A brilliant doctor and a blunt Bedside Manner, "Best Medicine" arrives on FOX

Reel Perspectives

January 4, 2026

FOX's new dramedy series, Best Medicine, premieres tonight with a special advance episode before settling into its regular Tuesday slot. Balancing humor and nostalgia, the series already promises to be one of FOX's standout series.

Emmy-nominated Josh Charles (The Good Wife) steps into the role of Martin Best (previously Martin Clunes in the original) as an uptight Boston surgeon who relocates to the seaside town of Port Wenn, Maine, with fond memories of summer vacations with his Aunt Joan. Upon his arrival, he's immediately confronted by the quirky personalities of the town's residents who constantly test his patience.

FOX

The new series is based on the beloved, long-running British series Doc Martin, which ran from 2004–2022. Doc Martin had a global following adapted in several countries, including the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. The American version is created by Liz Tuccillo and follows 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. Unfortunately, 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. Although Martin can expertly address any medical ailment or mystery in this idiosyncratic town, he's really just desperate to be left the hell alone. Instead, he keeps getting dragged right smack into the middle of their personal chaos, feuds, and fantasies. What the locals don't know is that Martin's terse demeanor masks a debilitating new phobia and deep-seated psychological issues that prevent him from experiencing true intimacy with anyone. But tenacity is the creed of everyone in their small village, and the people who live there may be exactly what the doctor ordered.

FOX

Rounding out the supporting cast, the series also stars Annie Potts (Designing Women, Young Sheldon) as Aunt Sarah, Josh Segarra (Sirens) as Sheriff Mark Mylow, and Cree (Twinless) as Elaine Denton. Recurring guest stars include Didi Conn as councilwoman Geneva Potter, Clea Lewis as pharmacist Sally Mylow, Stephen Spinella and Jason Veasey as the happily married proprietors of The Salty Breeze, Greg Garrison and George Brady, Cindy De La Cruz as the schoolteacher Jeannie, John DiMaggio as the handyman Bert Large, Carter Shimp as Bert's son Al Large, and Wattson as the stray but loveable Copernicus. And Martin Clunes (Doc Martin) makes a special guest star appearance as Martin Best's father, Dr. Robert Best.

Best Medicine's special premiere airs on Sunday, January 4, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. The regular time slot premieres on Tuesday, January 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT with all episodes available to stream the next day on Hulu.