FOX is kicking off next year with two new additions to its lineup, including the medical comedy Best Medicine, an adaptation of the beloved British series, Doc Martin. The show will be part of the network’s expanding medical slate for the winter premiere window, alongside Doc — a drama inspired by the Italian hit Doc – Nelle tue mani and based on the true story of Dr. Pierdante Piccioni. Best Medicine has the makings to become Fox’s next memorable medical series, following in the footsteps of The Resident and House, though its tone and premise lean more closely toward the latter as it centers on an enigmatic doctor. The network has revealed the new series will air in a block alongside the returning Doc.
Best Medicine stars Josh Charles (The Good Wife) in the titular role of Martin Best, a “brilliant surgeon who abruptly leaves his illustrious career in Boston to become the general practitioner in a quaint East Coast fishing village where he spent summers as a child.” Much like House’s Gregory House, Dr. Best doesn’t possess the most pleasant personality. In his case, his private practice leaves him with no colleagues to butt heads with. Instead, this prickly doc becomes the bane of his patients, who, unfortunately for them, have no choice but to rely on him as the town’s only doctor. According to the official synopsis, “Martin’s blunt and borderline rude bedside manner rubs the quirky, needy locals the wrong way, and he quickly alienates the town, even though he’s all they’ve got.” Best will also have a knack for solving medical mysteries, and while he’s quite the expert at those, “he’s really just desperate to be left the hell alone.”
Season 1 of Best Medicine will feature hour-long episodes, though the episode count has yet to be revealed. The series is set to premiere Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 8 p.m. It’ll serve as the perfect warm-up for Doc Season 2, which airs right after at 9 p.m. Fox’s other major mid-season debut is Memory of a Killer, a dark thriller centered on a hitman whose carefully hidden double life begins to unravel after he’s diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. The series marks Patrick Dempsey’s first return to network television since his Grey’s Anatomy days.
‘Best Medicine’s Cast Includes a ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Alum
Dempsey won’t be the only familiar Grey’s Anatomy face making a major move to Fox next winter. Abigail Spencer, who appeared in 15 episodes of the ABC medical drama as Dr. Megan Hunt, will also star in Best Medicine. However, she won’t be in scrubs this time, instead portraying series regular Louisa Glasson, one of the townsfolk frustrated by the cantankerous doctor. Other series regulars include Annie Potts (Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage), Josh Segarra (Abbott Elementary), and Cree (Turtles All the Way Down), while recurring roles will be filled by Didi Conn (Grease), Clea Lewis (American Rust), Stephen Spinella (Royal Pains), Jason Veasey (Only Murders in the Building), John DiMaggio (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Carter Shimp (The Holdovers), and Cindy De La Cruz (Blue Bloods). Additionally, Doc Martin lead Martin Clunes will make a guest appearance, not reprising his original role, but now portraying Dr. Robert Best, Martin’s father.
Best Medicine was created by Dominic Minghella, with Liz Tuccillo (Sex and the City) serving as writer. Ben Silverman (The Office) executive produces the series through his Propagate Content banner in collaboration with Fox Entertainment. Additional executive producers include Doc Martin’s Mark Crowdy and Philippa Braithwaite.
Check out the show’s trailer above and stay tuned for updates.
Release Date
2026
Network
FOX
Josh Charles
Dr. Martin Best
Josh Segarra
Sheriff Mark Mylow