NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Medical Drama

A medical drama is a television drama in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. In the United States, most medical dramas are 1-hour in length, and more often than not are set in a hospital. Most current medical dramas go beyond the events pertaining to the characters' jobs and portray some aspects of their personal lives. For example, a typical medical drama might have a storyline in which two doctors fall in love. Popular medical dramas include E.R., House, St. Elsewhere, Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs and Nip/Tuck. This does not cite any references or sources. ... For the record label, see Hospital Records. ... This article is about the drama series. ... House, also known as House, M.D., is a critically-acclaimed American medical drama television series created by David Shore and executive produced by Shore and film director Bryan Singer. ... St. ... This article is about the television series. ... This article is about the US sitcom. ... Nip/Tuck is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television medical drama series created by Ryan Murphy for FX Networks. ...

Communications theorist Marshall McLuhan, in his 1964 work on the nature of media, predicted a big success of this particular genre on tv, because such medium "creates an obsession with bodily welfare".^[1] There is much discussion in the academic world of communication as to what actually constitutes communication. ... â€œMcLuhanâ€ redirects here. ...

History

Dr. Kildare, which first aired in 1961, is generally considered to be the first medical drama. The show was a success, and soon medical dramas were a common phenomenon. The BBC series Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962-1971) is an early example of another common variant of the genre in which a medical practice is used as a focus for stories detailing the life of a (usually small) community. The long running Australian series A Country Practice (1981-1993) is a later example of this sub-genre. From 1969 to 1976, the series Marcus Welby M.D. and Medical Center were extremely popular for their both orthodox and unorthodox way of presenting medical cases. In 1972, the first episode of M*A*S*H aired; the show's tone was generally comedic, but dark, poignant moments emanating from the death caused by war were not uncommon. This trend of comedy with undercurrents of darkness in medical TV shows can also be seen in Doogie Howser, M.D. and Scrubs, a current-day medical sitcom on NBC. Dr. James Kildare was a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show. ... Dr. Finlay is the hero of a series of stories by Scottish author A.J. Cronin. ... A Country Practice was one of the longest-running Australian television drama series. ... Marcus Welby, M.D. was a popular medical drama that aired on ABC from late September, 1969 to May 1976. ... Medical Center was a dramatic television series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976. ... M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the... Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989â€“1993), is a television comedy-drama starring Neil Patrick Harris as a brilliant teenage doctor who was also faced with the problems of being a normal teenager, despite having graduated from Princeton University at age 10[1]. The show was set in Los Angeles, California... This article is about the US sitcom. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ...

List of TV medical dramas

United States/Canada

Medic was one of the earliest medical television series, and helped to set the style of medical series since. ... Dr. Maggie Graham (Bettye Ackerman) and Vince Edwards as the title character Ben Casey was a medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. ... Dr. James Kildare was a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show. ... For the BBC television series produced 1969-71, see The Doctors (BBC TV series). ... For other uses, see General Hospital (disambiguation). ... Doctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. ... Medical Center was a dramatic television series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976. ... Marcus Welby, M.D. was a popular medical drama that aired on ABC from late September 1969 to May 1976. ... Temperatures Rising was an American television situation comedy that ran from September 12, 1972 to August 29, 1974 on the ABC network. ... Emergency! was a popular crime drama/medical television series that was produced by Mark VII Limited (Jack Webbs company) and distributed by Universal Studios. ... M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the... Doctors Hospital was a medical drama that ran on NBC during the 1975-1976 season. ... Trapper John, M.D. was a television medical drama and spinoff of the film MASH, and ran on CBS from September 23, 1979 to September 4, 1986. ... St. ... E/R (referring to the Emergency Room of a hospital) was an American television sitcom that aired in 1984 and 1985. ... Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989â€“1993), is a television comedy-drama starring Neil Patrick Harris as a brilliant teenage doctor who was also faced with the problems of being a normal teenager, despite having graduated from Princeton University at age 10[1]. The show was set in Los Angeles, California... This article is about the TV series; there is also a mix album of the same name. ... Side Effects was a Canadian television series, which aired from February, 1994 to January, 1996 on CBC Television. ... Chicago Hope was a popular CBS drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994 to May 4, 2000. ... This article is about the drama series. ... is an American medical drama television series set in a Los Angeles practice. ... Providence was an NBC television series starring Melina Kanakaredes. ... Third Watch is an NBC television drama set in New York City that ran from 1999 to 2005. ... City Of Angels, a television show which ran from January-December of 2000, was network televisions first predominantly black medical drama. ... For the Arthur Hailey novel, see Strong Medicine (novel) Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, sexual health issues and class conflict. ... This article is about the US sitcom. ... Nip/Tuck is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television medical drama series created by Ryan Murphy for FX Networks. ... Medical Investigation was an American Medical drama television series that began September 1, 2004, on NBC. It ran for twenty one hour-long episodes before being cancelled in 2005. ... House, also known as House, M.D., is a critically-acclaimed American medical drama television series created by David Shore and executive produced by Shore and film director Bryan Singer. ... This article is about the television series. ... Inconceivable is an American primetime television medical drama which is broadcast on NBC. The program premiered on September 23, 2005. ... 3 lbs is a drama on CBS that began on November 14, 2006, replacing the cancelled series Smith, but itself was cancelled three weeks later due to poor ratings. ... Saved is a medical drama television series, which aired on TNT. Created by David Manson, Saved tells the story of Wyatt Cole, a Portland, Oregon paramedic with a rough past and a history of compulsive gambling. ... Heartland is an American television drama series airing on TNT. The series is based in the high-stakes world of heart-transplant surgery at St. ... Private Practice is the upcoming spin-off of the award-winning popular television show, Greys Anatomy. ...

United Kingdom

Emergency Ward 10 was a British television series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. ... Police Surgeon is a television series made by the Associated British Corporation and starring Ian Hendry as Dr Geoffrey Brent. ... Dr. Finlay is a fictional character, the hero of a series of stories by Scottish author A. J. Cronin. ... The Doctors is a British television series, produced by the BBC between 1969 and 1971. ... General Hospital was a British daytime soap opera which ran on ITV from 1972 to 1979. ... Angels on the cover of Radio Times magazine. ... The District Nurse is a British television series, produced by BBC Wales and shown on BBC One between 1984 and 1987. ... Casualty is the longest running emergency medical drama series in the world[1], first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted in the UK on BBC One (with repeats on UKTV Gold). ... Childrens Ward (briefly retitled The Ward in 1995) was a British childrens television drama series produced by Granada Television and broadcast on the ITV network as part of its Childrens ITV strand on weekday afternoons. ... A combat medic is a trained soldier who is responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. ... Dr. Finlay is a fictional character, the hero of a series of stories by Scottish author A. J. Cronin. ... Class 10 September 2006 - July 2007 Michael Laight Ben Chantler David Platt Danielle Bailey Damien Mee Andy Smith Anne Louise Burke Heather Williams Michael Rutter Marlon Estevez Nathan Neighbour Katie Addyman Melanie Costello Mr Mike Genders Mrs Sandra Crossland Mrs June Simpson Mrs Teresa Stephens Mrs Lisa Dingle Mrs Debra... Bramwell is a British Miniseries which aired on PBS for 5 seasons from 1996 to 2000. ... Holby City is a medical drama television serial, formerly a drama series, broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. ... The Royal is a British medical drama. ... Bodies is a 2004 medical drama from BBC3 based on the book Bodies by Jed Mercurio. ... Green Wing is an award winning British television comedy, set in a hospital. ... No Angels is a British television drama series, produced by the independent production company World Productions for Channel 4, which ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. ...

Australia/New Zealand

A Country Practice was one of the longest-running Australian television drama series. ... Shortland Street is New Zealands longest-running soap opera airing each weeknight on TVNZs TV2. ... All Saints is a popular medical drama on Australian television. ... The Flying Doctors was an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. ...

References

^ Marshall McLuhan >(1964) Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, chap. 31: "One of the most vivid examples of the tactile quality of the TV image occurs in medical experience. In closed-circuit instruction in surgery, medical students from the first reported a strange effect-that they seemed not to be watching an operation, but performing it. They felt that they were holding the scalpel. Thus the TV image, in fostering a passion for depth involvement in every aspect of experience, creates an obsession with bodily welfare. The sudden emergence of the TV medico and the hospital ward as a program to rival the western is perfectly natural. It would be possible to list a dozen untried kinds of programs that would prove immediately popular for the same reasons. Tom Dooley and his epic of Medicare for the backward society was a natural outgrowth of the first TV decade."

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