Forget 'The Pitt,' This New "Emotionally Powerful" Medical Drama Is Back With Season 2 Actorsvaultpro

Medical dramas are one of the most prolific genres on TV. Most of them share the same basic formula, with the dramatic personal lives of doctors and nurses intersecting with the patients they treat. They also find time to enter into relationships with several coworkers. Some are overly soapy and unrealistic, while others seem to have mastered that emotional human element. The Pitt is a standout in that regard, but far from the only one.

Fox’s underrated hit Doc recently returned for its second season. It follows the brilliant surgeon Dr. Amy Larsen as she loses eight years of memories after a car accident. While it has plenty of medical drama hallmarks, it feels like there’s an added level of realism. We can empathize with Amy and the struggles she faces as she tries to rebuild her life. The medical elements come second to Amy’s identity crisis. It is also loosely based on the true story of a doctor who experienced something similar. These days, cable and streaming shows typically get more attention than broadcast network programs. However, Doc is one of the best medical dramas of recent years, and fans of the genre should make it a point to watch.

Spoiler Alert: Minor spoilers ahead for Doc Season 1

What Happens in ‘Doc’?

Fox

Doc begins by following Dr. Amy Larsen, the chief of internal medicine at a Minnesota hospital. While she is a brilliant surgeon, her bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired. She’s authoritative, condescending, and cold to patients and colleagues. We see that her personality stemmed from a traumatic life event. Her son Danny was lost to a sudden medical episode, which caused her to bury herself in work and shut everyone else out. However, a car crash in the first episode gave her a fresh start. Suddenly, Amy has lost the last six years of her memories, including her son’s death. She’s now a completely different person after the accident; warm, friendly, yet still a world-class surgeon.

The show follows Amy’s attempts to rebuild her memories and life. We see her go from chief all the way down to glorified intern. She even has to retake her medical boards. All the while, she must contend with coworkers and friends whom she has no memory of alienating due to her authoritarian tendencies. By the second season, some memories have gradually come back. It’s not much, but it is enough to validate Amy’s journey of rediscovery. She takes full advantage of her do-over and is committed to making herself a better person than the one she forgot.

It’s hard for a medical drama to stand out when the genre is so packed. Doc can set itself apart because the medical element is actually secondary. It’s not a hospital show; it’s a show about a woman who loses her memories and happens to be a doctor. Amy could have easily been a lawyer or businesswoman, and the central premise could have stayed mostly the same.

However, the concept of making Amy a world-class physician allows for the roles to be reversed. Before she lost her memories, she was the one helping people. After the accident, it’s Amy who needs medical help to rebuild her life. It’s a concept that definitely contributes to her determination to regain what was lost. And it’s the core component of what makes Doc so emotionally powerful.

One of the Most Emotionally Powerful Dramas on TV

Consider Amy’s perspective. You’re a doctor who blames yourself for your son’s death because of his manageable heart condition. You then throw yourself into work for the next few years, pushing away all your loved ones in the process. Then you forget all that happened, and have to grieve the loss of your son a second time. That’d be emotionally devastating for anyone. Couple that with the fact that all your coworkers hate you for the terrible behavior that you do not remember. Regardless of Amy’s past behavior, viewers empathize with the trauma she must relive. While most medical shows have plenty of emotional moments, nothing really compares to what Amy has lived through.

The memory loss doesn’t just affect her either. Amy has no memory that she divorced her husband, Michael, sometime after their son, Danny, passed away. After her accident, he moved on with his new wife and child. In her mind, they were still together when she woke up from the crash. Coworker Dr. Sonya Maitra’s confidence was also shattered after the old Amy repeatedly tore her down. Now Amy wants to make things right, but Sonya must decide if she’s actually sincere and trustworthy.

Even Amy’s obligatory medical drama office romance is ruined. While the old Amy enjoyed a relationship with Dr. Jake Heller, the new Amy still pines for the ex-husband she didn’t know had left her. Michael is arguably even more traumatized than Amy. They both blamed him for Danny’s death, as he was with him at the time. Michael found happiness again with his second wife, Nora, though he was understandably scared about raising another child.

Amy’s return throws a wrench into everything, as Michael had already mourned the loss of their marriage along with the loss of their son. But now Amy is back to her old self, with no trace of the heartless, unfeeling robot that she became. What’s more is that she still loves Michael, as she has forgotten they ever separated. The weight of Amy’s personality change hits Michael, and we see that he’s weighing a return to the woman he thought he had lost. These issues go far deeper than your typical Grey’s Anatomy-esque dramatic tropes. This proves that while The Pitt is certainly powerful, it’s far from the only medical show that masters the art of emotional storytelling. Doc is streaming on Netflix and Hulu.

Release Date: January 7, 2025
Network: FOX
Directors: Russell Lee Fine, Rebecca Thomas, Jono Oliver, Michael Goi, Nicole Rubio, Amanda Row, Marisol Adler
Writers: Judith McCreary, Katie Varney