The 1950's: It Starts With “Medic”

Before 1954, there were relatively few and short-lived prime time series dealing with the medical profession; there were serials in the daytime (“Young Doctor Malone”) but it wasn’t until “Medic” that the basics were in place for a successful nighttime format. Created by former “Dragnet” producer James Moser, “Medic” was a half-hour drama filmed in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Medical Association. It starred Richard Boone as Doctor Konrad Snyder; the same Boone who would be better-known for the Western series “Have Gun Will Travel” The first episode (which aired September 13th, 1954) featured a filmed birth–a first for a fictional television series. Each episode dealt with a medical problem Snyder and other doctors faced and how it was resolved. “Medic” was praised by critics for its realism and strong writing; its beautiful theme song “Blue Star” was a pop hit in 1955. But NBC apparently felt “Medic” was either doomed or a potential hit because executives slotted the series on Monday nights–against the most-popular series in the nation, “I Love Lucy.” (“Lucy” co-star Vivian Vance once quipped that “Medic” would have to show a sex change operation to beat her comedy in the ratings!) “Medic” ended its run with first-run episodes in August 1956, but it would set the stage for a new breed of medical drama–featuring matinee idol doctors with a great bedside manner.

The Early 1960's: “Kildare” Versus “Ben Casey”

Movie studio MGM had taken the fictional character of Doctor James Kildare from books to a series of films and a radio series in the 1930's and 40's. But it wasn’t until 1961 that the studio began a serious run at television. For one of its first entries, it dusted off “Kildare” and brought the young intern back in the form of handsome and boyish Richard Chamberlain (with Raymond Massey as his mentor/boss Doctor Leonard Gillespie.) With an array of guest stars admitted to fictional Blair General Hospital and multiple plots in every hour-long episode, “Kildare” became an immediate top ten hit for NBC in the fall of ‘61. Like “Medic,” the show spawned a hit theme song (“Three Stars,” sung by Chamberlain himself). “Kildare” was produced by Norman Felton, who also produced a number of other MGM TV series such as “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.;” he later became a co-star on another medical drama–“St. Elsewhere.”

Over at ABC, Bing Crosby’s production company came up with its own answer to the good Dr. Kildare. With James Moser again as producer, “Ben Casey” was nearly as popular as its NBC rival. Little-known actor Vince Edwards took the title role of the gruff but compassionate Dr. Casey, with his own mentor and guide–Doctor David Zorba (Sam Jaffe) and later Doctor Freeland (Franchot Tone). Each episode opened with Zorba/Freeland writing five symbols on a blackboard and announcing what each one stood for: “Man...Woman...Birth...Death...Infinity.” (The show ended by thanking the American Medical Association and its “Physicians Advisory Committee on Radio, Television and Motion Pictures” for their assistance.)

Of the two shows, “Kildare” was geared more to teenage girls and younger women; older, more experienced females seemed to prefer the world-weary “Casey.” The ABC drama also had the edge when it came to realism; the scripts were more complex, and the acting and production values were a notch above “Kildare.”

CBS, which didn’t have a medical show in ‘61, rolled out “The Nurses” in 1962. It proved to be fairly popular by focusing on the women in white. The success of the medical shows also spawned short-lived offshoots dealing with psychiatry such as “The Eleventh Hour” and “The Breaking Point”–but they weren’t as popular as “Kildare” or “Casey,” even though the formats explored relatively ground-breaking subjects as frigidity and homosexuality. By 1966, the good doctors Kildare and Casey had worn out their welcome with the television audience and left the airwaves. But the medical drama would make a big comeback just three years later.

The Early 1970's: Doctor Welby And His Followers

For some strange reason, the fall of 1969 brought THREE new medical dramas–one on each of the major networks. And each used the Kildare/Casey formula of wise older mentor guiding headstrong younger physicians. NBC’s “The New Doctors” was part of the network’s successful anthology series “The Bold Ones,” with E.G. Marshall as neurosurgeon David Craig who operated his own clinic that specialized in cutting-edge technological medicine and procedures. Craig handled his young proteges, Ted Stewart (John Saxon) and Paul Hunter (David Hartman). Saxton left the show after the third season and was replaced by Robert Walden as Dr. Martin Cohen. “The New Doctors” ran through 1973.

CBS’ “Medical Center” enjoyed a seven-year run, thanks largely to the charms of its star, Chad Everett, who played Dr. Joe Gannon, the young doctor at an unnamed Los Angeles teaching hospital. Challenging and correcting his errors was James Daly as wise Doctor Paul Lockner.

The most successful of the trio was “Marcus Welby, MD.” Robert Young starred in the title role as a general practitioner who practiced medicine in an upscale Los Angeles suburb. His protégé was Dr. Steven Kiley (James Brolin), a motorcycle riding “rebel” with a different approach to medicine than Welby, causing clashes between the two. But more often than not, Marcus was right. Elaine Verdugo played Consuelo Lopez, the nurse and office manager. Thanks to more relaxed standards, “Welby” and the other medical shows were able to handle controversial issues more directly than in the past–social diseases, abortions, homosexuality, and even sex-change operations were now part and parcel of the genre. “Welby” had its critics–gay rights groups accused the show of homophobia and women’s groups were unhappy with the “male doctor knows best” theme. But viewers loved it. In its second season, “Welby” became television’s top-rated series, the first time an ABC program topped the Nielsen charts for an entire season. Like “Medical Center,” the good Dr. Welby retired in 1976. But another wave of medical shows would come along a few years later.

The Late 1970's and Early 1980's: TV Medicine Gets Real

By 1979, one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed comedies on television was “M*A*S*H”–which dealt with Army doctors during the Korean War. It was no surprise when CBS decided to spin the show off--sort of. “Trapper John, MD” took one of “M*A*S*H’s” more popular characters and set him as the chief of surgery at fictional San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Instead of the 1950's, “Trapper” John McIntyre was now stateside circa 1979. And instead of Wayne Rogers, who played “Trapper” on “M*A*S*H” for the show’s first three seasons, veteran character actor Pernell Roberts was tapped for the role. While the older “Trapper” was more settled and wiser than his younger days, that wasn’t the case with handsome George Alonzo “Gonzo” Gates (Gregory Harrison), one of the young docs at SFMH. “Trapper John, MD” broke no new ground, but its familiarity ensured a successful seven year run.

Much more radical was “St. Elsewhere,” which appeared on NBC in 1982. The network considered it “Hill Street Blues” in white (both shows were produced by MTM Productions), “Elsewhere” was indeed in many ways similar to the groundbreaking police drama. Like “Hill Street,” the show featured a large ensemble cast and serialized plot lines. But “St. Elsewhere” broke with American medical drama tradition by being set in a declining urban teaching hospital in Boston called “St. Eligius;” the show’s title referred to the derisive nickname it earned from both employees and patients. And this was a real drama: Doctors made mistakes; patients were pains in the bedpans; and the unfairness of the American medical system–especially how it treats poorer patients–were exposed. And yes, not all of the patients recovered.

“St. Elsewhere” was downbeat yet realistic. It almost died from low ratings in its first season (much like “Hill Street”) but the show found a champion in NBC Entertainment chief Brandon Tartikoff, who believed in “Elsewhere” and renewed it. Ratings improved, but “Elsewhere” was never a major hit. It had a loyal legion of fans who enjoyed its black humor (“Elsewhere” often made reference to TV shows of the past); many of its cast members–including Mark Harmon, Howie Mandel and Denzel Washington–went on to successful careers. When the show ended in 1988, the final episode revealed “St. Elsewhere” to be the figment of the imagination of an autistic boy. Unsettling, but true to the tradition of “St. Elsewhere.”

By the early 1990's, health care in America became a major topic, with newly-elected President Bill Clinton promising “coverage for all.” The debate and ultimate failure of the Clinton plan sparked yet another wave of medical shows–one of which would go on to the be the most popular and longest-running of them all.

Ten CC’s Stat: “ER” Redefines The Genre

Best-selling author Michael Crichton’s experiences as a teaching doctor became the basis for “ER,” which was produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin production company. No one (including NBC) expected this medical drama to catch fire. But when it premiered on September 19th, 1994, ‘ER” instantly caught the viewer’s attention with its multiple storylines, realistic medical jargon and moving cameras that gave the viewer the feel of looking over the doctors’ shoulders. The fact that it was set in a public hospital (fictional County General Hospital, based on the real-life Cook County General in Chicago) gave the show a strong focus by dealing with patients of all different ethic, social and economic persuasions. Within months, “ER” became the top-rated series on American television, in part because it was fresh storytelling for a traditional genre–yet it kept many of the basics, such as the experienced doctor-new student conflicts and added personal relationships between the doctors.

Actor George Clooney (who had appeared in such series as “The Facts of Life” and “Roseanne”) became a TV heartthrob with “ER;” he eventually left the show for film success (and an Academy Award to boot). Ironically, Clooney was a regular of another series named “E/R”–this one was a comedy (CBS, 1984-85). Over the years, “ER’s original regulars left the series; while no longer as critically acclaimed or as popular as in its early years, it remains one of NBC’s highest-rated programs and will remain on the air until at least 2008.

Nearly lost in the “ER” juggernaut was another well-done medical drama, “Chicago Hope.” Created and produced by David E. Kelley (“The Practice;” “Ally McBeal”), “Hope” was slotted against “ER” on Thursday nights. But when “ER” overtook “Hope” in the ratings, CBS moved the show to Mondays, where it gained a solid following until its cancellation in 2000. The show’s title came from the upscale fictional hospital the characters were based in. “Chicago Hope” was critically acclaimed for its realism and the strong performance of its core cast (which included Mandy Patinkin, Adam Arkin, Peter McNichol, Hector Elizondo and Christine Lahti). Kelley occasionally took a jab at “Chicago Hope’s” more popular competitor; in one episode, Elizondo’s character noted that “we never talk about that other hospital (‘ER’s’ County General).”

The success of both “ER” and “Chicago Hope” led to other short-lived medical dramas in the second half of the 1990's (Fox’s “Medicine Ball;” Steven Bochco’s “City of Angels”); only cable Lifetime Television’s female doctor drama “Strong Medicine” enjoyed a relatively long life. But once again, medical dramas have made a comeback.

The New Century Docs: “House” and “Grey’s Anatomy”

The success of criminal dramas such as “CSI” and “Crossing Jordan” blended police procedural with medical jargon for after-death investigations. Prime time viewers once again took to the medical genre for two new (and quite different) dramas, giving them an alternative to the now-aging “ER”.

“House”, which debuted on Fox in 2004, broke the mold of kindly and gentle doctor. As portrayed by the wonderful Hugh Laurie, Dr. Gregory House has all the bedside manner of a rude waiter you would refuse to tip–yet he would be the man you would want if no other doctor could figure out what was wrong with you. House and his team at the fictional Princeton-Plainsburo Teaching Hospital take on unusual cases. House’s abrupt manner is aggravated (or is it explained) by losing much of his upper leg muscle, requiring him to use a cane. (He is also in pain, leading to his reliance on prescription medication to dull the ache). House has also been denounced for his attitudes toward women. But he has hit a nerve with viewers. A slow starter in its first months, “House” was given a boost in the spring of 2005 when it followed Fox’s megahit “American Idol;” the ratings are strong and “House” is now one of Fox’s top-rated series.

If “House” is virtually all work and no play, ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” is pretty much “playing doctor” with some medicine thrown in. Named after its main character, Dr. Meridith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and the famous medical reference book, “Grey’s Anatomy” premiered in March 2005. It quickly became a top-ten hit, helped largely by its lead-in, “Desperate Housewives.” But viewers were quickly drawn to the interpersonal relationships between the main characters (Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight, Patrick Dempsey, Katherine Heigl, Isiah Washington, Kate Walsh, Justin Chambers). The sexual and emotional situations take front and center with medical situations fighting for second place. That mixture–which goes against the medical genre as a whole–has proven to be a major draw. You don’t have to know about medicine to enjoy “Grey’s Anatomy”–but with “House,” it probably helps.

Indeed, America has come a long way from the no-nonsense tone of “Medic.” Today’s doctors are caring, overworked, underpaid, lonely, prone to making mistakes and paying the price for their faults. Just like real life. Only they make house calls at least once a week.