Top Series That Prepare You for Medical School

1. Grey’s Anatomy – The Anatomy of Medical Emotions

While dramatized, Grey’s Anatomy offers more than just hospital romance and plot twists. For premeds, it gives insight into surgical hierarchy, trauma cases, and ethical dilemmas doctors face daily. From dealing with imposter syndrome to navigating burnout and grief, students can reflect on the emotional and interpersonal aspects of medicine. Yes, it’s sensationalized, but the lessons in patient care, resilience, and mentorship are relevant—especially when watching it with a critical lens. It also sparks curiosity about procedures, anatomy, and hospital workflow, albeit with Hollywood seasoning.

2. House M.D. – Diagnostic Thinking on Steroids

Dr. Gregory House is the medical Sherlock Holmes. His methods may be ethically questionable and wildly unrealistic at times, but his approach to complex cases teaches premedical students the art of differentials and not jumping to conclusions. It encourages curiosity, skepticism, and most importantly, always asking why. Premeds will also pick up foundational concepts in pathology, pharmacology, and rare syndromes. While not a model of professional behavior, the series shows how the human body can surprise even the best minds—and that diagnosis is often an intellectual pursuit.

3. The Good Doctor – Seeing Neurodivergence in Medicine

Shaun Murphy, a surgical resident with autism and savant syndrome, brings a fresh perspective to medical training. Premedical students gain insight into how different minds approach clinical problems. Beyond that, it emphasizes communication challenges in healthcare, systemic discrimination, and learning curves in high-pressure environments. It’s also a strong reminder that emotional intelligence and inclusion are not just buzzwords—they're vital in medicine.

4. Scrubs – Funny but Surprisingly Accurate

At first glance, Scrubs may seem like pure comedy, but it is perhaps one of the most realistic portrayals of residency life. It humanizes the medical journey. From moments of failure, camaraderie, and moral dilemmas, to the stress of performing under pressure—it all feels very real beneath the humor. For premeds, it’s a light-hearted yet meaningful introduction to what medical culture feels like, especially the transition from theory to real-life practice.

5. Doogie Howser, M.D. – The Premed Dream Fantasized

This show follows a teenage prodigy navigating the world of medicine. While obviously fictional, it’s relatable for ambitious premeds who feel like they’re constantly trying to prove themselves. It’s a classic that demonstrates the challenges of balancing personal identity with a demanding career and subtly highlights topics like doctor-patient boundaries and growing emotional maturity.

6. ER – A Crash Course in Emergency Medicine

Before Grey’s Anatomy became a cult hit, ER ruled the medical drama genre. With a grittier, more realistic portrayal of emergency medicine, it offers valuable insight into triage, code blue situations, teamwork, and system overload. The fast-paced environment reflects how real emergencies are managed—something premeds often romanticize until they witness it themselves.

7. Something the Lord Made – Ethics, Race, and Innovation

This powerful film tells the true story of Dr. Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas, two pioneers in cardiac surgery. It highlights racial inequalities in medicine and how brilliance can be overlooked due to systemic bias. It’s a must-watch for students to understand the historical struggles behind today’s medical advancements. It also inspires deeper thinking about allyship, gratitude, and perseverance in academic medicine.

8. Patch Adams – Compassion as a Clinical Tool

Based on the true story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, this film is a heartfelt reminder that medicine isn’t just about knowledge—it’s about human connection. Premeds often drown in MCAT prep and GPA obsession, but this movie reintroduces empathy, laughter, and holistic care into the conversation. It’s particularly beneficial during burnout phases, reigniting the why behind the desire to pursue medicine.

9. The Knick – The Darker Side of Medical History

Set in the early 1900s, The Knick is a raw portrayal of the surgical world before antiseptics, antibiotics, or ethical boards. It's not for the faint-hearted, but it educates premeds on how far modern medicine has come. From public surgeries to racial and gender discrimination in medical institutions, this series forces students to appreciate the evolution of the profession and the sacrifices behind scientific progress.

10. The Resident – The Business of Healthcare

This series explores the tension between patient care and hospital administration. It offers a reality check: medicine is not immune to capitalism. Students watching this will gain perspective on how profit-driven systems impact clinical decisions. It's a great segue into learning about healthcare policy, ethics, insurance dynamics, and the challenges doctors face when morality clashes with protocol.

11. Call the Midwife – Where Public Health Meets Clinical Practice

Set in post-war London, this series blends obstetrics with social commentary. It opens a window into public health, midwifery, poverty, and gender roles in medicine. For students interested in OB-GYN or community medicine, it’s a poetic yet educational look at how societal context affects health outcomes. It also portrays deep professional empathy and humility.

12. 100 Humans – Experiments Meet Entertainment

Though not strictly medical, this documentary-style Netflix series tests social, behavioral, and cognitive psychology concepts. It’s ideal for premeds curious about research, human behavior, and experimental design. From studying attractiveness to pain thresholds, it provides light but thought-provoking content that builds critical thinking skills necessary for medical ethics and research interpretation.

13. The Surgeon’s Cut – Real Doctors, Real Stories

This Netflix docuseries features renowned surgeons from around the world sharing their philosophies and work. Unlike dramatized series, it’s raw and reflective. Each episode offers premeds a chance to see how medicine and humanity intersect—often in spiritual, cultural, or ethical contexts. These are the role models you don’t get from Hollywood.

14. Lennox Hill – Real Medicine, Real Pressure

A documentary series that follows four doctors at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York. It strips away the glamour of fiction and shows the real day-to-day of neurosurgeons, ER physicians, and OB-GYNs. For premeds, it’s an intimate view of life inside the hospital—the long hours, the decision-making stress, and the emotional toll. This is clinical realism without dramatization.

15. Brain Games – Understanding the Mind’s Tricks

While not medical per se, Brain Games is fantastic for neuroscience enthusiasts. It dives into cognition, perception, memory, and neuropsychology—all of which are part of any good premedical foundation. It’s engaging, interactive, and encourages future doctors to appreciate the brain’s complexity beyond rote memorization.

16. Concussion – When Medicine Battles the NFL

Based on the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu’s discovery of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) in football players, this film showcases the resistance medicine often faces when confronting powerful institutions. It’s a great introduction to neurology, forensic pathology, and scientific integrity. It also emphasizes the role of whistleblowers in advancing healthcare ethics.

17. Awakenings – The Neurologist's Emotional Journey

This deeply emotional movie starring Robin Williams (based on the work of Dr. Oliver Sacks) is a profound lesson in patient connection, neurological mystery, and transient hope. It forces viewers to contemplate what defines quality of life and how sometimes, the greatest treatment is presence, not prescriptions.

18. My Sister’s Keeper – Ethics in Family Medicine

This film offers a heart-wrenching exploration of medical emancipation, organ donation within families, and ethical conflicts between parental decisions and patient autonomy. It's especially important for students to understand the emotional dimensions of pediatric oncology, genetic diseases, and bioethics.

19. Wit – A Masterclass in Palliative Care

This lesser-known film is a devastatingly raw portrayal of a literature professor undergoing experimental treatment for cancer. It provides an intimate view of patient suffering, dignity, and how doctors communicate with dying patients. It’s vital for premeds to see the impact of bedside manner beyond lab results.

20. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Research Ethics 101

Based on Rebecca Skloot’s bestselling book, this film covers the story of HeLa cells and the ethical controversies of using human tissue without consent. It is foundational for understanding research ethics, bio-banking, and the intersection of race, consent, and scientific discovery. Essential viewing for future physicians entering the research world.