Films and Shows Similar to House M.D.
July 31, 2018 8:51 AM Subscribe
Looking for medical themed films and shows that are dramatic, factual, reality-based without it being reality TV. Preferably films that deal with specifics in detail - procedures, diagnoses, stories behind the story, good dialogue, smart, intelligent and engrossing. What do you recommend?
Response by poster: Not docs. Must be fiction but based on fact.
posted by watercarrier at 9:32 AM on July 31, 2018
posted by watercarrier at 9:32 AM on July 31, 2018
Best answer: The genre you describe is called “medical procedural drama”, which should help your search.
It’s the format of a crime procedural drama applied to medicine, which is barely hidden in the case of House as it is so heavily draws on the Sherlock Holmes stories for inspiration even down to the character names House/Holmes and Wilson/Watson.
Ironically Holmes himself was based on a real life surgeon who Conan Doyle knew, so it brought things full circle.
I guess these days you are looking at The Good Doctor, Code Black and Grey’s Anatomy, but I haven’t even seen the last two and I doubt any of them are as good as House.
posted by w0mbat at 9:50 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
It’s the format of a crime procedural drama applied to medicine, which is barely hidden in the case of House as it is so heavily draws on the Sherlock Holmes stories for inspiration even down to the character names House/Holmes and Wilson/Watson.
Ironically Holmes himself was based on a real life surgeon who Conan Doyle knew, so it brought things full circle.
I guess these days you are looking at The Good Doctor, Code Black and Grey’s Anatomy, but I haven’t even seen the last two and I doubt any of them are as good as House.
posted by w0mbat at 9:50 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Knick seems to tick all your boxes, though I don't know how accurate the medicine is. Seems plausible to me though.
Untold Stories of the E.R. isn't really a doc, and not reality, but rather some fictionalized hybrid.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 9:51 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Untold Stories of the E.R. isn't really a doc, and not reality, but rather some fictionalized hybrid.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 9:51 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Grey's Anatomy is wonderful, although kinda in a ridiculous way. You might also enjoy Call the Midwife, which is available on Netflix, Amazon, and your local library. :)
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 9:52 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 9:52 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I watch a lot of “doctor shows,” and none of them compare to House in terms of intelligence and, for lack of a better phrase, focus on the medicine. The Good Doctor is probably the closest out of what’s on TV right now. The characters aren’t as strong, but the medical parts are decent (and there are a lot of cool visualizations).
posted by liet at 10:06 AM on July 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by liet at 10:06 AM on July 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hanger-on question: Is the medicine in House solid? Or do they take huge liberties with the facts?
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:14 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:14 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bones could fit the bill too. Also, seconding Call the Midwife.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 10:18 AM on July 31, 2018
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 10:18 AM on July 31, 2018
Back in 2000 on ABC, there was a one-season show called Gideon's Crossing, starring Homicide's Andre Braugher as Dr. Ben Gideon, apparently drawn from a real surgeon's biography. It's a pretty similar show to House; Gideon and his 5(?) assistants get one main patient, plus some b-plot to deal with in the hospital.
Gonna be tough to find the show, though; I don't see any evidence offhand of a DVD release, nor streaming.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:28 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Gonna be tough to find the show, though; I don't see any evidence offhand of a DVD release, nor streaming.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:28 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
CSI and NCIS (all forms) are also nonsense medical shows like Bones, House, and so on. They are like 50% medical and computer fantasy and mostly very little on internal relationships. House is not factual - so don't let the silly crimes on these shows get in the way of the part you enjoy.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:30 AM on July 31, 2018
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:30 AM on July 31, 2018
Brain on Fire (Netflix) is a movie based on a true story. A young woman experiences severe psychological and neurological symptoms, and after much medical detective work, it turns out to be -- lupus!
(Narrator: It was not lupus.)
Trailer.
posted by maudlin at 10:36 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
(Narrator: It was not lupus.)
Trailer.
posted by maudlin at 10:36 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't watch a lot of TV although I was a big fan of House, and these days if I need to put a TV on for background, it's usually going to be CSI, NCIS, or L&O -- they aren't as gripping as House, but they hit the "unravel the mystery by steps in a fairly logical and lawful way" button for me.
posted by The otter lady at 10:41 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by The otter lady at 10:41 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hanger-on question: Is the medicine in House solid? Or do they take huge liberties with the facts?
Go wild. Seems to be having some issues now and don't know if it's permanent, so.
posted by lmfsilva at 10:42 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Go wild. Seems to be having some issues now and don't know if it's permanent, so.
posted by lmfsilva at 10:42 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Some people say house is a modern retelling of sherlock holmes, so you could try sherlock (haven't seen it myself)
posted by bbqturtle at 10:46 AM on July 31, 2018
posted by bbqturtle at 10:46 AM on July 31, 2018
Hanger-on question: Is the medicine in House solid? Or do they take huge liberties with the facts?
They take liberties. When House was running, there was a doctor who had a blog critiquing every episode for medical accuracy. I can't find it now, though searching led me to lots of articles about the same thing. Anyway, as I recall, a lot of his criticism was of stuff that any doctor would have found early on in the diagnosis. Also, that's where I learned that you don't shock a flatline.
On preview, that seems to be what lmfsilva linked to (though it's not working).
posted by FencingGal at 10:54 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
They take liberties. When House was running, there was a doctor who had a blog critiquing every episode for medical accuracy. I can't find it now, though searching led me to lots of articles about the same thing. Anyway, as I recall, a lot of his criticism was of stuff that any doctor would have found early on in the diagnosis. Also, that's where I learned that you don't shock a flatline.
On preview, that seems to be what lmfsilva linked to (though it's not working).
posted by FencingGal at 10:54 AM on July 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
E.R. was great, and way more medically accurate than House.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:14 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by SLC Mom at 11:14 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Sorry. It’s not a medical accuracy contest that you are looking for.
But E.R. is an excellent show.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:15 AM on July 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
But E.R. is an excellent show.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:15 AM on July 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Night Shift ran for four seasons, and was by no means perfect (or anyway was not up to the level of House in its heyday), but I still think it is worth a watch.
posted by gudrun at 11:15 AM on July 31, 2018
posted by gudrun at 11:15 AM on July 31, 2018
I enjoyed 'The Knick" also and it was mostly accurate. The second season was a disaster, though.
Medicine in that era was a wild west, where quackery started getting separated out from science.
posted by porpoise at 11:26 AM on July 31, 2018
Medicine in that era was a wild west, where quackery started getting separated out from science.
posted by porpoise at 11:26 AM on July 31, 2018
M*A*S*H fits the bill. (The TV show moreso than the movie.)
Also perhaps A Young Doctor's Notebook.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:31 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Also perhaps A Young Doctor's Notebook.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:31 AM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Beware, although "A Young Doctor's Notebook" fits your criteria, it is also the darkest of dark comedies I have ever seen.
posted by Quonab at 12:53 PM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Quonab at 12:53 PM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
The conditions House treated were pretty accurate (maybe not the doctoring). One producer said that, while actual, it was patients having the worst luck ever.
posted by Chitownfats at 4:22 PM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chitownfats at 4:22 PM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have a heart condition - tachycardia - and learned from ER that cold water slows the heart rate by stimulating the mammalian dive reflex, and have used this knowledge to manage my heart rate, and to manage panic attacks. So, ER. Call the Midwife. Royal Pain was fun, I can't remember the accuracy. Nurse Jackie is really good, the medicine is not the focus. I googled medical tv shows and got a good selection. There's a British show called Embarrassing Bodies available on Netflix.
posted by theora55 at 6:17 PM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 6:17 PM on July 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
I found Trauma pretty entertaining on the drama side, Scrubs on the comedy side. For the latter, I've heard that some of the less believable medical events were things that actually happened to their medical consultant.
posted by Margalo Epps at 9:09 PM on July 31, 2018
posted by Margalo Epps at 9:09 PM on July 31, 2018
There's a British show called Embarrassing Bodies available on Netflix.
That's not fiction though, they're real patients and real doctors
posted by missmagenta at 3:35 AM on August 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
That's not fiction though, they're real patients and real doctors
posted by missmagenta at 3:35 AM on August 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
ER! It didn’t last 15 seasons for nothing. The first season took a few episodes to get going, but then it really found its groove.
posted by yawper at 3:54 AM on August 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by yawper at 3:54 AM on August 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by praemunire at 9:31 AM on July 31, 2018