'Diagnosis' Series Review: A Hopeful Take On The Future Of Medicine

In a modern age filled with such tragedy, it’s hard to find any reason sometimes to keep running the grand experiment that is the internet. But, despite certain current events, what can’t be ignored is that for a tool as expansive as the internet, there’s still a lot of good to be done. And the latest spotlight on that good is Netflix’s new docuseries, Diagnosis.



Based on the New York Times column of the same name by Dr. Lisa Sanders, Diagnosis follows the journey of people with mystery diseases for whom Sanders hopes to diagnose with the aid of a new crowdsourcing system that takes the patient’s case global in hopes of reaching those that were inaccessible in the past.

The greatest thing Diagnosis has going for it is its unrelenting optimism and message of hope for a future of medicine that sees situations like this plummet through the spreading of useful information to not just the medical community but rest of the world. While it does point out some of the problems with the American medical system, in particular, that is far from the series’ focus.


It’s hard to think about the fact that, in 2019, medical science still has what seems like basic mysteries that need to be solved beyond the biggies like curing cancer. It’s hard to believe that people still suffer in the kind of ways that were thought to be nothing more than fictional rhetoric thrown around on House M.D. (a show for which Sanders served as a medical consultant). But, the reality is that it does still happen, so just to see a message like the one Diagnosis is attempting to spread get out into the public eye is nothing short of inspiring.

As early as the first episode, it becomes clear Sanders is a woman driven by nothing more than the desire to do her job to the absolute fullest. She is the kind of doctor we all wish we had and that essence covers every frame of the new Netflix series.


Overall, while Diagnosis may not be a must-watch, it is one worth watching. It is the perfect kind of feel-good story, not unlike earlier 2019 Netflix offering Dogs, or previous 2018 offering Queer Eye, that will leave its audience feeling like there is still good to be mined in this world. And in a time that makes us all feel like good is in short supply, that is no small feat, to say the least.

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