The best medical series in history have managed to gather millions of viewers in front of televisions around the world, either holding their breath because the life of a patient is in danger or because they have just found the protagonists making out in an office behind closed doors (yes, we look at you, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’). In that balance lies the key to the success of many medical dramas that have been installed on the television grid, and have not wanted to let it go for years, at the level of other popular genres such as the best zombie series or the best war series.

Not only does this show an incredible ability of its creators to find medical cases to face episode after episode, but also that the public is still hungry (has been for decades) for more series of doctors . And, for this reason, we intend to collect the best ones, whether they come from the catalog of Netflix series, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Disney + and more.

We are talking in this list of series like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, the creation of Shonda Rhimes that is headed for its 18th season, being one of the most followed, beloved and long-lived series on television. And in all that time it has been Ellen Pompeo, in the role of Meredith Grey, the beacon that has guided stories and romantic dramas of all kinds, as the best episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ demonstrate. But for this series to succeed in the way it did, others had to touch the sky first. This is the case of ‘ER’, the legendary series of the 90s that pioneered the massive doctor (hello, George Clooney) and became a real happy place for its fans(Although… do you know what has become of the cast of ‘ER’ almost 30 years later?). Although if we want to find something more different and original, there we have ‘Scrubs’, Bill Lawrence’s series starring Zach Braff that turned everyday life in a hospital into a narration full of fantasies and hallucinations by its protagonist. In addition, he left the drama to a minimum and focused on comedy, a breath of fresh air for the genre that is among the best series to watch on Disney +.

The most recent addition to the list is ‘This is going to hurt’, the BBC production (available on Movistar+) that adapts the memoirs of the doctor and screenwriter Adam Kay directed by Lucy Forbes (‘The End Of the F***ing World’) and Tom Kingsley (‘Ghosts’, ‘Stath Lets Flats’). Ben Whishaw –winner of the Emmy, the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for ‘A Very English Scandal’– plays a resident doctor in his hectic day-to-day life in the obstetrics and gynecology wing of a public health hospital in a honest and acid chronicle, not exempt from the best black humor, about a health system that moves between precariousness, bureaucracy and constant contradiction.

These series and so many others that came before and after make up our list of the best medical series. Which is your favorite?

Starring Ben Whishaw (‘No Time To Die’, ‘A Very English Scandal’), the series delves into the hectic day-to-day life of a resident doctor in a hospital’s OB/GYN wing . 97-hour weeks, 24/7 availability, life-or-death decisions, and a daily tsunami of bodily fluids offset by less than meter-paying revenue. Adam doubles shifts, grapples with surreal diagnoses, battles constant bureaucracy, shouldering responsibilities that don’t belong to him, and trying to survive the panic of being wrong as his personal life inevitably begins to unravel.

Available on Movistar+

Created by David Schulner , this series has been one of the latest television medical phenomena, thanks in part to its addition to the Netflix catalogue. The story is set in a hospital that is in low economic times and at reputation levels, but that will turn around with the arrival of Dr. Max Goodwin ( Ryan Eggold ), the new medical director and an idealist who wants to break with the ways that they have brought the center to ruin. His target of him? Give the best possible treatment to your patients. Uncomplainingly’. Surely many fans already place it among the best series of 2021.

Available on Netflix

This legendary and seemingly endless medical drama created by Shonda Rhimes chronicles the adventures of Dr. Meredith Gray ( Ellen Pompeo ) and her companions at Seattle Grace Hospital. A mixture of medical and romantic drama, it has stood out for its good narrative work, its handling of dramatic elements, its characters and its performers. Proof of this (in addition to the best episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’) are its seventeen seasons on the air, which have made it the longest-running medical series on television, surpassing ‘ER’.

Available on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video

David Shore ‘s ‘House’, a series aired on Fox from 2004 to 2012, follows in the footsteps of Dr. Gregory House ( Hugh Laurie ), an unconventional medical genius who leads the diagnostic team at a New Jersey hospital. The series won five Emmy Awards (among other accolades) and received praise during its years of broadcasting for offering a different perspective from other medical dramas and for the interpretation of its protagonist, with whom we all had a love-hate relationship. One of the best series of the 21st century? For many, yes.

Available on Amazon Prime Video

Airing first on NBC and then on ABC, this dramedy tells the stories of a group of hospital employees, but in a way you’ve never seen it before in the genre. Created by Bill Lawrence and starring Zach Braff , its first eight seasons were generally very well received by audiences and critics alike, who praised its cast, characters, and humor (particularly the “fantasies” of JD). Its last season, on the other hand, did not convince at all, although it does not change the fact that ‘Scrubs’ is one of the best valued medical series. One of those series to recommend without fear of being wrong.

Available on Disney+

This adaptation of the homonymous Korean series by David Shore (‘House’) and starring Freddie Highmore , who plays a brilliant surgical resident who suffers from autism. The series has been one of the biggest successes in recent years in countries like Spain and has been praised for its good balance of medical and romantic drama, its handling of emotions and the work of its interpreters. One of the best series on Amazon Prime Video, even if it’s not one of its originals.

Available on Movistar+, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video

Possibly one of the most important and best-acclaimed medical dramas in history, ‘ER’ was a series created by Michael Crichton and broadcast on NBC between 1994 and 2009. It chronicles the events that take place in the emergency room of a hospital in Chicago and follow in the footsteps of the doctors and nurses who work there. It received a total of 124 Emmy nominations, winning 23 of them, and launched the career of George Clooney . In addition, it was the longest-running series of doctors until ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ snatched the position.

Mythical Spanish series from the early 2000s, broadcast by Telecinco and which lasted on the air for a whopping 20 seasons, a total of twelve years. Only the best do that. Starring Jordi Rebellón , Antonio Zabálburu , Alicia Borrachero , Nacho Fresneda and more, it follows the personal and professional lives of the fictional Central Hospital in Madrid. Winner of the Golden TP for the best Spanish series and the Ondas Award for the best Spanish series. Perfect to combine with the best Spanish series on Amazon Prime Video.

The chaotic daily life of the most collapsed hospital in Chicago is the raw material and setting for this series created by Matt Olmstead and Dick Wolf , and which has convinced fans of the genre. And that’s thanks to its dedicated lead team, who bring to life a group of doctors and nurses willing to do whatever it takes to keep the hospital afloat while dealing with personal problems. Wow, the usual, but equally fantastic and at the level of the best suspense series in their most tense moments.

Available on Amazon Prime Video and Movistar+

With only two seasons, this series produced by Steven Soderbergh and starring Clive Owen captivated the audience with its portrait of the New York hospital The Knick at the beginning of the 20th century, intense, at times depressing and, above all, full of blood.

Available on HBO Spain

A television sequel to the Robert Altman film , this legendary dramedy aired on CBS between 1972 and 1983, chronicling the adventures of a medical team operating during the Korean War. It is one of the best-regarded series in history and even ranks near the top of some of the most influential lists. Your secret? Take things in a good mood even in the worst case scenario. We could include it among the best historical series on television.

This dramedy created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey aired on CBS from 1990 to 1995, garnering a total of 27 awards during its run. It told the story of a New York doctor who is forced to move to a small town in Alaska. Although it is not a typical medical drama, many of its plots revolved around this theme, although most explored more personal and sentimental aspects of both its protagonist and the rest of the characters.

This Catalan series is rated as one of the best medical fictions on television. The series, a work by Albert Espinosa and Pau Freixas , emulates Espinosa’s experiences in a children’s hospital where a series of children and adolescents suffering from various ailments are admitted. The series has been adapted in several countries, including the United States (a series that Steven Spielberg produced, by the way ).

Available on Filmin and Amazon Prime Video

‘Code Black’, which concluded just this week after seasons, is a medical drama that takes place in a California hospital emergency room. It stars Marcia Gay Harden and in general has received mixed reviews from specialists, who point out that, although it has not invented the wheel, ‘Code Black’ is better than many medical dramas thanks to the strength of its plots.

Another legendary medical fiction that aired on NBC between 1982 and 1988 developed by the creators of ‘Doctor in Alaska’, Joshua Brand and John Falsey . It tells the story of veteran doctors who teach their interns the profession of medicine and how to make critical decisions in difficult times. It was acclaimed for its rawness and truthfulness, as well as winning 13 Emmys during its run.

This dramedy starring Rachel Bilson and broadcast on The CW channel between 2011 and 2015, told the adventures of Zoe Hart, a young doctor who inherited her father’s practice in a small town in Alabama. The series, more of a romantic dramedy than a series of doctors, stood out for its comparison with ‘Doctor in Alaska’ and for its fresh and positive tone.

This dramedy, starring the legendary Edie Falco , followed in the footsteps of a drug-addicted nurse in a New York hospital. Critics highlighted the acting work of the cast of the series (it discovered us, by the way, the great Merritt Wever ) as well as her intelligence, sharpness and crudeness both in the professional section and in the personal of the protagonist.

Though critics weren’t too kind to it, this series created by Amy Holden Jones , Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi has all the elements that fans of the genre are excited about. Starring Matt Czuchry and Emily Vancamp , the story centers on a young doctor who starts his first day under the supervision of a brilliant senior resident who will show him the harsh reality of modern medicine.

Created by Ryan Murphy , this drama stars Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon , founders of a modern yet controversial cosmetic surgery center. Each episode focused on the peculiar operations that were performed there and on the advances in the personal lives of the doctors. Critics praised the interpretive work as well as the intelligence and originality of their stories.