Best Medicine
FOX | Release Date: January 4, 2026
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
What's Alan Watching?Alan SepinwallMay 4, 2026
Season 1 Review: Will it win awards and wind up on critics' top 10 lists come December? No. Will you see every line and plot development coming well before they happen? Yes. Will you nonetheless feel a soft spot for it, particularly if you have preexisting affection for this specific kind of small town dramedy? Quite possibly. Read full review
80
DeciderJoel KellerJan 5, 2026
Season 1 Review: We enjoyed the quirky fun of the first episode of Best Medicine, as well as the layered performances of Josh Charles and Abigail Spencer. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterAngie HanJan 2, 2026
Season 1 Review: But if it’s not reinventing the wheel, it is building a very solid version of the wheel — one that, in the first four chapters sent to critics, strikes a winsome balance between heart and humor. Charles is excellent as Best. Read full review
70
VarietyAlison HermanJan 5, 2026
Season 1 Review: Martin will doubtless have his edges sanded down over time, though hopefully later rather than sooner. For now, the contrast between Martin and his patients has a productive friction that gives Charles plenty of grouchy misanthropy to work with. Read full review
68
Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewRob OwenJan 2, 2026
Season 1 Review: It’s a pleasant enough comedy-drama – though not as funny as one might hope — that’s true to the original while telling new stories. Read full review
60
ColliderBilly FellowsJan 5, 2026
Season 1 Review: There are lovable characters, strong actors, and interesting ideas at the heart of the show, but Best Medicine struggles to inject these qualities beyond its core cast of Martin, Louisa, and Elaine. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydJan 5, 2026
Season 1 Review: On the whole, it’s cuter, milder, more cuddly (multiple vomit jokes notwithstanding), more obvious and more whimsical, but less real, less intense and less sharply written than “Doc Martin.” Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubBrian TallericoJan 2, 2026
Season 1 Review: Charles and Spencer find brief moments of depth. It’s not until well into the second episode that they get an extended scene together, but they hint at what this show could be with stronger writing. Read full review
40
Boston GlobeChris VognarDec 31, 2025
Season 1 Review: Charles is not the problem here. .... [The townspeople are] caricatures, not characters, and their antics start to feel a little debasing. “Best Medicine” certainly doesn’t deify small-town life; nor does the show condemn it. Instead, it amps up the quirk factor as high as it can go. Charles, as the straight man, looks on with dismay. So did I. Read full review
30
RogerEbert.comCristina EscobarDec 31, 2025
Season 1 Review: Unfortunately, “Best Medicine” fails to duplicate its source material’s charm. It translates the scaffolding, but none of the wry humor or heart, giving us a hackneyed, low-stakes adaptation. Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1
3 87 Hacks: Season 5
4 87 Industry: Season 4
5 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
6 85 The Beatles Anthology
7 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
8 85 Bait: Season 1
9 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
10 83 Lord of the Flies
11 83 Riot Women: Season 1
12 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
13 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
14 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
15 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
16 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1
17 80 The Comeback: Season 3
18 80 The American Revolution
19 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
20 80 Dark Winds: Season 4
SEE ALL