The Best Medical TV Shows to Watch After The Pitt
For the past four months, The Pitt has shown why medical television shows have an enduring appeal. Combine overworked and sometimes feuding doctors with patients arriving to a crowded emergency room on the worst day of their lives, and the stakes really couldn’t be higher.
But with The Pitt’s first season finale, Noah Wyle’s exhausted and beloved Dr. Robby is finally done with his shift. He’s in dire need of some rest after navigating multiple devastating medical emergencies, including a mass casualty incident, an ongoing nursing shortage, and even rats roaming the halls of his ER. While Robby and the rest of the emergency room day shift team has certainly earned time off, that leaves the rest of us with a Pitt-sized hole on our TVs (and in our hearts). Luckily, there’s plenty to keep us occupied before the show is back for a second season, which could be coming as soon as early next year and will take place over a July Fourth weekend.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Below, we’ve broken down recommendations on what medical show to watch next, whether you’re in the mood for a more romantic doctor drama or are looking to laugh after sobbing through the last few episodes of The Pitt.
If you want more Noah Wyle
Go back to where it all began. Long before he was Dr. Robby, Wyle graced our television screens as medical student John Carter in ER. With 15 seasons, the medical drama from Michael Crichton built on the blueprint that St. Elsewhere first established in the 1980s and features a starry cast including George Clooney and Julianna Margulies. The long-running series is set in a fictional Chicago hospital’s emergency room where doctors grapple with complex medical decisions and, at times, even more complicated personal crises.
If you want realistic medicine
If you’re impressed by the medical accuracy in The Pitt, check out Netflix’s documentary series Lenox Hill. Released in 2020, the series follows four real-life doctors at the titular New York City hospital. Lenox Hill offers an unflinching window into the world of medicine and is every bit as emotional as The Pitt as the doctors reflect on life and death in real time.
If you want doctor romance
Are you also dying to know what exactly went down between The Pitt’s Dr. Collins and Dr. Robby? For more overt interpersonal drama, you should watch Grey’s Anatomy. Shonda Rhimes’ mega-popular series, which is the longest running medical drama ever, is packed to the brim with romance. With over 21 seasons to choose from, there’s plenty of longing, lust, and heartbreak from characters who are constantly falling in and out of love with each other.
If you want workplace drama
A spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy, ABC’s Private Practice is centered on Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), who leaves Seattle for Los Angeles where she joins a team of doctors at her best friend’s private practice. Played by veteran actors like Audra McDonald, Taye Diggs, and Amy Brenneman, Private Practice’s team is always arguing with each other about their patients. The ethical lines are blurry and the decision-making is messy, but totally thrilling. Though Grey’s is often the ABC medical drama associated with crazy twists and turns, Private Practice also deserves some recognition. There may be no exploding ferry boats or bombs inside chest cavities in this show, but there is a terrifying sequence of a doctor whose baby is cut out of her by a mentally ill patient!
Stream Private Practice on Hulu
If you want crazy patient cases
Though many of the patients’ diagnoses on The Pitt are obvious, some were less so, like the influencer who ended up having mercury poisoning from a bad skincare product. If you’re captivated by these kinds of medical mysteries, it might be time to check out House. The series stars Hugh Laurie as the titular doctor who leads a team of doctors focused on making difficult diagnoses. The cases are wild—as is the drama between the doctors.
If you want to laugh
Many medical shows are weepy, but this 2024 Peacock series is certainly not. St. Denis Medical is a mockumentary-style sitcom set in Oregon where a group of doctors and nurses are just trying to make it through the day unscathed. It’s a genuinely laugh-out-loud funny show about an underfunded hospital, which is being run by an executive director who shares Michael Scott’s overconfidence and lack of preparation for the job. Not only is it hilarious, but much like The Pitt, St. Denis Medical is often also a searing indictment of the broken American healthcare system.
Stream St. Denis Medical on Peacock
If you just want to have fun!
Take a vacation from the emotional wreckage of The Pitt with ABC’s Doctor Odyssey. Starring Joshua Jackson as Dr. Max Bankman, Ryan Murphy’s latest foray into medical television takes place on a luxury cruise ship where there is no shortage of emergencies. This show is like Grey’s Anatomy meets Bravo’s Below Deck: ridiculous, dramatic, and totally addicting. Plus, it features a roster of fun guest stars, played by many familiar faces like Shania Twain, Amy Sedaris, Rachel Dratch, and John Stamos.