Best Medicine
Genre
Based on
Doc Martin
by Dominic Minghella
Developed byLiz Tuccillo
Starring
Music byJeff Cardoni
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes15
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Tony Glazer
  • Summer Crockett Moore
  • Raymond Quinlan
Cinematography
  • Wesley Cardino
  • John G. Inwood
  • Matthew J Santo
Editors
  • Sheri Bylander
  • Vanessa Procopio
  • Karen K.H. Sim
  • Sean Cusack
Running time41–43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseJanuary 4, 2026 (2026-01-04) –
present

Best Medicine is an American medical comedy drama television series based on the popular British television series Doc Martin created by Dominic Minghella. The show premiered on Fox on January 4, 2026. In March 2026, Fox renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 20, 2026.

Premise

Brilliant but brusque Dr. Martin Best moves from a prestigious hospital position in Boston to a private practice in the small fishing village of Port Wenn, Maine, where his aunt lives and where he summered as a child. As he solves mysteries behind unusual health conditions affecting the townsfolk, he struggles to integrate with them as well as dealing with his past: he walked away from being a surgeon in Boston after developing a pathological blood phobia, resulting from an operation on a young girl that reminded him of his older sister, Rosemary, who died in a car crash as a child.

Cast

Main

  • Josh Charles as Dr. Martin Best, MD, a successful and brilliant Harvard Medical School-educated heart surgeon with a lack of bedside manner and a severe blood phobia. He is straightforward with patients, delivering diagnoses and advice without protecting their feelings, though he is no less concerned about their health. He had an older sister named Rosemary who died in a car crash when they were children, inspiring him to pursue medicine; he developed his phobia when operating on a young girl who reminded him of Rosemary.
  • Abigail Spencer as Louisa Gavin, a teacher at the community school, later the school’s principal
  • Josh Segarra as Mark Mylow, the town's sheriff and Louisa's ex-fiancé
  • Cree as Elaine Denton, Dr. Best's administrative assistant who wants to become a YouTube influencer
  • Annie Potts as Aunt Sarah, Dr. Best's aunt, a local lobster woman
  • Stephen Spinella as Greg Garrison (season 2; recurring season 1), the proprietor of The Salty Breeze, the village's seafood restaurant
  • Jason Veasey as George Brady (season 2; recurring season 1), Greg's husband and the executive chef of The Salty Breeze

Recurring

  • Carter Shimp as Al Large, Bert's son and coworker who becomes interested in Elaine
  • John DiMaggio as Bert Large, a local contractor
  • Clea Lewis as Sally Mylow, Mark's mother, who is the town's pharmacist
  • Michael Potts as Gilbert Carlisle, Dr. Best's first patient upon arrival in town
  • Didi Conn as Geneva Potter, a senior Port Wenn resident
  • Ben Lewis Doherty as Peter Cronk, one of Louisa's students who loves astronomy and with whom Dr. Best has much in common
  • Patch Darragh as Glendon Ross, Dr. Best's childhood bully who continues to harass Best as an adult
  • Cindy De La Cruz as Jeannie
  • Wattson as Copernicus, an initially unnamed stray dog who repeatedly enters Dr. Best's house against his wishes, causing locals to mistake him as Dr. Best's pet. He is given the name Copernicus by Peter.
  • Eliza Coupe as Dr. Eden Montgomery, a doctor who Dr. Best previously dated when he lived in Boston and refers Louisa to when she decides to have a child on her own. After they begin dating again, Dr. Montgomery attempts to help Dr. Best overcome his blood phobia so he will move back to Boston.
  • Jack Cutmore-Scott as Parker (season 2), Louisa's new love interest[1]

In addition, Alexandra Sica, Leah Janae, and Josh Hoon Lee co-star as Harley, Amelia, and Liam, three intimidating teens from Port Wenn.

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
113January 4, 2026 (2026-01-04)April 7, 2026 (2026-04-07)
214[2]September 20, 2026 (2026-09-20)TBA

Season 1 (2026)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Docked"Jamie BabbitTeleplay by : Liz TuccilloJanuary 4, 2026 (2026-01-04)1013.69[3]
Martin Best, MD, leaves his hospital job in Boston to begin a home private practice in the small fishing village of Port Wenn, Maine, where he vacationed as a child. Most of the locals are friendly, though schoolteacher Louisa Gavin finds his lack of bedside manner off-putting. Martin learns he has inherited receptionist and would-be influencer Elaine Denton from the late Dr. Reese, the previous town doctor; and his first patient, Gilbert, has gynecomastia. At the supermarket, another village resident makes Martin faint when she asks him to help with their son's scraped knee, revealing his blood phobia that cost him his former position. Outside the supermarket, Gilbert's wife, Susan, asks Martin to refill her estrogen cream prescription, which leads Martin to deduce that Gilbert has been absorbing the cream during sex, causing his gynecomastia. Martin's aunt Sarah, the local lobster woman, fakes an emergency to get her nephew to visit so she can ask about his move; he flees when a lobster clips her finger. Later, Louisa informs him that she recently left her fiancé, Sheriff Mark Mylow, at the altar. Martin and Gilbert then witness Susan kissing Doug, a younger gynecomastia patient, on his houseboat. Incensed, Martin prepares to drive away, only to be deliberately stopped by Sarah's oncoming truck. He admits that he froze during a heart operation on an eight-year-old girl who had been in a car accident but refuses to talk further when Sarah mentions "Rosemary". On his way into The Salty Breeze, the village's restaurant, Doug punches his nose during a scuffle, and he retreats to the bathroom, where Elaine, whom he had earlier fired, promises to keep his secret. Mark opens up to Martin about Louisa leaving him and expresses hope that Martin changes his mind, which he does. As Martin removes the "For Rent" sign outside his house, a stray dog he has been trying to keep out runs inside yet again.
22"Bean There Done That"Jamie BabbitLiz TuccilloJanuary 13, 2026 (2026-01-13)1023.32[4]
33"Take Me Out of the Ballgame"Jaffar MahmoodCindy ChupackJanuary 20, 2026 (2026-01-20)1033.10[5]
44"All the World's Ablaze"Jaffar MahmoodElizabeth EvansJanuary 27, 2026 (2026-01-27)1043.50[6]
55"Hello Darkness, My Port Wenn"Jaime Eliezer KarasMatt WardFebruary 3, 2026 (2026-02-03)1053.29[7]
66"Eyewitness Blues"Jaime Eliezer KarasScott PrendergastFebruary 10, 2026 (2026-02-10)1063.06[8]
As Port Wenn prepares for their annual blueberry festival, Louisa prepares to compete in the blueberry pie contest. Martin and Sarah argue over her not taking her health seriously. Martin meets "Blue Barry", the mascot of the festival, who apparently turned blue after eating too many blueberries.
77"There Might Be Blood"Jason WinerPeter AckermanFebruary 17, 2026 (2026-02-17)1072.92[9]
The town prepares for its annual festival themed around Blood Factory, a poorly-written but popular vampire novel set in Port Wenn. Martin struggles to keep his blood phobia private upon being invited while responding to routine medical requests. Louisa suddenly becomes ill, but Martin cannot deduce her condition based on her symptoms. The citizens protest his efforts to shut down the Blood Factory event on suspicion of a faulty HVAC, and Louisa fires him as her doctor. Martin briefly considers whether Louisa might be pregnant by Mark but figures out she has hemochromatosis. Though he knows the blood in the Blood Factory exhibit is fake, he braves traveling through it and faints as he reaches Louisa. They wake up about to be rolled into ambulances, and Martin rises from his bed and almost declares his feelings for Louisa before she rehires him as her doctor. Meanwhile, Elaine talks to Al about her plans to eventually leave Port Wenn. He tries to create a perfect romantic meeting that leads to their first kiss, but her plans remain unchanged.
88"The Bogfather"Jason WinerRia TobaccowalaFebruary 24, 2026 (2026-02-24)1082.85[10]
Mark, George, and Bert are reenacting an early part of Port Wenn's history when a corpse with a bullet wound in its chest surfaces from below the bog. As the townsfolk rally to solve the mystery, Martin starts acting uncharacteristically kind, realizing that operating on this type of corpse is like operating on a living body without the risk of drawing blood. He uses the excuse that his patients have been failing to follow his medical advice and enjoys working on a patient that will not give him any problems. Geneva claims to a suspicious Mark that the corpse was her husband and tries to turn herself in for murdering him, but evidence mounts that the corpse dates back to colonial America. Martin panics while attempting to draw blood from Louisa's arm and rants about the problems his patients have caused for him; she denounces him as the town doctor. A DNA analysis proves that the victim was an ancestor of Martin's, a recluse shot and killed in a duel by a man with support from the entire town. Meanwhile, another DNA test reveals that Al is not Bert's biological son; he hides the truth from Elaine, claiming the test indicated that he is double-jointed, but confirms with her that they are now officially a romantic couple. Martin finally admits his blood phobia to Louisa, who consoles him.
99"Doc Martin"Todd HollandElizabeth EvansMarch 3, 2026 (2026-03-03)1092.81[11]
Martin is surprised when his parents, Vanessa and Robert (guest star Martin Clunes), arrive in Port Wenn, trying to convince him to return to Boston. A family reunion turns sour when Robert gives Sarah some unexpected news. Martin is suspicious of Robert's odd and secretive behavior. Louisa gets some shocking information about the school. The whole town prepares for the annual "Sleep-In," when they have a sleepover at the school.
1010"Port Wenn-ings and a Funeral"Todd HollandScott PrendergastMarch 10, 2026 (2026-03-10)1102.98[12]
1111"Mind Your Own Buboes"Marcos SiegaMatt WardMarch 24, 2026 (2026-03-24)1112.99[13]
1212"A Tale of Two Sister Cities"M.J. DelaneyCindy ChupackMarch 31, 2026 (2026-03-31)1122.74[14]
1313"Norway No How"Jaime Eliezer KarasLiz TuccilloApril 7, 2026 (2026-04-07)1132.95[15]

Season 2 (2026)

No.
overall		No. in
season		Title [2]Directed byWritten by [16]Original air date [2]Prod.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
141"Be Careful What You Fish For"Nancy HowerLiz TuccilloSeptember 20, 2026 (2026-09-20)201TBD
152"Breakin' In Is Hard to Do"Rebecca AsherScott PrendergastSeptember 29, 2026 (2026-09-29)202TBD
163"Crate Expectations"TBACindy ChupackOctober 6, 2026 (2026-10-06)TBATBD
174"No Place Like Om"TBARia TobaccowalaOctober 13, 2026 (2026-10-13)TBATBD

Production

Development

On May 9, 2025, Best Medicine received a straight-to-series order from Fox. The series is wholly owned and produced by Fox Entertainment. Doc Martin was brought to the United States by Propagate Content, alongside All3Media. The American adaptation is written and executive produced by Liz Tuccillo. Propagate's Ben Silverman is an executive producer with Rodney Ferrell, Tuccillo, and Doc Martin executive producers Mark Crowdy and Philippa Braithwaite.[17][18]

On March 2, 2026, Fox renewed the series for a 12-episode second season,[19] which was later expanded to 14 episodes.[20]

Casting

The cast is led by Josh Charles as Dr. Martin Best.[17] In July 2025, Abigail Spencer, Josh Segarra, Annie Potts, and Cree joined the main cast.[21][22][23][24] In September 2025, Didi Conn, Clea Lewis, Stephen Spinella, Jason Veasey, John DiMaggio, Carter Shimp, Cindy De La Cruz, and Wattson (a dog) were cast in recurring roles.[25] In October, it was announced that original Doc Martin star Martin Clunes would appear in the role of Martin Best's father.[26] In August 2026, it was reported that Jack Cutmore-Scott joined the cast in a recurring capacity for the second season.[1]

Filming

On August 5, 2025, it was reported that the series began filming in Cornwall, New York.[27]

Broadcast

The series premiered on Fox on January 4, 2026.[28] The second season premiered on September 20, 2026.[29][30]

Reception

The series holds a 73% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 15 critic reviews with an average of rated reviews of 6.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Best Medicine may not refine the medical procedural genre but it does offer something far more enchanting: compassion, heart and a charming lead that graces all."[31] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[32]

References

  1. ^ a b Roots, Kimberly (August 19, 2026). "Best Medicine Adds Frasier Alum As Louisa's Season 2 Love Interest/Martin's Nemesis". TVLine. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Shows A-Z – best medicine on fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  3. ^ Berman, Marc (January 6, 2026). "Sunday Scorecard: Pittsburgh's Victory Over Baltimore Scores a Touchdown on NBC's Sunday Night Football". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  4. ^ Berman, Marc (January 15, 2026). "Tuesday Ratings: ABC's Will Trent and High Potential Remain Bona Fide Hits". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  5. ^ Berman, Marc (January 23, 2026). "Tuesday Scorecard: ABC Scores With High Potential, Will Trent and The Rookie Trio". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  6. ^ Berman, Marc (January 29, 2026). "Tuesday Scorecard: Will Trent Paired with High Potential on ABC Continues to Shine". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  7. ^ Berman, Marc (February 5, 2026). "Tuesday Scorecard: ABC's High Potential Rises to a Series High". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  8. ^ Berman, Marc (February 12, 2026). "Tuesday Scorecard: Ongoing Dominance for The Winter Olympics; Survivor Encores on CBS of Little Interest". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  9. ^ Berman, Marc (February 20, 2026). "Tuesday Scorecard: And the Winning Password Remains The Winter Olympics on NBC". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  10. ^ Berman, Marc (February 26, 2026). "Tuesday Scorecard: Network Results Approximate Due to State of the Union Address". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  11. ^ Berman, Marc (March 5, 2026). "Tuesday Ratings: ABC Wins; Respectable Sampling for RJ Decker". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  12. ^ Berman, Marc (March 13, 2026). "Tuesday Ratings: High Potential, Will Trent and RJ Decker Lead ABC to Total Viewer Victory". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  13. ^ Berman, Marc (March 26, 2026). "Granddaddy NCIS Tops Night in Total Viewers; ABC's Will Trent and High Potential Solid – Tuesday Nationals". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  14. ^ Berman, Marc (April 2, 2026). "Tuesday Scorecard: ABC and the NBA on NBC Share Dominance; High Potential Most Watched". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  15. ^ Berman, Marc (April 9, 2026). "High Potential on ABC Tops Tuesday". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  16. ^ "Best Medicine". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
  17. ^ a b Porter, Rick (May 9, 2025). "Josh Charles to Star in 'Doc Martin' Adaptation at Fox". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 9, 2025). "Josh Charles To Star In Fox Adaptation Of British Hit 'Doc Martin' Ordered To Series For 2025-26". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Cordero, Rosy (March 2, 2026). "'Best Medicine' Renewed For Season 2 At Fox". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 11, 2026). "'Best Medicine' Season 2 Order Increased As Series Sets Fall Return On Fox". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  21. ^ Cordero, Rosy (July 7, 2025). "Abigail Spencer Joins Cast Of Fox Medical Comedy 'Best Medicine'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  22. ^ Cordero, Rosy. "Josh Segarra Joins Fox's Medical Comedy 'Best Medicine' As Series Regular". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  23. ^ Cordero, Rosy (July 10, 2025). "Annie Potts Joins Fox Medical Comedy 'Best Medicine'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  24. ^ Otterson, Joe (July 22, 2025). "Fox Comedy 'Best Medicine' Adds 'Turtles All the Way Down' Star Cree (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  25. ^ Petski, Denise (September 4, 2025). "Fox Medical Comedy 'Best Medicine' Adds 8 To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  26. ^ Garner, Glenn (October 13, 2025). "'Doc Martin's Martin Clunes Joins Fox's U.S. Remake 'Best Medicine'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  27. ^ Gomez, Blaise (August 5, 2025). "Fox medical dramedy 'Best Medicine' films in Cornwall-on-Hudson and New Hamburg, Wappinger Falls NY". News 12 Westchester. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 9, 2025). "Fox Sets Special Premieres For 'Best Medicine', 'Animal Control' & 'Memory Of A Killer' Behind NFL Games". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  29. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (July 14, 2026). "Fox Sets Fall Premiere Dates For Best Medicine, Doc, The Simpsons, And More". TVLine. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  30. ^ "An All-New Special Advance Premiere of "Best Medicine" Airs Sunday, September 20, on FOX" (Press release). Fox. September 3, 2026 – via The Futon Critic.
  31. ^ "Best Medicine: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  32. ^ "Best Medicine: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2026.