Best Medicine Series Premiere “Docked” Anchors Josh Charles’ Performance, Small-Town Charm, & Quirky Characters

Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

4.2

When Best Medicine premiered, I wasn’t sure what to expect, since ITV’s version of “Doc Martin” is so popular internationally.

I’ll admit I’ve never seen Doc Martin, but I was curious about Best Medicine as soon as I learned the cast list, and each teaser made me even more excited. 

I can’t compare it to the source material, but the Best Medicine series premiere was entertaining, something we don’t get enough of.

Best Medicine Season 1 Episode 1 immediately lured me in. Seaside towns are gorgeous, but Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles) looked out of place, and that made it fun.

Something is inviting about small towns. Even if the locals know everyone’s business, they welcome newcomers with open arms.

Dr. Best isn’t comfortable with this overly friendly welcome, setting the stage for the series. Even if you haven’t seen the original, be prepared to be charmed by Charles’ performance and Port Wenn’s lively characters.

While it’s a common trope — a grumpy doctor returning to his hometown to escape — Charles plays the standoffish Dr. Martin Best beautifully, and it’s surprising who begins to crack his hard exterior.

The Cast Sells Their Quirky Characters in the Best Medicine Series Premiere

Josh Charles excelled at portraying the grumpy doctor, Martin Best. Underneath his rough exterior, there was enough vulnerability that you could tell he wanted to belong, but feared getting too close.

It was hilarious every time he corrected someone from calling him “Dr. Martin.” It rubbed everyone the wrong way, and they were a tight-knit community.

Abigail Spencer and Josh Charles already possessed some rom-com charm on the FOX series. You could tell almost immediately that Louisa didn’t like Dr. Best and the favoritism the board granted him, so she asked the hard questions.

These are the kind of love interests that are fun to watch when pairings dislike or distrust each other initially, only to warm up to each other slowly.

They have chemistry, but both Louisa and Martin seemed skittish about relationships. We still don’t know why he is, but he arrived on the day they were tearing down decor for her wedding day.

It made sense why she distrusted love and longed for it.

I adored Aunt Sarah (Annie Potts). She didn’t need anyone to look after her.

She was a fierce female who told her nephew like it was, including that he ran from relationships and the Port Wenn community wouldn’t let him disappear this time.

Everyone needs an aunt who doles out tough love like Aunt Sarah.

Sheriff Mark (Josh Segarra) seemed irritating at first because he wanted to celebrate his breakup with Louisa and called her the devil. Still, in reality, that was his coping mechanism, making him relatable.

In some ways, Mark and Martin have the potential to be a fun bromance, and I’m here for it.

Ordinarily, social media influencers like Elaine (Cree) would annoy me as much as she annoyed Dr. Best.

But Cree portrays her with likability and warmth, and it didn’t totally surprise me that she’s the first person to cut through his tough exterior.

She proved her worth as she tended to his bloody nose and offered to draw blood and bandage wounds once she realized his phobia.

They could be an entertaining odd couple in a professional sense. He’s so curt and experienced, and she’s so fun. I’m looking forward to seeing them work together with the patients.

The First Medical Case Seemed Off-Beat, but Relatable

So many medical series like Doc or Brilliant Minds deal with analytical medical mysteries, which I love.

However, part of Best Medicine’s charm is that the series features more mundane and offbeat medical issues.

We probably don’t usually encounter or think about the reasons why a man suddenly develops breasts. 

Dr. Best definitely needed a better bedside manner since he angered Gilbert when he wasn’t sensitive, often, and only made things worse when he realized his wife’s estrogen cream likely caused the enlarged breasts.

As someone who went through menopause, I understand Susan’s embarrassment, but keeping secrets from each other only worsened things.

A woman’s perception of herself really changes during those times, and no one told her how to use the cream properly, creating the humorous effect of giving both men she slept with breasts.

It was hilarious, embarrassing, and relatable for everyone involved.

The last thing Dr. Best needed was to be in the middle of marital issues, but sometimes small-town doctors act as counselors, too.

He wasn’t expecting to get a bloody nose when he tried to intervene, but it was refreshing to see Dr. Best a little more human.

We’ve discussed before why fans love TV shows about small towns, and Best Medicine excels at proving that point.

Louisa (Abigail Spencer) nails it when she tells Dr. Best she loves living there, even if everyone has an opinion about why she cancelled her wedding to Mark.

It means they care about them, versus feeling lonely and isolated in their apartments with no one to check in on them.

In this day and age, that kind of community hits home, regardless of how much he resented everyone telling him the community gossip at first.

Port Wenn wanted to make Dr. Best feel like one of them by sharing details or fixing up his office, but he wasn’t used to small-town life.

We never expected it would be Sheriff Mark who convinced Martin to stay, but he possessed an irresistible, likable personality.

He also cut to the truth. “We need a doctor, and you need patients. We don’t all gotta love each other, do we?”

While the Port Wenn community has embodied love, it may take some time for the doctor to get on that page, but he felt he made a difference after talking with Mark.

Why Did Dr. Martin Best Really Take This Job?

While he initially stated he returned to Port Wenn to keep an eye on his Aunt Sarah, the Best Medicine series premiere hinted that Martin had plenty of hidden secrets.

He appeared to have a phobia of blood, making it challenging to continue practicing as a renowned surgeon, where he saw blood every time he sewed a patient up.

He couldn’t even draw blood, seal with a scraped knee, or treat his own bloody nose.

We still don’t know the entire story, but Martin revealed he froze when he saw a young girl on the operating table.

His Aunt Sarah mentioned it, triggering memories of Rosemary, and we saw him staring at a photo of a little girl.

I suspect he lost a daughter, and that’s why he’s so distrustful of letting others in.

Port Wenn could be the ideal place for him to rebuild. I’m eager to learn more about Martin Best, who he lost, and what caused his fears.

Josh Charles gave such a layered performance that I longed for more.

Over to you, Best Medicine Fanatics. What were your thoughts on the premiere? Will you be tuning in again? Do you think Martin and Louisa have chemistry?

Let us know in the comments.

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