Thursday Movie Picks: Television Edition: Medical Dramas


Hello there, it's Thursday Movie Picks's time, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.

It's time for another television edition and this time we are dealing with medical dramas. I didn't have a lot of choices since I've only seen 4 (one is terrible), but at least it was an easy week. 

House M.D. (2004-2012)

It's about an anti-social, pain killer addict and arrogant doctor who, along with his team, tries to cure complex and rare diseases. This is the first medical show I've watched and it's brilliant. Also, Hugh Laurie is phenomenal as Doctor House and as arrogant and unlikeable his character gets, I can't help but love him. 

Grey's Anatomy (2005- )

It's about a group of surgical interns and their residents and the challenges they go through, both professionally and in their personal lives. This is my favourite of the three, I just love the way it combines compelling medical cases and the characters personal lives. And I think this is the most addictive show ever. I watched 13 seasons in 2 months, that's how addictive it is. I have to admit the writers did piss me off when they killed Patrick Dempsey. 

Private Practice (2007-2013)

It's about a group of doctors working at their own practice. It's a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy and it's quite good. Not addictive though. Anyway, the great thing about it is that you get a mixed variety of patients, from kids to couples who want to have babies. And the lives of the doctors are quite interesting as well. 

13 comments :

  1. I saw a few episodes of House and thought it was quite good but never watched more. I never got into Grey's Anatomy even though it has been around forever. I know there has been backstage drama with Katherine Heigl and mcDreamy. I actually got into Private Practise and found it a nice balance between drama and comedy but the. It started to be moved all over the place and I lost it so I only saw the first 2 seasons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I started watching House after winning a season 3 box set, and I loved it so I kept watching. I'm not sure I've ever seen season 1 and 2 though.

      Delete
  2. I never watched any of these though I know all of them. I remember being shocked that the guy playing House was British when he won an Emmy. I had no idea. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I knew and didn't care much. What really bothered me was seeing the dad from Stuart Little playing an asshole. I was 13 at the time.

      Delete
  3. I adore House but somehow I never saw the last season. I saw all the episodes of Greys until they killed Lexie. That just pissed me off too much and I stopped.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG I cried like a baby when Lexie died. And I think I'm gonna cry again now. I loved her and Mark so much!

      Delete
  4. I picked House too :) Private Practice was a good show too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm only at season two but so far it's good.

      Delete
  5. I very nearly went with House. Hugh Laurie is everything in that show. He's a pure asshole, but you still love him. Back in its early days, I watch Grey's from time to time, but was never a regular. I liked it well enough, though. I caught an episode or two of Private Practice. I thought it was okay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. House is the kind of asshole people love.

      Delete
  6. I didn't watch any of these regularly but have seen some episodes of each. I never got all the hullabaloo about Grey's Anatomy but everyone else seems to love it. It was fine but I've watched other shows I enjoyed more.

    I love Hugh Laurie and liked House but it was on the wrong night for me so never fell into the viewing habit.

    Private Practice didn't do much for me.

    SO many too choose from this week, too many really so I decided the easiest route was to go with the first three favorites that I thought of.

    St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)-Set in Boston’s financially strapped St. Eligius Hospital (the St. Elsewhere of the title so called due to its less than exalted place in the city residents hearts despite it being a teaching hospital), headed by Drs. Donald Westphall, Daniel Auschlander and autocratic Mark Craig (Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd and William Daniels respectively). The series follows the overlapping lives of many incoming residents, doctors and patients and their families, including something of a first for serial TV Westphall’s autistic son Tommy (Chad Allen). Critically acclaimed series that though never a big ratings success managed to run for six seasons as a prestige show for the network. This served as the launching pad for many stars including series regulars Denzel Washington, Alfre Woodard, Mark Harmon and Helen Hunt. Laced with an absurdist edge the show could be hysterically funny and also crushingly sad, sometimes within the same episode.

    M*A*S*H (1972-1983)-Long running comedy/drama show based on Robert Altman’s film about life in a Mobil Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War featuring the travails, both funny and sad, of Dr. “Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda), Head Nurse Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Loretta Swit)-both of whom stayed throughout the series run-and the various others surgeons & aides-Trapper John, B.J., Henry Blake, Colonel Potter, Radar O’Reilly, Charles Winchester, Frank Burns, the crossdressing Max Klinger and Father Mulcahy who passed through. Beginning as a light hearted comedy this morphed through the years into one of the finest dramedy series in history. What kept it vital aside from excellent writing was the flow of characters during the years allowing for fresh interactions and situations.

    Medical Center (1971-1976)-Dr. Paul Lochner (James Daly-father of performers Tyne & Timothy) is the chief of staff at a large L.A. based hospital. Experienced and capable he is friendly with the young associate professor of surgery Dr. Joe Gannon (Chad Everett) but they often clash over medical procedures for the patients. Lochner favoring tried and true methods while Gannon believes in more experimental methods. Weekly different challenges present themselves to the doctors and nurses, overseen by Head Nurse Eve Wilcox (Audrey Totter).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Grey's Anatomy...wow 13 seasons in 2 months! Don't think I can do that.

    And what was the 4th drama you've seen?

    ReplyDelete