25 Beloved TV Doctors from the Last 15 Years

It can’t be denied, people love a good medical drama. However, doctors pop up on all types of television shows. It’s easy to say that no matter the type of show, doctors whether their roles are big or small, traditional or unique are beloved.

In recent years television has seen an upsurge in doctor roles on shows. We love to see someone save the day, an everyman’s superhero if you will.

Below, in no particular order, are some of the most beloved doctors to have graced our television screens in the last 15 years. There may be some spoilers so tread carefully. 

1. Dr. Connor Rhodes (Chicago Med)

Often times when a show gives us a surgeon they end up being cold, callused, or simply unable to make that human connection. That’s not the case with Dr. Connor Rhodes. 

From day one this guy has been a heart doctor in all aspects of the job. He mends hearts with his hands as well as his own heart. Dr. Rhodes is the type of doctor you want on your side because you know he will always go to battle for you.

It also doesn’t hurt that he is easy on the eyes.

During his stint at Chicago Med, he has broken many rules while also paving the way for new practices — his immersive ER operating room is beyond cool. Dr. Rhodes is a maverick that will break your heart and then literally put it back together.

2. Dr. Gregory House (House)

When Dr. Gregory House first graced our television screens back in 2004, we immediately drew to him like a moth to a flame. There was just something so refreshing about his snark and no-nonsense “everybody lies” attitude towards patients. 

The way his brain works is still a mystery to fans to this day. It’s miraculous to watch him piece together the puzzle with ease. No medical mystery was too tough or unsolvable to him.

House may have been a pain medication addict, but even that couldn’t deter fans from loving him. Maybe it’s the character himself, maybe it’s the added charm of Hugh Laurie. Whatever the reason, House stands the test of time.

3. Dr. James Wilson (House)

If House is loved for his snark and asshole attitude, then Dr. James Wilson is loved for the exact opposite reasons. Fans love him because he is the one friend House has in the world. 

He sees House’s personality and raises it to a socially acceptable level of love and compassion. No other character on House could truly put House in his place.

There is just something about his soft and gentle nature that really balances out the roughness that is his best friend. His adorable nature doesn’t hurt either.

4. Dr. Abby Griffin (The 100)

“I’ll take badass female doctors for 1000, Alex.”

On a show that started out focusing on the fate of a hundred delinquent children sent to a post-apocalyptic Earth, there is one parent/adult that truly stands out. I am talking about one Dr. Abby Griffin. 

Over the course of five seasons, this woman has never backed down from a fight, whether it be medically related or political in nature. This woman could rule the world, and very nearly does. 

Even when her addiction nearly takes her out of commission, this woman finds a way to fight back and save the lives of those she loves. 

5. Dr. Miranda Bailey (Grey’s Anatomy)

While her initial nickname, The Nazi, is something to cringe at now, it caught our attention on the very first episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and we haven’t been able to let go since. Who would’ve guessed that this tiny, but mighty African American doctor would steal our hearts?

Dr. Bailey is a fierce competitor in a world dominated by men. She never lets a man push her around or erase her name off the surgery board — so don’t even try.

More recently, she’s had a few health scares and personal setbacks, but that hasn’t prevented her from giving her whole self to the job that she loves so dearly. If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have the esteemed Dr. Meredith Grey as we know her now or the brilliant Dr. Christina Yang.

6. Dr. Arizona Robbins (Grey’s Anatomy)

When Dr. Robbins joined Grey Sloan Memorial in Grey’s Anatomy Season 5, she came skating in with her smiles and her pep and changed the whole dynamic. It was hard to tell in the beginning just how much she was going to affect our lives as well as the doctors’ lives around her.

One of her biggest achievements, besides being a badass children’s surgeon, is softening Dr. Alex Karev’s heart and molding him into one of the greatest pediatric surgeons that Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital has ever seen. She managed to see the potential in him even when no one else did, not even Alex himself.

That is not to say she didn’t have other great achievements as well.

She became the show’s positive representation of those with disabilities and of the LGBTQ+ community. She never let losing her leg to a freak accident stop her from continuing to live her life and save little tiny humans. And her job never got in the way of her being a mother to her daughter, Sofia, with her ex-wife, Dr. Callie Torres.

7. Dr. Zoe Hart (Hart of Dixie)

What happens when you are blackballed out of New York surgical programs? Well if you are Zoe Hart you decide to take up an old small-town doctor, Harley Wilkes, up on his offer to help run a general practice in Bluebell, Alabama, only to discover upon arrival that he has died and left you half of his practice.

Zoe goes on a journey of self-discovery as she acclimates to Southern small town living.  Originally only planning to stick around for the suggested one year, Zoe eventually ends up fighting to hold onto her share of the practice, which she finds out is hers because Dr. Wilkes was her father.

In the beginning, she rubs the residents of Bluebell the wrong way, but through patience and proven trustworthiness, Zoe is able to gain a few friends. One particular friend, Wade, sees her through all the ups and downs of her journey eventually becoming her husband. Their love story is a slow one but beautiful nonetheless. 

If we are ever in a small town in Alabama, we can only hope we get a doctor as kind and fun as Dr. Hart.

8. Dr. Hank Lawson (Royal Pains)

For Dr. Hank Lawson, choosing between life and death ends up ending his promising surgical career. When he gets blackballed from every hospital in NYC by the family of a patient who died, Hank’s brother steps in and convinces him to take a trip with him to the Hamptons.

Thus begins Dr. Lawson’s journey towards becoming a doctor for hire to the rich and elite of the Hamptons. At a party, he overhears a misdiagnosis and steps in to correct the mistake. Which ultimately impresses the host of the party and gets him an in with the richest of the rich.

Hank, with the business help of his brother Evan, spends the next few years setting up a legitimate practice. He becomes well known in the area as the go-to doctor whenever something ails you. This decision also leads him to repair his relationships with his father and brother which slowly makes him into a better man.

Fans can’t help loving this suave doctor who just wants to do the right thing without stupid rules getting in his way. Dr. Hank Lawson is one of the good ones who truly lives the phrase, “first do no harm.”

9. Dr. Mina Okafor (The Resident)

At Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, the standards are high and the level of care even higher.

For Dr. Mina Okafor, neither of these cause her any concern. In fact, she holds herself to the highest of standards — a quality that even goes so far as to have her dismiss doctors whom she thinks aren’t performing well enough.

Her biggest source of contention is the corruptly immoral Dr. Randolph Bell and, on occasion, the rebellious Dr. Conrad Hawkins. These two doctors put her on edge with their sometimes flippant attitude to the job they are performing as well as the rules associated with that.

She is a no-nonsense doctor who just wants to take her talents and skills to another level and save lives. Coming from Nigeria nothing she experiences is taken for granted which makes her a more compassionate doctor from time to time. 

10. Dr. Conrad Hawkins (The Resident)

Despite his cocky nature, Dr. Conrad Hawkins is brilliant and out to expose all that is wrong with the current health system. He has seen a great deal, and he truly cares for the wellbeing of his patients. 

Before he became a resident at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, he was a medic in Afghanistan. This is what drives his somewhat rebellious nature in regards to the rules and regulations of the hospital. 

Conrad will be hard on the doctors under him, but that is just because he wants them to understand medicine on the level that he does. He is constantly going up against his superiors in order to perform medicine the way that he believes is best.

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