10 Best Medical Drama TV Shows Like The Pitt to Watch Next

If what you love about The Pitt is its packed emergency department, quick-moving patient cases and doctors who have to keep working through a gruelling shift, there are plenty of other medical dramas to explore. Some use the same pressure-cooker setup; others offer a different angle on hospital life, from institutional reform and ethical conflicts to the relationships that make an ensemble feel like a workplace family.

This ranking follows your requested order, from Pulse at number 10 to ER at number one. We considered how each series might appeal to a The Pitt viewer: urgency, patient-centred storytelling, ensemble dynamics, medical workplace tension and strong character arcs. The programmes are not all alike, and that variety is part of the point. Some are faster and more melodramatic; others are reflective or built around long-running characters.

For another The Pitt-focused list, see our earlier guide to shows to watch if you love The Pitt. If you want a different kind of emergency-services ensemble, our shows like 9-1-1 guide explores a related lane.

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, That Love Podcast earns from qualifying purchases. The recommendations and ranking are editorial. Amazon links below open search results, so listings, editions and availability may vary.

How We Ranked the Shows

The ranking is based on how strongly each drama works as a next watch for The Pitt fans, while also giving each title credit for its own strengths. We looked at the pressure created by its hospital setting, the quality of its ensemble and patient stories, the confidence of its writing, and whether it offers something distinctive beyond a familiar emergency-room formula. Long-running series are judged for sustained character storytelling; limited series are judged for the strength and completeness of their shorter arcs.

These are scripted dramas, not medical advice or documentaries. Medical procedures and emergencies are portrayed for entertainment, and each show can take creative liberties. The series also range in tone and intensity, so check individual content guidance if you prefer to avoid graphic, distressing or emotionally heavy scenes.

10. Pulse (2025)

Netflix’s Pulse takes place at Maguire Medical Center in Miami, where emergency medicine resident Danny Simms is unexpectedly promoted after chief resident Xander Phillips is suspended. The personal fallout between the two doctors unfolds just as a hurricane bears down on the city, the hospital locks down and the emergency department is flooded with urgent cases. Its first season runs for ten episodes, built around the collision of workplace pressure and private complications.

The series earns a spot for fans of The Pitt because it puts a busy emergency department under an external threat and keeps the ensemble at the centre. Miami’s multicultural setting gives the drama a different feel from the Pittsburgh hospital in The Pitt, while the hurricane provides a season-long engine for the cases. The doctors are not presented as flawless saviours; their own decisions and relationships create much of the tension.

Where Pulse differs is its stronger emphasis on an illicit workplace romance and personal secrets. That makes it more overtly soapy than a shift-by-shift medical drama, but viewers who enjoy character tensions alongside medical stakes may find that mix appealing. The show also uses flashbacks and relationship history to shape what the audience understands about the team.

At number 10, it is the most recent show on the list and a natural first try for anyone looking for a modern procedural. It ranks below the titles above it because its compact first-season setup has less time to build the long-running ensemble history that makes The Pitt and ER so immersive. Still, its storm-driven premise and younger cast make it an easy binge for a viewer looking for a contemporary hospital setting.

The hurricane premise makes the show particularly easy to start: the weather turns a complicated workplace into a contained, high-stakes environment, and the staff cannot simply wait for a quieter day. The series then layers personal tensions into the same pressure cooker. That makes it a useful recommendation for people who enjoy The Pitt’s urgent setting but are happy to trade its tighter shift focus for more relationship-driven plotting. It is a newer, lighter-footed entry point into the genre.

9. New Amsterdam (2018–2023)

Ryan Eggold stars as Dr. Max Goodwin, the new medical director of New Amsterdam Medical Center, in a drama about trying to make an old public hospital work better for its patients. Max’s instinct is to challenge bureaucracy, redirect resources and ask what care might look like if the institution put people first. Around him, doctors and nurses manage their own cases, careers, relationships and professional disagreements.

A The Pitt viewer may connect with the hospital ensemble and the attention paid to patients who arrive with problems larger than a single diagnosis. But New Amsterdam is less about one compressed shift and more about reform, leadership and long arcs across five seasons. Its idealistic central question gives the series a more optimistic tone: can a determined leader meaningfully change a large system?

The show also gives substantial space to its core staff. The relationships between Max, Dr. Helen Sharpe and colleagues such as Dr. Floyd Reynolds and Dr. Lauren Bloom contribute to the emotional continuity. Cases provide the weekly framework, while work-life conflicts and changing team dynamics carry forward. That approach makes it a good choice for viewers who want a hospital drama to settle into over many episodes.

At number 9, New Amsterdam is a strong recommendation for fans who want patient-centred stakes with a hopeful streak. It is more idealistic than gritty and less formally compressed than The Pitt, but that contrast can be refreshing after a tense season. The complete series ran from 2018 to 2023, so viewers can follow the story through a finished five-season arc.

A central pleasure is Max’s stubborn habit of asking what the hospital could do differently. That can lead to bold fixes, new programmes and difficult conversations about money, access and institutional routines. The resulting tone is optimistic, sometimes deliberately so, and gives viewers a change of pace from dramas in which the hospital is nearly always at breaking point. If you like the patient-focused stakes of The Pitt but want a more reform-minded viewpoint, this is a promising next watch.

Shop the complete-series set: Check for New Amsterdam: The Complete Series on Amazon; compare current editions and listings.

8. The Night Shift (2014–2017)

The Night Shift centres on the staff working overnight at San Antonio Memorial Hospital. Eoin Macken plays T.C. Callahan, a doctor and former Army medic whose experience in Afghanistan informs his approach to emergencies. The night team includes colleagues with different personalities and professional priorities, and the show balances its medical cases with conflicts over how the hospital should be run.

The overnight setting offers a clear point of connection with The Pitt: a shift brings its own rhythm, unpredictable emergencies and a team that must make decisions under pressure. The series often follows the night staff beyond the emergency department too, giving viewers a wider picture of the hospital and its workers. Its premise creates a sense that anything might come through the doors while the rest of the city sleeps.

The military background adds an action-oriented edge. T.C.’s experience makes him willing to improvise, which frequently puts him at odds with hospital rules and administrators. The show also invests in the group’s friendships and romantic histories, so the central team has reasons to keep clashing and reconciling beyond the patient cases.

Ranked at number 8, it is one of the closer matches for viewers who want a fast-moving emergency-room ensemble, though its tone can be more conventional and action-driven. Four seasons give the characters time to change, and its distinctive night setting keeps it separate from daytime hospital shows. It is a straightforward next pick if you prefer a familiar blend of cases, colleagues and personal storylines.

Browse the DVD listings: Check The Night Shift on DVD on Amazon for available seasons and editions.

7. The Resident (2018–2023)

Set at Atlanta’s Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, The Resident begins with new intern Devon Pravesh arriving for his first day and meeting senior resident Conrad Hawkins. Conrad’s unorthodox lessons give the series a point of view that questions whether a hospital always serves patients as well as it claims. The staff navigate clinical pressure, institutional politics, careers and personal relationships across six seasons.

For The Pitt fans, the appeal lies in the way the hospital’s structure creates conflict. The story is interested in the people who do the work and in the administrators and incentives that shape their decisions. It mixes emergency-room cases with surgery, patient care and wider ethical disputes, so the drama moves between individual crises and the system behind them.

The show’s central mentor-trainee relationship gives it a clear early spine: Devon is idealistic and new to the hospital; Conrad is experienced, confident and willing to challenge established rules. Other doctors and nurses broaden the perspective, and their changing alliances keep the workplace lively. The personal stories, including romance and family, are prominent, which makes the tone more melodramatic than the tight realism of a single-shift series.

At number 7, The Resident is a good fit for viewers who want medical stakes alongside institutional critique. It is not as concentrated as The Pitt, but it has more room to explore careers and ethical dilemmas over time. Its six-season run concluded in 2023, so it is a completed binge rather than an ongoing series.

6. Casualty (1986–present)

The BBC’s Casualty follows staff and patients in the emergency department at the fictional Holby City Hospital. Since its 1986 launch, the series has used an incoming stream of cases to create immediate stakes, then followed the doctors, nurses and paramedics who return for the next shift. Its enormous run has seen many cast changes, but A&E remains the central setting.

If The Pitt appeals because each hour feels shaped by new arrivals and difficult choices, Casualty offers that episodic structure across a much longer history. Its British NHS setting is different from a US trauma hospital, and the stories reflect a distinct workplace and public-service context. The returning ensemble also gives viewers a chance to watch personal histories accumulate through a changing cast.

The programme’s scale means it can shift between high-stakes emergencies, complex social situations and the personal strain of hospital work. Its long-running format is useful for viewers who like to become attached to a workplace ensemble and follow the changes across seasons. The show’s longevity also makes it a landmark example of the medical serial, rather than a short imitation of a newer hit.

At number 6, Casualty is an excellent choice for someone willing to explore a sprawling archive or catch up with current-era episodes. It is not a one-to-one tonal match for The Pitt, and viewers should not expect every episode to use the same tight real-time form. Its strength is the blend of emergency cases and familiar staff over decades of British television.

Its roots in a British public hospital give the show a different social context from US medical dramas. The stories can draw attention to community, service and the working conditions around emergency care, while the long serial format lets viewers see how a staff member’s past follows them from one shift to the next. It is a substantial commitment, but that depth is exactly what appeals to fans who like to spend time with an evolving medical team.

5. This Is Going to Hurt (2022)

Adapted from Adam Kay’s memoir, this seven-episode BBC comedy-drama follows junior doctor Adam as he works on an obstetrics and gynaecology ward. Ben Whishaw plays Adam, and Ambika Mod plays fellow doctor Shruti. The series turns the everyday pressures of hospital work into a personal story about exhaustion, mistakes, responsibility and trying to preserve a life outside the ward.

It is an appealing next watch for The Pitt viewers who are interested in how a medical shift affects the people providing care. The two shows take different approaches: The Pitt foregrounds a large emergency-room ensemble and compressed shift structure, while This Is Going to Hurt narrows the focus and adapts a first-person account. Both make the emotional and professional demands of hospital work central to the story.

The series balances jokes with difficult material, using Adam’s perspective to show the odd, hectic and painful sides of junior-doctor life. Its tone can change quickly, but the shifts have a purpose: humour can become a way of coping, and the consequences of the work remain present even when a scene is funny. Shruti’s storyline offers a second view of the hierarchy and pressure affecting junior doctors.

Ranked fifth, it is one of the strongest limited-series options in the list. It has less episodic case variety than a long-running procedural, but it makes a more concentrated impression and arrives at a clear ending. It is an especially good choice for a viewer who wants emotional intensity and character insight after the more urgent pace of The Pitt.

4. Chicago Med (2015–present)

Chicago Med follows doctors, nurses and hospital staff at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. As part of the wider One Chicago franchise, it occasionally shares stories and characters with its sibling series, but its medical centre remains the heart of the programme. The emergency department and trauma cases provide a steady flow of immediate drama, while the ensemble’s professional and personal lives create long-term continuity.

The comparison with The Pitt is straightforward: both series place an ensemble in a high-pressure hospital and make patient emergencies a core engine for the plot. Chicago Med is broader and more serialized, with multiple teams and crossovers that can widen the fictional world beyond the hospital. It often gives more space to ongoing relationships and institutional changes than a single-shift story can.

The strength of its format is variety. One episode can move between emergency medicine, psychiatry, surgery and administration, while the characters’ histories add emotional context to their decisions. Its changing cast also keeps the hospital in motion. Long-time viewers can follow evolving careers and partnerships, while new viewers can begin with the opening season and learn the ensemble as it grows.

At number 4, it is among the best options if what you want is a continuing hospital ensemble with regular urgent cases. It can feel more heightened and melodramatic than The Pitt, but its scale and character continuity make it easy to binge. The ongoing series was renewed for another season in 2026, so it remains a current choice for viewers who want more episodes ahead.

Another draw is the Chicago setting and its ties to the wider One Chicago universe. Crossovers can bring firefighters and police officers into the medical stories, but the hospital plots remain accessible on their own. Viewers who enjoy a big cast, recurring departments and stories that spill across a shared fictional city will find more layers here than in a series built around a single shift.

Look for season releases: Check Chicago Med season DVDs on Amazon and compare the listings for the season you want.

3. Transplant (2020–2024)

Canadian drama Transplant follows Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, a Syrian physician who flees to Canada and gets a chance to rebuild his career at York Memorial Hospital in Toronto. Hamza Haq plays Bash, whose experience and instincts are tested as he learns to work within a new medical system and forms connections with the hospital’s staff. His sister Amira and the pressures of starting over remain part of his wider story.

The series connects with The Pitt through its emergency-medicine setting and case-driven episodes, while giving the lead character a distinct journey shaped by displacement, belonging and professional recognition. Instead of treating Bash’s background as a side note, the series makes it a central part of his experience at the hospital. That perspective broadens the usual doctor-arrives-at-work procedural into a story about rebuilding a life and a career.

Its ensemble adds different professional and personal angles around Bash, with clinicians navigating their own choices and hospital pressures. The show can be tense without losing its interest in the people behind the roles. Its four-season story also gives the lead’s journey enough room to develop, from his early adjustment to the question of what future he can build in Canada.

At number 3, Transplant stands out for its perspective and its mix of urgent cases with an ongoing character arc. Bell Media’s series information describes Bash as a talented doctor and Syrian refugee working toward recognition in Canada; by the fourth season, the story brings his training to a turning point. It is a compelling option for viewers who want a medical procedural with a strong lead and a distinctive point of view.

Check for the complete series: Search Amazon for Transplant DVD and season releases; check the listings for format and availability.

2. Code Black (2015–2018)

Code Black is set in the emergency room at Angels Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, a place where demand can outstrip the department’s capacity. The title refers to the hospital’s term for a surge of patients that overwhelms the available staff and resources. Marcia Gay Harden leads as Dr. Leanne Rorish, an attending physician working amid the pressure of the ER, while residents and colleagues learn what the department asks of them.

The crowded-ER premise makes the show an easy recommendation for The Pitt fans who want urgent cases and a workplace operating near its limits. It has a heightened tone and dramatic turns, but its central focus stays with the team trying to respond to emergencies while negotiating the hospital’s constraints. The resident stories also offer a training perspective, with newcomers learning from experienced clinicians under pressure.

Each season builds on the department’s interlocking staff dynamics, including leadership questions and ethical conflicts that go beyond the patient of the week. The documentary film that inspired it explored the pace and intensity of Los Angeles County’s emergency department; the TV series uses that foundation for scripted characters and ongoing story arcs. The resulting drama is brisk and often emotionally direct.

At number 2, Code Black is a close match for viewers looking for an emergency-room series whose premise itself suggests overcrowding and urgency. It is less restrained than The Pitt, but the combination of resident training, staff pressures and a packed department makes it a strong follow-up. Its three seasons, which ended in 2018, offer a compact binge compared with the top-ranked classic.

1. ER (1994–2009)

Michael Crichton’s ER follows medical professionals working in the emergency room of Chicago’s fictional County General Hospital. The ensemble includes doctors, nurses and medical students whose cases bring urgency to the episode while their lives outside work provide a longer emotional arc. With fifteen seasons, the series has time to change its cast, deepen its characters and show how a hospital’s staff becomes a community.

It is the clearest ancestor on this list for fans of The Pitt. Both series treat the emergency department as a place where the next patient can change the rhythm of the day, and both depend on an ensemble rather than a single heroic doctor. The use of fast-moving cases and workplace relationships gives ER a strong binge quality, even for a viewer arriving decades after its original run.

The show’s influence is part of the reason it tops the ranking, but it remains engaging on its own terms. Its characters are allowed to be talented and difficult, generous and flawed; the hospital does not pause simply because one person’s story has reached a turning point. That tension between an ongoing stream of patients and the private lives of staff is one of the genre’s most durable storytelling engines.

At number 1, ER is the best next watch for a The Pitt fan who wants the full-scale emergency-room ensemble experience. It ran from 1994 to 2009 across fifteen seasons and helped define what a fast, character-led primetime hospital drama could be. It also gives viewers a long arc to settle into, from the earliest shifts at County General to its final season.

Its case-driven storytelling remains influential because the ER is both a workplace and a crossroads: patients arrive with distinct needs, and each arrival affects the staff who must keep moving. The series can pivot from a tense medical emergency to a quiet conversation between colleagues without leaving the hospital behind. That combination of urgency, ensemble life and continuity is the main reason it still makes sense as the number-one follow-up to a modern medical drama.

Shop the complete-series set: Check ER: The Complete Series on Amazon and compare current box-set editions.

More Medical and Binge-Worthy TV Guides

If you want to keep following hospital ensembles, emergency teams or long-form character stories, these related guides from That Love Podcast make good next stops.

• The Best Meredith Grey Episodes
• The Best Cristina Yang Episodes
• Grey’s Anatomy Breakups That Hurt the Most
• Grey’s Anatomy Seasons Ranked
• Best Grey’s Anatomy Characters
• Best 9-1-1 Episodes
• Best 9-1-1 Characters
• 9-1-1 Seasons Ranked
• Binge-Worthy TV Shows of the 2000s
• Best TV Shows of 2026 So Far
• Streaming and TV Shows of 2026
• HBO Limited Series to Binge
• Limited Series Worth Watching Again
• Cosy TV Shows for a Binge

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I watch after The Pitt?

Start with ER if you want a classic emergency-room ensemble, or try Code Black for a crowded ER and resident stories. Choose This Is Going to Hurt for a shorter, more personal drama, or Casualty if you want a long-running British series.

Which show on this list is most like The Pitt?

ER, Code Black and The Night Shift are among the closest in their focus on emergency departments and staff under pressure. Their tones and formats differ, so the closest match depends on whether you prefer classic ensemble drama, heightened emergencies or a night-shift team.

Is Pulse similar to The Pitt?

Both place an ensemble in a high-pressure emergency department and use urgent cases to drive the story. Pulse adds a hurricane and a central workplace romance, giving it a more serialized relationship focus than The Pitt.

Is ER worth watching now?

Yes, especially if you enjoy ensemble storytelling and want to see a hospital drama develop over many seasons. Its 1990s production style differs from newer shows, but its emergency-room cases and long character arcs remain compelling for many viewers.

How many seasons of The Resident are there?

The Resident ran for six seasons, from 2018 to 2023. Its story follows medical staff at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

How many seasons of Transplant are there?

Transplant has four seasons, which ran from 2020 to 2024. The series follows Dr. Bashir Hamed as he rebuilds his medical career in Toronto.

Is This Is Going to Hurt a limited series?

Yes. It is a seven-episode drama adapted from Adam Kay’s memoir, with Ben Whishaw as Adam and Ambika Mod as Shruti. Its short format makes it a good choice if you want a complete story rather than a multi-season procedural.

Are Chicago Med and The Pitt connected?

No. They are separate series. Chicago Med is part of NBC’s One Chicago franchise and follows staff at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center; The Pitt is a separate emergency-room drama set in Pittsburgh.

Is Casualty still on television?

Casualty remains a long-running BBC series that began in 1986. Its schedule can include breaks, so check current BBC listings for the latest episode dates.

Where can I stream these medical dramas?

Streaming availability changes by country and over time. Check your local streaming-service and broadcaster catalogues for each title. This article avoids naming a service or price that may not be available in your region.

More from That Love Podcast

For more TV recommendations, visit our workplace romances like Grey’s Anatomy, or explore our medical, emergency-team and TV guides linked above. You can also listen to our podcast episodes or support the show on Ko-fi.

Share this list with a medical-drama fan and subscribe to our newsletter for future TV recommendations. Brands and collaborators interested in working with That Love Podcast can get in touch through the site’s contact information.

Sources and Further Reading

• Netflix Media Center: Pulse
• Universal Pictures at Home: New Amsterdam
• Apple TV: The Night Shift
• Netflix Tudum: The Resident
• BBC Studios Press Room: This Is Going to Hurt
• Peacock: Chicago Med
• Bell Media: Transplant
• Paramount Press Express: Code Black
• Amblin: ER
• NBCUniversal: One Chicago franchise and Chicago Med

This article discusses television dramas and does not provide medical advice. Check current local listings for viewing availability.