From emergency room dramas to medical comedies, here are five brilliant box-sets for anyone working in healthcare to binge watch.
A hospital sees enough action in a day to create a drama series out of, and there are plenty shows that do just that.Whether you’re into comedy or prefer a fast-paced drama, there’s sure to be a medical show that you’ll enjoy. Here are six of the best to binge watch, regardless of whether you already work in healthcare or are hoping to.
ER
Set in a fictional hospital in Chicago, ER scooped up more than a hundred awards during its 15 years on screen and boasted a cast which included George Clooney and Thandie Newton.
It’s unsurprising that show was deemed ‘the most realistic fictional treatment of the medical profession TV has ever presented’ by a critic; ER’s creator, Michael Crichton, was once an emergency room doctor himself.
This makes the show incredibly lifelike, as Crichton has witnessed the intensity of a hospital pushed to its limits first hand, and translated this into a script that ticks all the boxes when it comes to TV drama.
Grey’s Anatomy
This American medical drama tells the story of a group of trainee doctors and surgical interns on their journey to becoming experienced medical professionals at the fictional Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle.
Focusing on the battle to balance a healthy personal life with a hectic work schedule when you’re working in a busy hospital, the show is an interesting cross between medical and romantic drama, making for an entertaining watching. It’s won several awards, including a Golden Globe for best TV drama.
Grey’s Anatomy began back in 2005 and still airs today – that means there’s more than 300 episodes for you to catch up on if you’re a newbie to the series.
Call the Midwife
This BBC period drama centres around a group of midwives working in London’s East End during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The series tells the story of newly-qualified midwife, Jenny, and the people she works alongside at Nonnatus House – a nursing convent. Set in Poplar, Call the Midwife highlights the struggle to deliver babies safely at a time when the district was incredibly poor and underprivileged.
The show started in 2012, and became the most successful new drama to air on the BBC for more than 10 years.
House
Set in the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey, unconventional medical genius, Dr House, manages a group of diagnosticians.
Often making judgements based on controversial opinions, House frequently comes to blows with his colleagues, including those on his own team. Most episodes depict the team’s attempts to diagnose and treat patients who have previously been misdiagnosed – and House is known for refusing to look at those whose cases aren’t interesting enough.
Hugh Laurie’s performance as House saw him awarded the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama for two consecutive years.
Scrubs
Scrubs is an American comedy-drama set in fictional hospital, Sacred Heart, told mainly from the point of view of the main character and narrator, J.D.
Heavily reliant on slapstick and comical daydream sequences, most of the main characters are medical interns. The writers worked closely with a team of medical advisors, some of whom the main characters were then named after.
The show’s sense of humour won it critical acclaim and 17 Emmy nominations, and lead star Zach Braff was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for season four.
Are you pursuing a career in healthcare?
At Arden, you can study BA Healthcare Management online, or at one of our fantastic study centres in London, Birmingham or Manchester.
