As a handshake to last week’s Favorite Police Television Shows, this week’s topic is a complement.
Since the days of daytime soap operas and Marcus Welby, M.D. the scripted medical drama has been a mainstay on television.
Presenting stories of varying medical severity, in-hospital romances, and ego-driven medical staff, the programs have run the gamut from cute, funny and kitschy to realistic, stark, and gruesome.
The airwaves have been jammed-packed with this genre for decades and each one garners instant audiences who sit vigil waiting for the next episode.
In addition to medical dramas, comedies have also tried a hospital or doctor’s office as the setting for their show.
From M*A*S*H with a brilliant ensemble cast led by Alan Alda to E/R with Elliot Gould
and from Empty Nest with Richard Mulligan to Becker with Ted Danson,
medical comedies usually morphed into dramas at some point, some more often than others.
Today scripted medical programs on television still populate the television guide. They are as popular as ever and still elicit emotional responses from their viewers.
What are your favorite scripted medical programs on television? Do you prefer the comedies, dramas, or enjoy both? Name the shows you watch and why you tune in each week.
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Seeing that I own the entire series on DVD, my favorite is MASH. St. Elsewhere would come in 2nd.
ReplyDeleteHouse M.D. (up until this season)
ReplyDeleteDoogie Howser M.D.
Does General Hospital count?
I know they aren't scripted, but I also enjoy an episode or two of Dr. G: Medical Examiner or Mystery Diagnosis.