Medical drama has always been considered as the genre that informed the audience with the disease and its treatment, but they are thought to not entertain the audience due to the seriousness of the content. Rishikesh Temburnikar talks about how the introduction of this genre in American TV helped increase the popularity of this genre, making it one of the most coveted themes today
HOUSE M.D.
House M.D. is an American Television series that originally ran on Fox network for eight seasons. The show’s main character, Dr. Gregory House (Huge Laurie) is a pain medication dependent, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius who leads the team of diagnosticians at a hospital in New Jersey. House often clashes with his fellow physicians, including his own diagnostic team, because many of his hypotheses about patients’ illnesses are based on subtle or controversial insights.
Grey’s Anatomy
An American Television series that premiered on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) as a mid-season replacement, Grey’s Anatomy is currently on its 12th season. The series focuses on the fictional lives on surgical interns and residents as they gradually evolve into seasoned doctors, while trying to maintain personal lives and relationships. The protagonist on the series is Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who originally is accepted into the residency program at the Seattle Grace Hospital. The title is a play on the name of Gray’s Anatomy, an English-language textbook of human anatomy, originally written by Henry Gray.
ER
This show was aired on NBC, created by novelist and medical doctor Michael Crichton. It follows the inner life of Emergency Room (ER) of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and various critical issues faced by the room’s physicians and staffs. It won 23 Emmy Awards and with a total 331 episodes, it became the longest running prime-time medical drama in American television history. Author Michael Crichton wrote the screenplay based on his own experiences as a resident physician in a busy hospital emergency room.
SCRUBS
Scrubs is an American medical comedy television series created by Bill Lawrence that aired on NBC and later on ABC. It follows the lives of employees at the fictional Sacred Heart teaching hospital. The title is a play on surgical scrubs and a term of low ranking person because at the beginning of the series, most of the characters were medical interns. Scrubs focuses on the unique point of view of its main character and narrator, Dr. John Michael for the first eight seasons, with season nine being narrated by new main character Lucy Bennett.
PRIVATE PRACTICE
It is an American medical drama television series aired on ABC. A spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy, the series takes place at Seaside Wellness Centre (formerly Oceanside Health & Wellness Group) and chronicles the life of Dr. Addison Montgomery, played by Kate Walsh, as she leaves Seattle Grace Hospital in order to join a private practice, located in Los Angeles. Private Practice also revolves around Addison’s co-workers at Seaside Wellness Centre, and how they deal with patients, and the practice while still finding time to live their everyday lives.
