Netflix acquires controversial medical drama criticised for unrealistic portrayal

The Resident, which originally premiered on Fox in the US, has been added to Netflix's library - but it's been previously critiqued by medical experts for not quite hitting the mark on accuracy

Netflix has recently added the medical drama The Resident to its collection, a series that has faced criticism from medical professionals for its lack of accuracy.

The streaming service has acquired all six seasons of The Resident, which first aired on Fox in the US. The show, which ran from 2018 to 2023, was cancelled following a drop in viewership numbers.

Set in the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, The Resident explores both the personal and professional lives of its staff, while also highlighting the bureaucratic challenges in the healthcare industry.

Matt Czuchry stars as the charming Dr Conrad Theodore Hawkins, with Emily VanCamp playing Nic Marie Nevin, a nurse practitioner who is also Conrad's love interest. The series has seen several changes since it began.

Originally, back in August 2016, Showtime was excited about a new gritty medical drama called The City. However, this project was abandoned, and in a surprising turn of events, Fox took over the concept from Showtime, rebranding it as The Resident, reports the Mirror.

The show's initial concept was described as "A dark medical drama [that] centres around an idealistic young doctor who begins his first day of residency under the supervision of a senior resident who appears tough and brilliant, but turns out to be a cunning and deadly psychopath."

The show has received criticism from some medical professionals, who have labelled it "grossly unrealistic" on various platforms. Medscape Med Students published a scathing review, stating: "The Resident is not only poor entertainment; it harms the public by grossly misrepresenting core concepts of medicine."

The review continued: "We found the show's depiction of medicine to be unrecognizable. The Resident gives a 'false' account of medical education, skewers medical facts, and glorifies unprofessional and frankly illegal behaviours by a physician."

Despite this, the show has received nominations for three awards, including Teen Choice accolades for Breakout TV Show and Drama TV Show.

Evan Whittan was also nominated for a Young Artist Award in 2019 for his role as Henry Barnett.

Netflix has now made the seasons available on its platform as of September 20, allowing viewers to form their own opinions about the show's 'melodrama and cliches'.