After a long run of shifts, sometimes all you want is the sofa and something good to watch. Hospital shows can be funny, moving or frustratingly unrealistic. Here’s a watchlist of popular shows and films that feature nurses or hospital life, with a nurse’s eye view of each.
Availability varies by country and streaming service. Check age ratings before watching with family.
Dramas with nurses at the centre
1. Nurse Jackie (2009–2015)
A dark comedy-drama about an emergency department nurse in New York who is brilliant at her job but struggling with addiction. Strong on the pressures nurses face; not a model for professional behaviour.
2. Call the Midwife (2012–present)
Set among midwives and nuns in East London from the late 1950s onwards. Warm, emotional and full of maternity history, from home births to the arrival of the contraceptive pill. A favourite for midwives.
3. The Nightingale-era dramas
Various films and series dramatise Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War. Pair them with real history; see our article on Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole.
4. Mercy (2009–2010)
A short-lived US series following nurses in a New Jersey hospital, including a nurse returning from military service.
5. Getting On (UK 2009–2012; US 2013–2015)
A dry, darkly funny comedy set on an under-resourced geriatric ward. Many nurses say it’s painfully realistic about bureaucracy.
Hospital dramas
6. Grey’s Anatomy (2005–present)
The longest-running US medical drama in prime time. Mostly focused on surgeons, and nurses often appear in the background, which is a common criticism.
7. ER (1994–2009)
A classic emergency medicine drama, praised for realism. Nurse characters such as Carol Hathaway and Abby Lockhart had major storylines.
8. The Pitt (2025–present)
A real-time emergency department drama, with each episode covering one hour of a shift. Praised by many clinicians for showing the chaos, staffing pressure and emotional toll of emergency work.
9. Casualty (1986–present)
The long-running UK emergency department drama, with nurses and paramedics as main characters.
10. New Amsterdam (2018–2023)
Follows a medical director trying to reform a public hospital. Touches on health inequality and system failures.
Comedies
11. Scrubs (2001–2010)
A comedy about junior doctors, with nurse Carla Espinosa as one of the most loved characters. Funny, but also surprisingly emotional at times.
12. This Is Going to Hurt (2022)
Based on a former doctor’s memoir about life as a junior doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology in the NHS. Darkly funny and often hard to watch.
Films
13. The Good Nurse (2022)
Based on the true story of a nurse who helped expose a colleague responsible for patient deaths. A sobering look at patient safety and speaking up.
14. Wit (2001)
A film about a professor with ovarian cancer, with a powerful portrayal of a nurse who treats her with dignity and compassion.
Documentaries
15. Hospital and emergency documentaries
Fly-on-the-wall series such as 24 Hours in A&E (UK) show real patients and staff. They’re often more realistic than any drama.
What hospital shows often get wrong
- Doctors doing tasks nurses usually do, such as giving medications and monitoring patients.
- Unrealistic CPR success rates.
- Everyone finding time for romance in the middle of a shift.
- Nurses shown as background characters rather than skilled professionals.
When TV gets too close to home
If a storyline brings up difficult memories from work, it’s okay to switch off. Watching something light on your day off is a good way to rest. See our guide on compassion fatigue and burnout.
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