Why Am I Watching So Many Medical Series?

April 12, 2025

I’m juggling a lot of TV shows right now. Most notably, I’m in the middle of The Pitt on Max and have seen a few episodes of Dying for Sex on FX/Hulu. For those who don’t know these series, they’re both medically-related. In the former, Noah Wylie stars as the head of an emergency room filled with interns and LOTS of sick or injured people. Each episode takes place in the same day but an hour at a time. So, when a new episode begins it’s like a new hour of the day has turned. I’m nine episodes in, meaning that it is 3:00 PM. Dying for Sex isn’t a medical series per se but it stars Michelle Williams as a woman whose cancer has come back and now learns that it is terminal. Because she’s never had an orgasm with her husband, played by Jay Duplass, she decides it’s time to leave him and finally have some great sex before she dies. Of these two series, Dying for Sex is, yes, more of a comedy.

But that’s not all I’ve been glued to recently. I’m also up to date on what I think is the funniest show on television right now, the NBC/Peacock series St. Denis Medical. Yes, another hospital-themed series. Clearly, this is the lightest of the three, featuring the mock documentary style of The Office and Parks and Recreation. One might think that this approach should be over by now but between St. Denis Medical and Abbott Elementary, it’s still flying high with some fantastic results.

So, how is it that three of the best shows on television at this time all deal with illnesses, hospital issues, and their often crazy, stressed out doctors? For me though the biggest question is: why am I watching these shows? Did I mention I’ve also been binging reruns of Scrubs? I am into the seventh season and find it to be the most hilarious older series I’ve seen in a long time. (I still love The Office too.)

Chad Everett on Medical Center, 1975

Here’s the thing: I’ve never regularly watched anything medically related. As a child, I’d occasionally check out Marcus Welby, MD or Medical Center (the doctors were either very nice or hot) but I’ve never seen ER, St. Elsewhere, or Grey’s Anatomy. I always thought they’d be too depressing to watch. I lost my father and two step fathers from terminal illnesses before I turned forty. Death scared the hell out of me. During the 80s when AIDS was running rampant in the gay community, it instilled even more fear of illness and hospitals. Every new pimple seemed like a death sentence. Watching any TV series that touched on anything related to cancer or death wasn’t even an option I’d consider taking.

So, why now? Well, all of these series are excellent in various ways. I’ve learned over time that I can watch any genre be it war-themed (which also freaked me out) or action-oriented (within reason) as long as it is well-written, acted, and produced. Each of the above series has a lot going for them.

Scrubs is simply a 21^st Century classic. Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke, in particular, should be considered masters of comedy based on the work they’ve done in the series. Their line deliveries, skill at physical comedy, and risk-taking antics to travel far for laughs should have been much more celebrated than it was when the series first aired (2001-2010.) Seven seasons in and the show has not hit a dip yet. (I previously saw the final season which some might argue was unnecessary but I’ve not gotten there yet this time around to really make a good re-assessment.)

The Cast of Scrubs

Perhaps because of Scrubs I thought St. Denis Medical might be worth checking out. It turns out it is filled with great writing and a terrifically hilarious cast. Wendi McLendon-Covey deserves an Emmy for her work as hospital PR-head Joyce. She’s a bit like a female Michael Scott only with more confidence. Mekki Leeper, who previously appeared in a very funny role on Jury Duty is great as the slightly inept young intern Matt. Josh Lawson and David Alan Grier are also highly skilled comedians that shine in every scene they’re featured in. Really, I can’t say enough about the comic joy this series brings.

The Cast of St. Denis Medical

The Pitt is a whole other bear. (No. Not that series…) I actually have to cover my eyes at least twice during every episode. Whether it be patients arriving with a finger partially torn off or in the midst of some serious stitching up, the series amazingly handles the harsh reality of a day in a major city’s (Pittsburgh) emergency room. The cast is also stellar. Noah Wiley deserves the Emmy he never received for ER back in the day. He’s simultaneously calm, a leader, and full of internal PTSD. I would want him in the ER should I ever need to be in one.

Katherine LaNasa and Noah Wylie on The Pitt

The rest of the supporting cast of largely unknowns are also giving tremendous performances. I’m particularly a fan of the work being done by Gerran Howell as young Dr. Dennis Whitaker, who in his first day has to deal with the death of a patient, and not one but two unfortunate incidents in which his scrubs are soiled.

Gerran Howell on The Pitt

Others great on the series are Patrick Ball, Tracy Ifeachor, and Fiona Dourif. I don’t know these actors but their work creating multi-layered characters in the midst of on site and internal struggles is richly developed and highly commendable.

The series is a challenge for me because it deals with everything I fear: terrible injuries, blood, needles, and of course, death. Yet there is something so addicting about it that I find myself looking forward to each new episode (or hour.) It allows me to confront all of these fears and makes me respect those that work in ERs in ways I never thought I would. Sure, there might be more going on in the one day featured in this first season than might typically occur (I think…) but every issue is handled sensitively. The constantly moving cameras provide a clear sense of actually being in that room.

Dying for Sex is also something completely different. The premise would generally keep me away from a series like this. (I never did watch the Laura Linney related show The Big C several seasons back.) However, Michelle Williams is SO good and SO deserving of all the acclaim she gets (she still needs an Oscar) that I felt the need to check it out. Wow! She’s a powerhouse with this performance – and she’s very funny. Her voiceover narration offers insight into what’s really going on in the mind of her character. Jenny Slate is also doing some of the best work I’ve ever seen her do as the best friend of Michelle Williams’s character. She is a clear force to be reckoned with.

So, I guess the reason I’m watching four series right now that confront all of the things I generally don’t want to have to deal with is because they are quality shows with excellent writing, acting, and directing. They’re each surprising in their own ways and perhaps make the idea of hospitals, illnesses, and, yes, death, a little easier to confront.

Have you seen any of these shows? What do you think of them? Are there other medically-themed series you would recommend?