Few environments offer the kind of high stakes and natural tension found in a medical hospital. From staff shortages to workplace hierarchies, from interpersonal conflicts to, obviously, life-or-death situations, the emergency room and its surroundings have served as one of TV's most intense settings, blending case-of-the-week procedurals with the personal complexities of a character-driven drama.
If you're a fan of medical dramas, Netflix is a great place to dig even deeper into the fan-favorite genre. The streaming service is equipped with a strong mix of classic network series, high-quality international hits, platform originals, and more.
Whether you're after a med melodrama with a lot of pulpy seasons to watch (you know the one) or a highly intense healthcare docuseries that brings you right into a real E.R., here are three medical dramas on Netflix that you should add to your watchlist.
'Breathless'
If you like your medical shows with a fast pace, soapy storylines and fetching Spanish accents, "Respira" (or "Breathless," in English) is the one for you. The València-set drama from "Élite" creator Carlos Montero centers on the doctors and residents working at Spain's bustling Joaquín Sorolla Public Hospital as they deal with office politics, budget cuts, patient crises and an impending staff strike.
That doesn't mean that the physicians—played by Najwa Nimri, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Blanca Suárez, Manu Ríos and Borja Luna, among others—don't have time for romantic entanglements and steamy hook-ups, of course. (Yes, you can think of "Respira" as the European answer to "Grey's Anatomy.") There are two seasons currently streaming on Netflix, with a third and final installment on the way, with production on the upcoming eps officially ending in September.
Watch "Breathless" on Netflix now
'Lenox Hill'
The only thing more dramatic than a fictional medical show is a real one. Over eight episodes and a COVID-related special, this engrossing 2020 docuseries follows four IRL medical professionals — neurosurgeons David Langer and John Boockvar, emergency medicine physician Mirtha Macri, and an OB-GYN chief resident Amanda Little-Richardson — at a major NYC hospital as they balance the intense demands of patient care and their respective personal lives against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
An intimate and incredibly moving look at the folks working on the frontlines of American healthcare, the documentary series has a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the real-world medical show for being "as engrossing as it is eye-opening."
Watch "Lenox Hill" on Netflix now
'Grey's Anatomy'
How could we possibly talk about TV medical dramas without mentioning "Grey's Anatomy"? The longest-running American prime-time medical drama in television history, the Shonda Rhimes-created hit redefined the doctor-show drama by giving as much attention to the characters' interpersonal dramas as their surgical procedures.
"Grey's" allowed the people working at Seattle Grace Hospital to be just that: people. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Izzy Stevens (Katherine Heigl), George O'Malley (T. R. Knight) and the rest were all great at their hospital jobs, sure, but also emotionally messy, personally complex, and prone to hasty hook-ups.
Now in its twenty-third season (with seasons one through 23 available to stream on Netflix), "Grey's" has obviously had its ups and downs when it comes to quality, but for a good while there, there wasn't a better medical show on TV.
Watch "Grey's Anatomy" on Netflix now
More from Tom's Guide
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