"Grey's Anatomy" enters its 20th season - The longest-lasting hospital series
The 20th season of the popular and long-running hospital series "Grey's Anatomy" starts on Monday, July 8, at 8:15 p.m. on ProSeven in German free-TV. Since March 2005, the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital have been saving lives, and an end is still not in sight.
The US channel ABC ordered another, 21st season of the show in April of this year, which is expected to start at the end of the year in US television. "Grey's Anatomy" is the longest-running medical drama series in the primetime history of US television, according to US industry magazine "The Hollywood Reporter."
But several other US medical series have also achieved an enormously long run. It seems that TV audiences just can't get enough of doctors with stethoscopes in white coats saving lives, falling in love, and making viewers laugh or cry.
"Diagnosis: Murder": Eight Seasons from 1993 to 2001
Less well-known in Germany is the humorous medical crime series "Diagnosis: Murder." In it, the 98-year-old Dick Van Dyke played a doctor who consulted the local police in murder cases. Van Dyke's real-life son Barry Van Dyke (72) also played a main role in the CBS series, portraying a detective in the police department.
"House, M.D.": Eight Seasons from 2004 to 2012
The British actor Hugh Laurie (65) portrayed the eccentric doctor Dr. Gregory House in the Fox series "House, M.D." for eight seasons from 2004 to 2012. The misanthropic medical genius saved countless lives with his correct diagnoses at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. House, who was addicted to painkillers, often clashed with hospital management, colleagues, and the rest of humanity.
The series also enjoyed great success in Germany on RTL.
"Scrubs - The Interns": Nine Seasons from 2001 to 2010
One of the most popular series of recent TV history: "Scrubs - The Interns" combined comedy with medical storylines and won audiences over with lovable characters like Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley, 64), the neurotic main character J.D. (Zach Braff, 49), or the quirky, nameless janitor (Neil Flynn, 63).
"Scrubs" was also very popular in Germany on ProSeven. After nine seasons and a change of broadcasters, the series finale aired on ABC in March 2010.
"Chicago Med": Nine Seasons since 2015
Along with "Grey's Anatomy," "Chicago Med" is the only show on this list that is still on the air. The series from megaproducer Dick Wolf (77) is a classic medical drama. At Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, the doctors and nurses of the show save lives, and fall in love at a regular pace.
"Chicago Med" is a spin-off of "Chicago Fire," and shares a television universe with "Chicago P.D.". There are regular crossover episodes between the three Dick Wolf shows, similar to "Grey's Anatomy" and "Seattle Firefighters".
"MAS*H": Eleven Seasons from 1972 to 1983
The series "MAS*H" was broadcast in the US from 1972 to 1983. It is the TV adaptation of the Robert Altman classic "MASH" from 1970.
In the TV show "MAS*H" film adaptation, "Hawkeye" aka Alan Alda (88), "Trapper" aka Wayne Rogers (82), and "Hot Lips" aka Loretta Swit (86) saved the lives of wounded US soldiers during the Korean War. Over 100 million television viewers watched the series finale in February 1983. This massive viewership was not surpassed until the year 2010.
"ER - Emergency Room": 15 Seasons from 1994 to 2009
In 2019, "Grey's Anatomy" surpassed the highly popular predecessor show "ER" as the longest-running medical series in the US primetime program. The hospital series ran for a total of 15 seasons from 1994 to 2009, and set new TV standards for both the realistic and fast-paced storytelling of incidents from the emergency room of a large, urban hospital.
"ER" launched the careers of George Clooney (63) and Julianna Margulies (58), and it is almost unimaginable that most hospital shows on this list would have existed without its successful production as a pioneer and trailblazer.
The comedy-drama series "Scrubs - The Interns," featuring characters like Dr. Cox and J.D., was popular for nine seasons on ProSieben in Germany, airing from 2001 to 2010.
The USA network Pro7 also broadcasted the successful series "House, M.D." for eight seasons, starring Hugh Laurie as the eccentric Dr. Gregory House.
Interestingly, the humorous medical crime series "Diagnosis: Murder," featuring Dick Van Dyke and his son Barry Van Dyke, was less known in Germany but enjoyed popularity on CBS in the US from 1993 to 2001.
Meanwhile, in the USA, "Grey's Anatomy" is not only popular on ProSeven in Germany but also holds the title as the longest-running medical drama series in the primetime history of US television, according to "The Hollywood Reporter."
"Scrubs" and "ER - Emergency Room" are also among the longest-running medical TV shows in the USA, with "Scrubs" airing for nine seasons from 2001 to 2010, and "ER" running for 15 seasons from 1994 to 2009.
Furthermore, "Grey's Anatomy" has spun off several successful series, such as "Chicago Med," which has been on the air since 2015, and "Chicago Med" shares a television universe with "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D."
In addition, the series "MAS*H," which aired from 1972 to 1983, was a TV adaptation of the Robert Altman classic "MASH" from 1970.
Ultimately, "Grey's Anatomy" continues its run, entering its 20th season on ProSeven in German free-TV, while "Chicago Med" remains one of the few ongoing series on this list.
