical TV Shows of All Time

Medical dramas have hooked TV audiences for decades with their blend of high-stakes emergencies, thorny ethical dilemmas, and those intense relationships that develop between characters. While plenty of shows play fast and loose with medical accuracy for dramatic effect (we see you, defibrillator scenes!), some stand out for actually trying to get things right. From the way surgeries are performed to the genuine pecking order in hospitals and those critical patient interactions, these series give us a more authentic peek into healthcare while still delivering the drama we crave.

Here are 10 medical TV shows that deliver more realism, and offer a window into the medical world that feels genuine, even as they keep us entertained.

Related: Top 10 Disturbing Facts About Doctors

10 ER

Photo credit: ER/ NBC

If we’re talking medical realism on TV, ER is pretty much the gold standard. When it hit screens in 1994, it completely changed the game. Michael Crichton, who had a medical background himself (fun fact!), crafted something that perfectly blended patient cases, edge-of-your-seat tension, and those “what would you do?” ethical dilemmas into something that actually felt like real emergency medicine. Those iconic tracking shots following doctors through the chaos of Cook County General captured the frantic energy of a real ER in a way nothing had before. The show didn’t dumb down the medical jargon, used actual equipment correctly, and showed procedures that had doctors nodding in approval throughout its impressive 15-season run.

9 Lenox Hill

Photo Credit: Lenox Hill/ Netflix

Want the ultimate in keeping it real? Lenox Hill doesn’t just aim for realism—it literally follows actual doctors doing their jobs. This 2020 documentary series tracks four real physicians working at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, giving us an unfiltered look at modern healthcare without any scriptwriters jazzing things up. We follow two neurosurgeons, an ER doc, and an OB-GYN as they tackle genuine medical challenges, complete with all the messy complications of real medicine. The raw emotions hit differently here—those devastating conversations with families, the pure joy when treatments actually work—it’s all authentic. Critics have pointed out that while scripted shows like The Pitt bring the intensity, Lenox Hill delivers something even more powerful because these are real people with real lives hanging in the balance.

8 The Knick

Photo Credit: The Knick/ Cinemax

Set in the early 1900s, The Knick might seem like an odd choice for medical realism, but this show is eerily accurate about how brutal and experimental medicine was back then. Steven Soderbergh’s gritty period drama doesn’t sugarcoat the often horrifying nature of healthcare at the turn of the 20th century. The show recreates early surgical techniques that’ll make you grateful for modern medicine, showing the development of procedures that we now take for granted. Clive Owen’s brilliant but troubled Dr. John Thackery leads us through a medical world without many of our modern safeguards—no real anesthesia, no antibiotics, and a whole lot of guesswork. Medical historians love how the show balances historical accuracy with storytelling that keeps you hooked despite (or maybe because of) all the cringe-inducing medical scenes.

7 This Is Going to Hurt

Photo Credit: This Is Going to Hurt/ BBC One

Based on Adam Kay’s brutally honest memoir, This Is Going to Hurt shows what life’s really like working in Britain’s NHS, warts and all. The 2022 BBC/AMC series stars Ben Whishaw as a junior doctor in obstetrics and gynecology, capturing both the darkly funny moments and the soul-crushing realities of working in a healthcare system that’s running on fumes. What makes this show stand out is how unflinchingly it looks at doctor burnout, the psychological fallout from medical mistakes, and the everyday nightmare of trying to provide care in chronically underfunded hospitals. Actual doctors have watched this and said, “Yep, that’s exactly what it’s like.” There’s no glamour here, just exhausted people doing their best in terrible conditions while trying not to completely fall apart.

6 Scrubs

Photo Credit: Scrubs/ NBC

It might seem weird that a show with so many fantasy sequences and goofy moments would make this list, but Scrubs is consistently named by actual healthcare workers as one of TV’s most truthful portrayals of hospital life. While J.D.’s daydreams and the show’s slapstick humor are obviously heightened, the core medical situations, the hierarchy of the hospital, and especially the emotional toll of patient outcomes feel genuinely real. Creator Bill Lawrence regularly picked the brain of his college buddy Dr. Jonathan Doris for medical details, and it shows. Scrubs captures the genuine friendship, dark humor, and coping strategies that real medical professionals rely on to stay sane. It also nails the terrifying learning curve for new doctors and doesn’t shy away from showing how deeply patient deaths affect providers—something flashier medical shows often skip over in their rush to the next dramatic moment.

5 St. Elsewhere

Photo Credit: St. Elsewhere/ NBC

Before ER came along, St. Elsewhere set the standard for gritty medical realism on TV. Running from 1982 to 1988, this groundbreaking series focused on the chronically underfunded Boston hospital St. Eligius (nicknamed “St. Elsewhere” because it was where you went when you couldn’t go anywhere else). The creators initially pitched it as “Hill Street Blues in a hospital,” but it evolved into something uniquely powerful, tackling medical cases and ethical dilemmas with unflinching honesty. The show deserves major credit for addressing AIDS during the height of the epidemic when most of TV was pretending the crisis didn’t exist. It also captured the messy reality of teaching hospitals, showing the complex power dynamics between attendings, residents, and med students trying to provide care with limited resources in a tough urban environment.

4 M*A*S*H

Photo Credit: M*A*S*H/ CBS

Set during the Korean War but clearly commenting on Vietnam, M*A*S*H somehow managed to be hilarious while also offering a surprisingly accurate portrayal of wartime medicine. Actual military surgeons have praised the show for capturing the essence of combat medical care. While it took some creative liberties (it was a sitcom, after all), many of its medical aspects came directly from real accounts of MASH units. The show brilliantly depicted the MacGyver-like innovation required in battlefield medicine, the psychological damage of treating wounded young soldiers, and the moral quandaries that come with providing care in a war zone. Through characters we grew to love, M*A*S*H examined the fragility of life with a depth that culminated in one of TV’s most watched and emotionally devastating finales. Military doctors have noted that the show nailed the bizarre reality of their work—life-saving surgeries happening just miles from combat, working with whatever supplies you’ve got, and developing that dark sense of humor that helps you face trauma day after day.

3 House

Photo Credit: House/ Fox

Sure, House focuses on medical mysteries that would make most doctors roll their eyes (“It’s never lupus… except that one time it was”), but the show deserves credit for its diagnostic accuracy and commitment to scientific reasoning. Following the brilliant but insufferable Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his team, the series tackles the kind of complex, puzzling conditions that would make great case studies in medical journals. Actual doctors have praised how faithfully the show portrays the differential diagnosis process—that methodical ruling-out of possible causes until you land on the right answer. Yes, they compress weeks of testing into 42 minutes, and no real hospital would keep a doctor as toxic as House on staff, but the medical thinking is surprisingly solid. The earlier seasons especially excel at crafting believable medical puzzles alongside complex character dynamics, making those diagnostic challenges both entertaining and surprisingly educational.

2 Getting On

Photo Credit: Getting On/ HBO

This underrated HBO series offers one of TV’s most honest looks at geriatric and end-of-life care, an area most medical shows completely ignore. Set in a geriatric ward, Getting On brings a darkly comic but deeply compassionate perspective to the healthcare challenges faced by elderly patients and the people caring for them. The show stands out because it doesn’t shy away from the decidedly unglamorous aspects of medicine—dealing with incontinence, dementia, and the mind-numbing paperwork that comes with extended care. Nurses and doctors who actually work in geriatric settings have pointed to this show and said, “Finally, someone gets it.” With an incredible cast including Laurie Metcalf and Niecy Nash, Getting On finds poignant humor in a healthcare reality that most shows ignore—that medicine often isn’t about dramatic cures but rather providing dignity and comfort during decline.

1 Call the Midwife

Photo Credit: Call The Midwife/ BBC One

This beloved BBC period drama follows nurse-midwives working in London’s East End during the 1950s and 60s, and it gets the historical details of childbirth and maternal care remarkably right. Based on Jennifer Worth’s memoirs, Call the Midwife has earned high praise from healthcare pros for its authentic portrayal of childbirth in an era when medicine was rapidly evolving. The show meticulously recreates the medical practices of the time while tackling various social issues affecting women’s health. What’s refreshing about Call the Midwife is that it focuses on community-based care rather than hospital drama, showing healthcare workers becoming deeply embedded in the neighborhoods they serve. Both medical historians and practicing midwives have nodded approvingly at the show’s attention to detail in depicting obstetric practices, common complications, and the limitations of mid-20th century medicine. The series walks that fine line between technical accuracy and emotional storytelling, showing the realities of childbirth without turning births into over-dramatized emergencies (looking at you, every other medical show).