For all of its gloss and sheen, one of the things that sets The Resident apart is its willingness to showcase some of the harsher realities of American healthcare. On The Resident, medicine is both the work of treating patients and a business, and it’s that balance that makes the show so compelling.
If you’ve already worked your way through every available episode of The Resident now that the show is streaming on Netflix, though, you may be looking for some other great medical dramas that work in a similar mode. Lucky for you, we’ve found three such shows that break the mold, in one or another, for what shows about doctors can look like.
Nurse Jackie (2009-2015)
Edie Falco won a boatload of awards for Nurse Jackie, which all were richly deserved. The series follows Falco’s Jackie as she works as a nurse at a New York City hospital. The series is much more frank about the realities of American healthcare than most shows of its type, and Jackie, in particular, is willing to bend the rules more than a little to ensure that patients get the care that they need.
All the while, Jackie is nursing addictions to Vicodin and Adderall that help her get through her hectic shifts. Merritt Wever (Roar) was a standout co-star throughout the show’s run, winning an Emmy for her work in 2013, but this was Falco’s showcase, and one she richly deserved.
Private Practice (2007-2013)
A spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy that began and ended long before that original show went anywhere, Private Practice follows Addison Montgomery as she joins a trendy new public clinic in Los Angeles, leaving Seattle in the rearview mirror. The series was usually a little lighter and less serious than Grey’s, but perfectly balanced its medical stories with the engrossing personal lives of its various characters.
As was the case with Grey’s, Private Practice had plenty of time for each of its character’s relationships and struggles. Featuring an outstanding cast that included Kate Walsh, Amy Brenneman, and Taye Diggs, Private Practice earned its six seasons on the air.
House MD (2004-2012)
A medical drama loosely based on the stories of Sherlock Holmes, House MD follows a crotchety, cantankerous doctor who handles the cases that other doctors can’t figure out. Hugh Laurie’s commanding central performance is one reason the show is worth watching, but it’s also compelling because it turns medical drama into a sort of mystery series.
As all great medical dramas do, House also mixes in plenty of interpersonal drama between House, his friends, and the team who works under him. The show ran for a total of eight seasons, but the early seasons are particularly great and felt like a totally new spin on what medical shows could be.
