ER played from 1994-2009, won 10 Emmys, a Golden Globe, cost over 10 million dollars per episode to produce, and some episodes had over 40 million viewers. George Clooney has since starred as a leading man in numerous blockbuster films.

H.S. Clark, MD

My all time favorite TV doctor was Alan Alda as Hawkeye on M*A*S*H, my favorite medical TV show. MASH managed to keep the laughs coming while depicting real life medical drama. The war time setting was intriguing.

Drew L.
Perth, Australia

M*A*S*H ran from 1972-1983. Alan Alda played an army surgeon in the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Unit during the Korean War. Alda's character, Hawkeye, was the only character who appeared in all episodes. The final episode had 125 million viewers, the most for any TV show in history at that time.

My all time favorite TV doc is Dr. Jeffrey Geiger played by Mandy Patinkin on Chicago Hope. I was glued to every episode.

Allison R.
Ottawa, Canada

Chicago Hope ran from 1994 to 2000 and was noted for its melodramatic, soap-opera style. Mandy Patinkin’s performance as a surgeon on Chicago Hope won him an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

H.S. Clark, MD

For current TV docs, no one beats Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, forensic medical examiner on NCIS. Can't figure how they got away with that name, though. Inspired me to go back and watch "Man from U.N.C.L.E." reruns. A great actor, reinvented!

Chad Thompsen
Mystery and Thriller Fan
Toronto, Canada

"Ducky" is played by David McCallum, Sr., (born 1933) is a Scottish actor who played a Russian trained secret agent on "The Man From U.N.C.L.E" with American trained secret agent co-star Robert Culp (1930-2010) in the 1960's. The "UNCLE" spy vs. spy show was a type quite typical of that era. He currently stars on NCIS, one of the most popular crime and action series on TV.

H.S. Clark, MD

How about a few words for the dark side? Ted Danson played my favorite TV doc John Becker on Becker. A shout out for the Bronx, where this opinionated, annoying, chain-smoking, cheapskate doctor managed a medical practice of New York City patients only slightly sicker and more disturbed than their doctor. I live here and I recognized those people. Ted Danson’s struggle to deal with all the Bronx characters and his own vices keep me in stitches.

Ellen Romero
Bronx, NY

Becker ran from 1998 to 2004 and featured Bronx based general practitioner John Becker, a heavily flawed but lovable human being played by Ted Danson. The show had 129 episodes.

I guess I'm showing my true nerd colors, but my favorite TV doctor of all time is Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Enterprise. His blend of old country charm and futuristic medical skills set the standard for doctors in science fiction. "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"

Keith Finster
Boulder, CO

DeForest Kelly played Leonard McCoy, a compassionate and dedicated physician with a failed marriage who joined Starfleet because he was divorced, broke and wanted to get as far away from Earth as possible. He hated advanced technology but mastered it for his practice. The original Star Trek series ran from 1966-1969 and spun off an endless number of movies, comics, books, video games, and related series. DeForest Kelly died in 1999. Karl Urban assumed the role of Leonard McCoy in movies beginning in 2009.

H.S. Clark, MD

My all time favorite TV doctor is Dr. Fleischman on Northern Exposure. He had just the right mix of cynicism, wonder, and compassion. He's also a great comic actor.

Karen Wise
Charlottesville, VA

Rob Morrow played Dr. Joel Fleischman in Northern Exposure from 1990-1995. He won two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes for his roll as a doctor from New York City who was forced to work off his government loan obligation in the fictional remote town of Cicely, Alaska. The show was actually filmed about an hour and a half east of Seattle, in the tiny town of Roslyn, in my home state Washington. This location was chosen to avoid the high cost and isolation of filming in Alaska. Morrow is also well known for playing the role of Don Eppes in Numb3rs.

H.S. Clark, MD

I loved Molly Glynn in her recurring role as a doctor in Chicago Fire. Due to her tragic death, I will never get the chance to know if she’s my favorite TV doctor. It’s so sad to lose such a great talent so young.

Casey Buchwald
Chicago, IL

Molly Glynn died tragically in a freak bicycle accident in Evanston, IL on September 6,, 2014, when a falling tree struck her in a sudden storm. Her husband, Joe Foust, was riding with her at the time. She was born in 1968 and her credits include several movies starting back in 2002, and her recent role as an ER doctor on the TV series Chicago Fire. She will be missed.

Molly Glynn movie credits:
In America – 2002
No Sleep ‘till Madison – 2002
Ctrl + Life + Delete - 2013

H.S. Clark, MD

How about animated docs? My all-time favorite TV doctor is Zoidberg, the lobster-like physician on Futurama. His ravenous appetite, horrific smell, terrible bedside manner, and misplaced overconfidence always had me rolling on the floor laughing. And in spite of his many awful character traits, Zoidberg was quite lovable.

Zeta Martin
Animation artist
Los Angeles, CA

Dr. John Zoidberg was a fictional, animated, alien physician on the Futurama TV show, which ran for seven seasons between 2003-2013. Zoidberg was a lobster-like Decapodian voiced by Billy West. As an alien doctor that treated humans, Zoidberg was, to some extent, a parody of Dr. Leonard McCoy of Star Trek, (see previous post above) who often treated non-human patients.

H.S. Clark, MD

My favorite TV doctor is Dr. Derek Shepherd, played by Patric Dempsey. OK, so he's Dr. McDreamy, and I'm in love! But I love how he plays the part, too.

Allison G
Toronto, CA

Dr. Derek Shepherd, Neurosurgeon, is played by Patric Dempsey on Grey's Anatomy. This up close and personal medical series takes place at a fictional Seattle Hospital. I like that it's set close to my home, even though its mostly filmed in Los Angeles, California. Grey's Anatomy has been on the air since 2005 and is now in its eleventh season.

H.S. Clark, MD

My favorite TV doctor is Dana Scully played by Gillian Anderson on the X-files. She's a medical doctor as well as an FBI agent, a brilliant skeptic in a strange world, and just the right mix of resourceful and vulnerable.

David Lancaster
X-files Addict
Buffalo, NY

The X-files ran for nine seasons on TV and spawned two feature films. Dana Scully came from a military family. She had an undergraduate degree in physics and then earned her MD at Stanford. During the course of the franchise, Scully worked as an FBI agent, surgeon, medical doctor, and a forensic pathologist.

H.S. Clark, MD

My favorite TV doctor is Dr. Megan Hunt-Dana Delany-on Body of Evidence. She does a masterful job of portraying a very complex character. Her outstanding performance sets her aside from other TV doctors.

Body of Evidence ran for three seasons from 2011-2013. Dana Delany played Dr. Megan Hunt, neurosurgeon turned medical examiner after several traumatic life events. Dana Delany’s life ran somewhat parallel to her role, as she is a health enthusiast and suffered personally some of the same traumas as her character.

My favorite TV doctor is Dr. J.D. Dorian on Scrubs. He's the perfect blend of sensitive, caring, and funny. I loved having constant access to his internal dialogue. I give the writers and directors of Scrubs great credit for creating a deep, emotional physician character, and Zach Braff for making it work so well.

Kristen West
Honolulu, HI

Kristen, this show is one of my favorites. The medical sit-com Scrubs spanned 9 seasons from 2001-2010 on 2 networks NBC and ABC. Zach Braff played the lovable Dr. "J.D", who started out as a lowly intern. The live action show mixed fantasy, dreams, animation, song and dance into a fast paced, stream of consciousness type of humor.

H.S. Clark, MD

I love the character and performance of Dr. Leanna "Daddy" Rorish on CODE BLACK. On the other hand, the show isn't the best medical drama ever, so far. I'm hoping that it will survive long enough to mature into something better.

Beth O.
Branson, Missouri

The medical TV series CODE BLACK began in September 2015, starring Marcia Gay Harden as ER Residency Director Dr. Leanne Rorish, known as “Daddy” by the staff. Although Harden’s acting has been stellar, the series has not received great reviews.

H.S. Clark, MD