Warning: spoilers are ahead for the Season 1 finale of Best Medicine on Fox in the 2026 TV schedule, called “Norway No How” and available streaming with a Hulu subscription.
The first season of Best Medicine has come to an end, after thirteen episodes of drama, comedy, and just enough rom-com to start a love story on Fox. While there were plenty of similarities to Doc Martin, the British show that inspired the new American series, Josh Charles has led the cast into making this version unique in its own way. And I don’t just mean because the last two episodes of the season heavily involved Norway and salmon!
The Good Wife cast vet opened up to CinemaBlend during Season 1 about what makes Best Medicine work, as well as his role as the straight man in a town full of shenanigans. Taken alongside some good news from Fox, fans have a lot to be happy about… even if they had to leave off the Season 1 finale on some cliffhangers.
Article continues belowJosh Charles Doesn’t Have A Magic Formula
I spoke with Josh Charles at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta this year about Best Medicine, which joined Doc to give Fox a double dose of medical TV shows on Tuesday nights. Although the newest series didn’t break records quite like Doc did, it built a healthy audience as the American version of a beloved British show. So, why does that translation from British TV to American work so well for Best Medicine, when it hasn’t necessarily worked for other shows? Charles shared :
I don't know. It's not a question that I really feel like I can answer, because I don't have the magic formula. But I think certainly, around this time in the world, I think just having a show that isn't violent. It's just sort of a place where you could just enjoy sitting with for an hour a week, with warmth and kind of humor and lightness that seems [great.]
Just because Josh Charles is the star doesn’t mean he has a secret recipe for what has made Best Medicine resonate with audiences, but I have to agree that the charm of Port Wenn does deliver some very welcome “warmth” and humor. As somebody who spends many of my other weeknights of primetime watching grisly crime dramas, I can’t help but look forward to my hour of Best Medicine.
But what about Charles, who doesn’t generally portray any of the zany shenanigans of the town, other than the blood phobia that the EP wanted to avoid making “cartoony” in Season 1? I asked the actor that very question, and he shared:
It's fun. I mean, I think he's kind of a mixed character, because I think he's part straight man, part kind of the engine that his actions can drive a lot of the townspeople's comedy, and I think he's kind of a bit of a fool at times, and physically. I think it's just trying to ground it in his truth so these all feel like real people.
Martin does deliver plenty of laughs even as the straight man of the series, and Best Medicine does it in a way that doesn’t necessarily make him the butt of the joke. The show wouldn’t be as entertaining if the good doctor was just as goofy as the townspeople all the time, so hopefully that won’t change moving forward.
Because thankfully, Best Medicine is moving forward.
Fox's Great News For Best Medicine
Fox isn’t making fans head into summer hiatus on the question of whether or not Best Medicine will be back to settle whether Louisa and Mark will have a baby together, what the future holds for Martin and Eden, and – most worryingly of all – what consequences Martin (and Elaine) will face for her drawing blood for him without a license. The show has already been renewed for Season 2.
Best Medicine was in fact renewed for Season 2 a full month before the Season 1 finale aired, with Deadline reporting back in early March that the show would be back for 12 more episodes in the 2026-2027 TV season. While that means a slightly shorter run than the 13-episode first season and a likely return in early next year rather than the fall with Doc, it’s good news to be able to count on more episodes.
In the meantime, you can always revisit the full first season streaming on Hulu. The show is episodic enough to enjoy just one installment at a time, but I’m tempted to see just how much fun it is as a binge-watch over summer hiatus
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