TV's Current Medical Dramas, Ranked: Our Diagnoses For The Pitt, Watson, Doc, Grey's Anatomy And More

Just as TV vampires were once inescapable, we're now finding ourselves in something of a TV doctor boom. (Hey, all that fake blood had to go to use somewhere.)

Though ABC's Grey's Anatomy and NBC's Chicago Med have been on the air for years, the 2024-25 TV season has ushered in no fewer than six new medical dramas, each with a different tone and conceit. Want your medical shows to feel a bit like a campy fever dream? ABC's Doctor Odyssey is your best bet. Prefer to feel the acute stress of a real-life emergency room? Max's The Pitt is as realistic as this genre gets. Plus, CBS' Watson is there for those who like a medical drama with some Sherlock Holmes lore on the side.

All eight of the TV landscape's current doctor dramas have strong pulses at the moment — but how do these M.D.-centric shows stack up against each other? We've come up with our own ranking in the list below, which checks the vitals of NBC's Brilliant Minds, Fox's Doc, Netflix's Pulse and more series.

Two asterisks of note: 1) To make our list, a series must either be set primarily in a hospital, or at least center mainly on doctors and their weekly medical cases (which rules out a catch-all first responder drama like 9-1-1); and 2) we excluded any acquired series, which is why you won't see shows like Canada's Transplant or the U.K.'s Call the Midwife on our list.

Keep scrolling for our full ranking of the small screen's current medical dramas, then hit the comments with your own diagnoses!

Netflix's new medical drama, which just scrubbed in on April 3, isn't the first show in the genre to emulate Grey's Anatomy, nor will it be the last. But despite the illicit romance at its center, the subsequent exploration of power dynamics in the workplace and the colorful ensemble of other doctors and surgeons, Pulse is just sorta... there, never quite managing true thrills with either the docs or the medical emergencies they work on. The cast does have some standouts, though, namely Jack Bannon (Pennyworth) as cocky-yet-charming surgical resident Tom Cole and Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) as surgery chair Natalie Cruz. — Rebecca Luther

After introducing three promising protagonists — Max (Joshua Jackson), Avery (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan (Sean Teale) — Doctor Odyssey has failed to develop them. While Teale's strong performance can, at times, inject just enough energy into the ABC sudser to make up for the overall lack of chemistry among the cast, one man can only do so much! Though what the ship lacks in substance, it sometimes makes up for in absurdity, like that time guest star Tom McGowan overdosed on shrimp. Overall, we love the glitz and the glamour; we just wish there were more to 'ship on this ship! — Claire Franken

NBC's drama, which is loosely based on the life of neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, owes a lot to Fox's House: In both shows, an eccentric, standoffish genius leads a team that investigates medical mysteries via avant garde means. While Brilliant Minds' cases are, indeed, bizarre, it's Dr. Oliver Wolf (played by Zachary Quinto) and his personal life that are the show's real strength. His enemies-to-lovers arc with fellow doc Nichols (Teddy Sears) and his complicated family life (Oliver's parents are played by Donna Murphy and Mandy Patinkin) are much more compelling than the clinical quandaries presented to Dr. Wolf's team. — Kimberly Roots

Sherlock Holmes is dead, and his faithful friend is a clinical geneticist and internist in Pittsburgh, in CBS' medical-procedural inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous stories. Like NBC's Brilliant Minds, Watson (played by Morris Chestnut) and his crew of brilliant-yet-troubled researchers lean heavily on House's format, except the doc at the center of it all is highly charming (albeit traumatized by Moriarty's sinister meddling). But there's the twist: The intermittent, nefarious involvement of Moriarty (Randall Park), and the lengths to which he'll go to mess with Watson, wind up being the element of the series that makes it a smidge more interesting than some of its similar peers. — K.R.

In its 21st season, the long-running ABC drama is showing signs of age. It lacks a couple as compelling as #MerDer or #Slexie. And having wheeled in cases as jaw-dropping as Season 2's train passengers impaled by a pole and the patient with a bomb in his chest, it struggles to up the ante on shock. Nevertheless, the series not only remains tasty comfort food that always keeps us coming back for seconds, it's still able to tug at our heartstrings as if it installed them. (See: Mika's reaction to her sister's death.) — Charlie Mason

In its 10th season, the long-running NBC drama has experienced something of a rejuvenation, thanks to new showrunner Allen MacDonald and an infusion of fresh cast members in Luke Mitchell, Darren Barnet and Sarah Ramos. While Med isn't reinventing the genre — and it still has something of a problem when it comes to crafting compelling romances — the new characters have brought a revitalizing energy to the series. Plus, the show hasn't forgotten its deep history, surprising us with the unexpected but welcome return of Rachel DiPillo's Dr. Sarah Reese this season. — Vlada Gelman

Based on Italy's Doc: Nelle tue mani, Fox's already-renewed freshman drama boasts a solid cast led by Molly Parker, Omar Metwally and Scott Wolf. But what has impressed us most thus far is how the series — about an elite physician whose icy personality and entire life were upended by a car crash/amnesia — regularly zags where you think it will zig. Season 1 was a fascinating (and yes, sometimes-soapy) exploration of the title character's navigating of her new reality, building to a finale that promises to change the game again, for Season 2. — Matt Webb Mitovich

ER was the gold standard... that is, until Noah Wyle, R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells reunited to deliver the most medically accurate TV drama of all time. (You don't have to take our word for it; real-life doctors and nurses have raved about it!) The Pitt's attention to detail may compel you to watch certain scenes through the cracks of your fingers, but the effort must be commended, as should the series' commitment to elegant world-building. While it takes place almost entirely in the fluorescent-lit confines of a woefully underfunded emergency room, it still manages to deliver compelling characters and interpersonal dynamics, buoyed not only by Wyle's performance, but by its entire ensemble. There's not a weak link in the bunch. — Ryan Schwartz

Which of TV's current medical dramas would get the No. 1 spot on your ranking? Tell us below!