History, Analysis and Anthropology of Medical Dramas: A Literature Review

Abstract

The article is dedicated to American TV series that belong to the medical drama genre. The first part of the work is aimed at providing a brief summary of the evolution of the main features of the genre with respect to settings, protagonists and their representation in fictional products. We therefore want to trace the main transformations of the longest-running products among contemporary fictional shows, from the first medical series to the ones still running today. Through literature review, we will then highlight the undisputed interest that popular cultural products, such as medical dramas, have stimulated in researchers working in different fields. In particular, we want to note the attention researchers in the field of medical anthropology have devoted, and are still devoting to this day, media studies.

Keywords

• Television series
• Medical drama
• Television genre
• Medical anthropology
• Medicine and health in fiction