Paging Our Favorite TV Doctors TV for Grownups

TEST-Favorite TV Doctors

The daytime drama ' General Hospital' began seeing patients 50 years ago this April but it' s the night-shift aka prime-time docs we remember most

NOTE TO PRODUCER: photo credits follow each caption The Heartthrobs As played by Patrick Dempsey (near right), Dr. Derek Shepherd — aka McDreamy — keeps Grey's Anatomy fans swooning. Back in the 1960s, Dr. Kildare's Richard Chamberlain could have been given the same nickname. c. 1963, Everett Collection; 2010, ABC via Getty Images The Good Guys Doogie Howser, M.D. (Neil Patrick Harris) and Marcus Welby, M.D. (Robert Young) were decades apart (in age and airdates for their eponymous shows), but the teen prodigy and the veteran physician shared a kind bedside manner and a passion for patient care. 1990, 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection; 1969, Alamy The Curmudgeons Bedside manners were hardly a priority for House's prickly Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). On Grey's Anatomy, the surly Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is called "the Nazi" by her colleagues. 2011, 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection; 2010, ABC via Getty Images The Heroes Patients came first for E.R.'s Doug Ross (George Clooney) and, before him, for M.A.S.H's Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda). These rebels flouted the rules, typically saved the day — and always got the girl. c. 1998, Jeff Katz/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images; c. 1975, Everett Collection The Neurotics On the sitcom Frasier, psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) doled out advice he often needed to follow himself. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) was a painfully displaced New Yorker working as a country doctor in the Alaska-based Northern Exposure. c. 1998, Alamy; c. 1993, Universal, Everett Collection The Strong Women Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (Jane Seymour) took her practice to the western frontier. On Grey's Anatomy, contemporary docs Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) doctor patients and their own personal lives in the halls of Seattle Grace. c. 1995, Alamy; 2006, ABC via Getty Images The Comedians Laughter was the best medicine for The Cosby Show's Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) and The Love Boat's Adam "Doc" Bricker (Bernie Kopell), both of whom seemed to spend more time practicing punch lines than medicine. c. 1988, NBC/Photofest; c. 1980, Aaron Spelling Prods/Everett Collection The Explorers Star Trek's chief medical officer, the irascible Bones McCoy (DeForest Kelley), spent years gainfully employed in space. The X-Files' Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) was actually a surgeon, albeit one working as a skeptical FBI agent in search of non-earthly beings. 1968, CBS via Getty Images; 1990, 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection The Investigators As doctor detectives, Quincy, M.E. (Jack Klugman) and Diagnosis Murder's Dr. Mark Sloan (Dick Van Dyke) didn't have to worry about losing a patient — only a body. c. 1978 and c. 1995, Everett Collection The Good Listeners Therapy sessions were rather more dramatic for psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) of The Sopranos than they were for comedian Bob Newhart's alter ego — psychologist Bob Hartley — on The Bob Newhart Show, but both docs worked with their share of curious characters. 2004, HBO/Everett Collection; c. 1976, Everett Collection The Future Superstars Once upon a time, Denzel Washington and Mark Harmon charmed viewers as St. Elsewhere doctors Philip Chandler and Robert Caldwell. Each would go on to become a People magazine Sexiest Man Alive (in 1996 and 1986, respectively) and acclaimed actor. c. 1985, NBC via Getty Images PROMO:The daytime drama General Hospital began seeing patients 50 years ago this April, but it's the night-shift (aka prime-time) docs we remember most Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

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