For decades, medical dramas have been some of television’s most reliable performers, from genre-defining hits like ER to the enduring success of Grey’s Anatomy, and more recently the critical acclaim of The Pitt. But every so often, one breaks out far beyond expectations — and that’s exactly what happened with Fox‘s medical drama Doc. Season 1 quietly arrived on Netflix in September and almost immediately shot up the streaming charts, racking up an astonishing 657 million minutes viewed.
Season 2 is currently airing and on its midseason break on Fox, but it’s especially impressive that the show received a 22-episode order, something increasingly rare in today’s TV landscape. Meanwhile, Netflix viewers have turned the first season into one of the most-watched medical dramas of the winter. If you haven’t checked it out yet, Doc is quickly becoming the medical series to add to your watchlist.
What Is the Medical Drama ‘Doc’ About?
Doc is adapted from the hit Italian series Doc – Nelle tue mani, itself inspired by the true story of Dr. Pierdante Piccioni, a physician who suffered head trauma in a car accident and lost 12 years of his memory. The American adaptation follows a similar premise. Molly Parker plays Dr. Amy Larsen, the chief of internal medicine at Westside Hospital, who loses eight years of her life. Season 1 forces her to confront how profoundly things have changed in the time she can’t remember, including the dissolution of her marriage to her husband Michael (Omar Metwally) and the devastating loss of her young son.
The series blends the familiar rhythms of a medical procedural with the emotional complexity of Amy’s condition and fractured relationships. Each episode mixes patient-of-the-week stories with serialized arcs about Amy’s recovery, her return to work as an intern in the very hospital she once led, and her painful journey to understand the person she used to be. The ensemble cast is strong across the board: Jon Ecker plays Dr. Jake Heller, whose complicated history with Amy becomes a central thread; Amirah Vann shines as Dr. Gina Walker, Amy’s best friend and colleague who harbors secrets of her own. Rounding out the cast are standout young actors like Patrick Walker and Anya Banerjee, with memorable recurring arcs from Scott Wolf in Season 1 and Felicity Huffman in Season 2.
The Harrowing True Story Behind the New Fox Drama ‘Doc’
Dr. Pierdante Piccioni’s incredible story is the inspiration for this new series.
All of these elements give Doc emotional weight, but the show works as well as it does because of Molly Parker at its center. Her grounded, empathetic performance elevates the series far beyond a typical medical drama, anchoring every storyline with nuance, vulnerability, and quiet strength. It’s one of the most compelling roles of her career, and a perfect match for the show’s blend of medical procedural and character-driven storytelling.
Molly Parker Delivers Another Incredible Performance in ‘Doc’
Molly Parker has delivered exceptional performances for decades, from Alma Garret in Deadwood to standout roles in House of Cards and Lost in Space. But as Amy Larsen in Doc, Parker finally gets the kind of true lead role that showcases her full range. The entire series is built around Amy’s vulnerability and strength as she grapples with being a brilliant woman suddenly forced to start over. Through flashbacks, we also meet the former version of Amy who is definitely sharper, more abrasive, and more guarded. Thankfully though, the writing never frames either version as right or wrong. Doc doesn’t deal with simple heroes and villains; instead, Amy is at odds with herself, facing a past she can’t remember but desperately wants to get back.
It’s a complex emotional landscape, but Parker juggles it with masterful precision. She’s completely believable as a doctor, but it’s her chemistry with her colleagues, her friends, and especially her daughter that gives the show its emotional weight. Parker captures every facet of Amy with remarkable nuance, giving the character a lived-in authenticity that anchors every episode. Showrunners Barbie Kligman and Hank Steinberg and their team provide strong material, but it’s Parker’s performance that elevates the series far beyond a standard medical procedural.
For fans of character-driven medical dramas who may have missed Doc during its initial run, catching up on Netflix or Hulu is absolutely worth it. Between Parker’s extraordinary lead performance, a compelling ensemble cast and cases that deepen the show’s emotional arcs, Doc stands out in a crowded genre. With Season 2 set to return from its midseason break on January 6, 2026, the series is shaping up to be one of television’s most surprising breakout hits.
- Release Date
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January 7, 2025
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
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Russell Lee Fine, Rebecca Thomas, Jono Oliver, Michael Goi, Nicole Rubio, Amanda Row, Marisol Adler
- Writers
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Judith McCreary, Katie Varney
