Fox’s Best Medicine Is House Meets Gilmore Girls (& It Was Just Renewed For Part 2)

Fox’s freshman medical comedy-drama Best Medicine takes the ornery bedside manner of Gregory House from House and puts it in a quirky small-town environment like Gilmore Girls. Josh Charles leads the cast of Best Medicine as Dr. Martin Best, a brusque surgeon who moves from Boston to the small town of Port Wynn, Maine to become the community’s town doctor.

Best Medicine is an American remake of the British series Doc Martin, but Fox’s version trades the British series’ dry awkwardness for a warmer, more openly heartfelt dramedy tone. Dr. Best isn’t ready to admit it yet, but he needs Port Wynn to heal himself just as much as they need him to treat the townspeople.

Josh Charles’ Best Medicine Mixes Medical Drama With Small-Town Charm

Best Medicine works because it blends two reliable TV pleasures: the intrigue of weekly medical mysteries and the cozy appeal of an eccentric small town. Unlike many of the fast-paced, high-stakes best medical drama series, Best Medicine slows the pace just enough to let the personality of Port Wynn seep into every storyline.

Josh Charles’ prickly doctor arrives with a secret he’s determined to keep under wraps. Dr. Best developed a blood phobia after a traumatic operation on a young girl that dredged up memories of losing his older sister, Rosemary, when he was a child.

The experience quietly pushed him toward what he thought was a lower-stakes position: the town doctor of the small Maine town where he spent summers with his aunt. Accepting the job in Port Wynn allows him to keep practicing medicine while trying to manage his blood phobia.

Still, Best Medicine never lets that secret overwhelm the show’s tone. The series treats Dr. Best’s past as a soft overarching thread rather than its central engine. The real story is watching his emotional walls slowly crumble as he’s forced to interact with the town’s endlessly curious residents.

Like the best comfort TV, the show balances heartfelt character beats with light mystery and a hint of romance. Port Wynn’s oddball residents are just as compelling as the medical cases themselves, turning Best Medicine into a story about community and healing.

Why Best Medicine Has Been An Instant Hit For Fox

The freshman medical dramedy has quickly become a strong performer, with Best Medicine delivering Fox’s biggest premiere in three years. The series blends two durable genres — the weekly medical mystery and the cozy small-town ensemble, creating a series with broad appeal.

The series also emphasizes character relationships as much as medical cases. We spend more time with Dr. Best’s Aunt Sarah and his endlessly enthusiastic assistant Elaine than with patients. The show builds investment in the town’s interpersonal dynamics, whether that’s Dr. Best’s slow-burning romance with schoolteacher Louisa or the surprisingly likable presence of her ex-fiancé, Sheriff Mark Mylow.

Rather than broad sitcom jokes or the biting sarcasm common in darker medical dramas, Best Medicine leans into warm, character-driven comedy. Much of the humor comes from Dr. Best’s blunt personality colliding with the town’s friendliness, producing awkward but affectionate moments.

Port Wynn itself plays a huge role in the show’s success. The town feels like the most charming TV community since Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, complete with traditions like the Blueberry Festival, the monthly bean dinner, and even the eccentric Blood Factory. It’s a heightened reality, but an inviting one.

That setting makes Dr. Best a classic fish out of water. Like Gregory House from House, he’s obsessively observant and incapable of ignoring a medical clue. So even when he doesn’t want to be involved in other people’s business, he can’t help but need to solve whatever puzzle he gets from a simple cough or rash.

What To Expect From Best Medicine Season 2

The show still has plenty of story left to explore, especially because Best Medicine is based on the long-running British ITV show Doc Martin, which aired for nine seasons from 2004 to 2022. While the American adaptation has a warmer, more sentimental tone, the core premise is the same.

Actor Martin Clunes, who portrayed Dr. Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin, has a meta role as Dr. Robert Best, Martin Best’s father and fellow doctor in Best Medicine season 1, episode 9.

If Best Medicine continues to follow the broad narrative path of its inspiration, season 2 will likely deepen the story around Dr. Best’s blood phobia. In Doc Martin, Dr. Martin Ellingham’s condition eventually becomes widely known around town. Over time, he works to manage the symptoms with limited success, turning the phobia into an ongoing character arc.

The series could also introduce new family dynamics. In Doc Martin, the doctor’s aunt eventually passes away, prompting another relative to arrive in town and reshape his home life. A similar development could easily expand Dr. Best’s personal world in future seasons, though Aunt Sarah’s ability to love and scold simultaneously would be missed.

At the same time, Best Medicine will likely continue building out the culture of Port Wynn itself. American broadcast seasons typically run longer than British series, meaning the show has more room to explore the town’s traditions and social rhythms.

Best Medicine season 2 will probably revisit established events while introducing new ones, allowing the town’s quirky rituals to evolve alongside Dr. Best’s growing connection to the community.

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