The Best TV Doctors of All Time

George Clooney in 'ER.'

The irony, of course, is that nobody likes going to the doctor. But watching a doctor? Well, that’s a different story. Unlike flying superheroes, a talented MD can save lives based on pure problem-solving intellect. The truly great ones also boast personality to spare as they solve the medical crisis of the week. Think saintly father figures. Acidic misanthropes. Winking charmers. Freewheeling would-be comedians. And yet they all selflessly give 100 percent to their 24/7 profession. “Life or death is the most dramatic fulcrum you can have,” says David Bianculli, the TV critic on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

The TV doctor can be traced back to the earliest days of television. Back in 1954, the drama Medic, on NBC, was the first show to focus on a doctor (played by Richard Boone) doing procedures. Then came Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey and Medical Center, in which young male docs refused to see eye-to-eye with their mentors. As the decades progressed, the doctors evolved to become older (paging Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis: Murder), younger (one word: Doogie!), funnier (shout-out to Scrubs) and more ethnically and gender diverse. The common denominator? Says Bianculli: “None of them are monolithic—and they’re all wonderful.”

As viewers eagerly await the return of Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Med, The Good Doctor and more, here’s a salute to the 10 most beloved members of Club Med.

The best TV doctors

Dr. James Kildare (Richard Chamberlain)

Dr. Kildare (1961-66, NBC)

Signature style: The young intern emphasized diagnostics over high drama as he dealt with his patients’ problems and tried to impress his esteemed boss, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey), in a large city hospital. (He got promoted to resident in Season 3!)

Why he ranks: Kildare “was a very 1950s guy,” Chamberlain, 89, said in 2010. “He was very conservative, very serious and loved his work, loved his patients and he had a terrific bedside manner because he really cared about his patients. I would think he was extremely savvy medically and learned very fast. He was an excellent doctor.” Plus, as Bianculli notes, “He was the first sex-symbol doctor.”

Behind the stethoscope: Dr. Kildare is actually a multimedia franchise that dates back to the 1930s. Created by Max Brand (real name Frederick Schiller Faust), the character first appeared in pulpy magazine stories before moving into film, radio, newspaper strips and comic books. And before Chamberlain, actor Lew Ayres played the doc in three different versions of a TV pilot starting in the 1950s. None ever made it to air. (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV.)

Dr. Marcus Welby (Robert Young)

Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969-76, ABC)

Signature style: This kind general practitioner treated a patient by taking a more humanistic approach. “He would come to your house and not charge anything!” Bianculli says. No wonder he often clashed with his younger, more politically correct partner, Steven Kiley (James Brolin).

Why he ranks: Unlike previous TV docs, Welby worked primarily to make his patients accept the fact that they had a disease instead of just doling out diagnoses. Among his weekly lessons? Epileptics can live normal lives; lepers can get married; deaf children can learn; women are not deformed after breast surgery.

Behind the stethoscope: Young battled depression and alcoholism during his run as the doting dad on Father Knows Best, eventually seeking treatment. He came out of retirement for this role and won his third Emmy for it. “He’s understanding and dedicated,” he said of the character. “These are words that for some reason have fallen into disuse. I knew from the start that I had to come back and play this man.” Young (who died in 1998), so relished playing a doctor on TV that he regularly gave speeches at medical conventions and was known for offering pre-WebMD health tips to his cast and crew on the set. He reprised the character in a 1984 TV movie. (Streaming on Apple TV.)

Dr. Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda)

M*A*S*H (1972-83, CBS)

Signature style: Among the many memorable doctors at the 4077th, Hawkeye was the womanizing smart aleck who became deadly serious when it came to treating soldiers in the Korean War and sounding off about combat: “War isn’t hell. War is war, and hell is hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.”

Why he ranks: He’s only the heart and soul on one of the most iconic shows of all time. (It bears repeating: More than 120 million people watched the series finale.) And for all of Hawkeye’s freewheeling musings, he always provided a tender touch. “Even though it was mainly a comedy, we never tried to forget that real people had lived and suffered through stories like the ones we were telling,” Alda, 87, told Parade in 2022. “We wanted, as much as we could, to honor that.”

Behind the stethoscope: Alda—who racked up 25 Emmy nominations for acting, writing and directing the series—noted that he and his cohorts (such as Wayne Rogers, Mike Farrell, Jamie Farr and Loretta Swit) worked hard on establishing that in-the-trenches camaraderie: “For the first season, every Friday night we’d stay late and eat pizza and drink beer and end many Fridays in a circle airing our complaints to one another. During the shooting day, we’d hang out together in our circle of chairs and tell stories and play games and rib each other.” (Streaming on Hulu, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video.)

Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels)

St. Elsewhere (1982-88, NBC)

Signature style: It’s about time we got to an arrogant jerk! Brilliant and skilled, the heart surgeon talked down to everyone at his decaying teaching hospital in Boston, often berating his interns, nurses, patients and anyone else who got in his way. And yet Dr. Craig’s moments of failure brought out his underlying humanity.

Why he ranks: Welcome to the era of headstrong, egocentric TV docs. “He was more of the antagonist than the protagonist and was really the precursor to House,” Bianculli says. Indeed, Daniels won two Emmys for the role. And amid an impressive ensemble that included Mark Harmon, Denzel Washington, David Morse and Howie Mandel, he appeared in the most episodes.

Behind the stethoscope: St. Elsewhere was actually canceled after its first season, but TV executive Grant Tinker had a change of heart and renewed it over the summer. It ended up being one of NBC’s seminal ‘80s hits. “It had good scripts and interesting characters,” Daniels said in 2007. “And I think it was bedded in a kind of a reality of a real hospital. Not one of these shiny Dr. Kildare-type shows, but a nitty-gritty hospital that you’re liable to wind up in.” (Streaming on Hulu, Apple TV.)

Dr. Douglas “Doogie” Howser (Neil Patrick Harris)

Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-93, ABC)

Signature style: As explained in the opening credits, the child prodigy cruised through school to become the youngest licensed doctor ever. At 16, he deals with life-or-death medical emergencies in his hospital residency program while experiencing typical teen angst along with his best buddy (Max Casella) and girlfriend (Lisa Dean Ryan).

Why he ranks: So what that the single-camera comedy has been off the air for 30 years? The ultra-earnest Doogie remains a pop-culture icon. “He’s got an intellect you can actually believe in as he’s spewing up the medical jargon, and there’s something about him—you care about him as a kid,” David E. Kelley, who co-created the show with Steven Bochco, said in 2011.

Behind the stethoscope: Despite Bochco’s pedigree (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law), ABC executives didn’t like his choice of Harris, now 50, in the title role. Bochco shot the Kelley-scripted pilot episode anyway because he knew the network would have to pay him a significant sum even if the project failed. ABC didn’t like the first episode, either, but test audiences did. “It was put on the air because of how it tested—not because anybody at the network believed in it,” Kelley added. (Streaming on Disney+.)

Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn (Jane Seymour)

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993-98, CBS)

Signature style: The enlightened Dr. Quinn arrives from Boston to become the lone practitioner in a pioneering Colorado town in the 1860s. Despite initial misgivings from the locals, she earns their respect thanks to her knowledge and gumption, using limited resources.

Why she ranks: Not only did Dr. Quinn overcome sexism in the Old West, Seymour was the first actress to headline her own medically themed TV drama. “She was a pioneer in a lot of ways,” Bianculli says. “A good female doctor on TV is still incredibly rare.”

Behind the stethoscope: In the early ‘90s, Seymour admits she was desperate for work because of accumulating debt. “[The pilot script] was just a piece of magic,” the native Brit, 72, recalled in 2022. “I thought, ‘If it has that effect on me, maybe it will on the audience.’” It did, as Dr. Quinn became a surprise Top 20 hit during its first season despite a deadly Saturday nighttime slot. Seymour, who stars as an amateur detective in Harry Wild on Prime Video, has been open about her desire to revive the beloved doctor and revealed in 2022 that original creator Beth Sullivan has already scripted the first episode! (Streaming on Pluto, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel.)

Dr. Douglas Ross (George Clooney)

ER (1994-2009, NBC)

Signature style: Sigh. The ridiculously handsome ER pediatrician was dedicated to his specialty, often risking his job, or himself—remember when he almost drowned in a flooded culvert?—in the name of saving a sick or injured child. That his personal life was often in shambles just made him more appealing. “He was a bad boy and America melted for him,” Bianculli says.

Why he ranks: There’s a reason why the character turned Clooney, 62, from a journeyman actor to A-list megastar. As Dr. Ross, he got to turn on the rakish charm and pugnacious attitude while showing off his sensitive side with kids. “It was the job of a lifetime and it changed my career,” he said in 2022.

Behind the stethoscope: Even as Clooney’s star began to rise in the ‘90s, he stayed committed to the smash drama and honored his original five-year TV contract. He popped up again in a surprise 2000 reunion with his longtime love, nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), and in 2009 for one of ER’s final episodes. (Streaming on Hulu.)

Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie)

House (2004-12, Fox)

Signature style: Despite an addiction to Vicodin and a bedside manner from hell, the irritable doctor at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey is a brilliant diagnostician who can solve medical puzzles like Lt. Columbo can sniff out a murderer. “He’s a curmudgeon, but his expertise kept him on the job,” Bianculli says.

Why he ranks: During the height of TV procedurals in the early aughts, House proved that unexplained mysteries aren’t relegated to forensics labs. All it takes is a no-nonsense, unorthodox doctor who doesn’t care about ruffling a few administrative feathers.

Behind the stethoscope: Though the English Laurie, 64, wasn’t the producers’ first choice, he won the role thanks to an unusual audition. As the star later explained, he was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix when he sent in a self-made and totally improvised audition tape. To add to authenticity, he filmed it in his hotel bathroom because, “It was the only place with enough light.” (Streaming on Hulu.)

Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh)

Grey’s Anatomy (2005-, ABC)

Signature style: She cuts with a knife in more ways than one. But while Yang tends to come off sterile and unfeeling in her quest for professional perfection, the cardiothoracic surgeon is unfailingly caring and supportive when it comes to her friendship with fellow Seattle Grace Hospital intern-turned-resident, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).

Why she ranks: Put it this way: The Emmy-nominated Oh, 52, left the sudsy drama in 2014 after 10 seasons, but her shadow still looms large. Flawlessly flawed, she did everything from accidentally stabbing Alex (Justin Chambers) with a syringe to ruining Meredith’s 3D research to blithely naming her interns after Snow White’s seven dwarfs. Says Bianculli, “She made a lot of mistakes and did things that weren’t proper but we’re talking about a female doctor in prime time. It’s a rare model.”

Behind the stethoscope: The actress, who went on to star in Killing Eve, admits to mixed feelings about her Grey’s tenure. As she told Parade in 2022, “It’s one thing to be a successful actor, and it’s another thing to be on a hit TV show, you know? I didn’t want to be a part of that. There is an artistry in our job, but so many people are striving for fame. They may not realize that the loss of anonymity as a person and as an actor has consequences. For me, it became isolating.” She also ruled out any return appearances. (Streaming on Hulu.)

Related: When Will 'Grey's Anatomy' Be Back for Season 20?

Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore)

The Good Doctor (2017-, ABC)

Signature style: As an autistic savant, the surgical resident must overcome his aversion to social interaction. But his ability to think outside the box gives him an edge in finding solutions for his patients.

Why he ranks: Yes, he has superhuman recall and an intense focus on easily missed details. But Murphy must work harder than his peers (not to mention everyone else on the list) because he must frequently fight against labels and stigmas while relating to his various patients. “I feel like Shaun has always been a hopeful character and at times he can bring people together in celebrating his neurodiversity,” Highmore said in 2022, upon the show’s 100th episode.

Behind the stethoscope: The British actor, 31, has been on the Hollywood scene since appearing with Johnny Depp as a child in 2004’s Finding Neverland. But he initially turned down the starring role because he just completed his run on the A&E series, Bates Motel. “When you’ve just finished a show that had been on the air for five seasons, you’re aware of the necessary commitment that’s behind it,” he said in 2018. But creator David Shore (House) ultimately convinced him to sign on. (Streaming on Hulu.)

Related: All About 'The Good Doctor' Season 7, Including Who From the Cast Is Out

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Next, 8 Shows to Watch If You Like ‘The Good Doctor’