Best Medicine: U.S. Remake Divides Critics & Fans Of British Original Doc Martin

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Fox’s new medical show, Best Medicine, has only had two episodes so far, but it’s already receiving mixed reactions from both critics and viewers. The show is inspired by the long-running British series Doc Martin, which ran for ten seasons starting in 2004.

The American version of the show premiered on January 4th and features Josh Charles, known from The Good Wife, as Dr. Martin Best. He’s a surgeon who relocates to a small town in Maine after practicing in Boston.

Though Doc Martin was consistently praised and popular, Best Medicine hasn’t had the same success in the United States. What’s unusual is that critics and viewers have very different opinions about the show. Currently, Best Medicine has a 73% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score is much lower at 38% – a difference of 35%.

Reviewers describe Best Medicine as charming and unusual, but also predictable in a good way. Many praised actor Charles as a standout performer.

As a critic, I’ve been looking at what audiences are saying about Best Medicine, and it’s not pretty. A lot of viewers walked away feeling let down and frankly, bored. They found the writing and casting choices to be pretty weak. And those who are fans of the original Doc Martin? They overwhelmingly agree this American remake just doesn’t measure up.

I was a big fan of Doc Martin! It was amazing to watch it for ten seasons over eighteen years on ITV. Martin Clunes was brilliant as Dr. Martin Ellingham – it was hilarious watching this doctor who was afraid of blood and didn’t always seem to care if people liked him! It finished in 2022, which was sad, but it was a great run.

Like many popular British shows, such as The Office, Doc Martin has been remade for television in several countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, and Spain. The United States is the most recent country to create its own adaptation.

Mark Crowdy and Philippa Braithwaite, who both worked on Doc Martin, are also executive producers on Best Medicine. They collaborate with Jamie Babbit, Tyson Bidner, Jaime Eliezer Karas, Rodney Ferrell, Howard T. Owens, and Ben Silverman, while Liz Tuccillo leads the show as showrunner. Alongside John Stamos, Best Medicine stars Abigail Spencer, Josh Segarra, Cree Cicchino, and Annie Potts.

Janeane Garofalo recently made a guest appearance on Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. However, due to the busy schedule of Best Medicine, she hasn’t been able to appear on Young Sheldon as often lately. Now that she’s finished filming Best Medicine, she’ll be back on Young Sheldon in the episode airing April 9th.

Martin Clunes, known for his role in Doc Martin, will appear in a recurring role as Dr. Robert Best, Martin’s father, on Best Medicine. The show will also feature recurring performances by Stephen Spinella, Jason Veasey, Carter Shimp, John DiMaggio, Clea Lewis, Didi Conn, and Cindy De La Cruz.

Okay, so I’ve been watching Best Medicine, and honestly, it’s still super early days. It’s one of those shows where opinions are all over the place. Critics seem to like it, but most of the people I’ve talked to – and what I’m seeing online – is pretty different. It’s a wait-and-see situation. I’m curious if Fox can turn things around and get viewers hooked, but right now, it’s a bit of a mystery.

Best Medicine airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.

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2026-01-15 02:41