Netflix adds drama medical experts branded 'grossly unrealistic' to its library

The Resident has dropped on Netflix after the medical drama was cancelled following six seasons on Fox in the US and was previously criticised by experts for its accuracy

Netflix has welcomed The Resident into its fold, a show that's been previously critiqued by medical experts for not quite hitting the mark on accuracy.

The streaming giant has just scooped up all six seasons of the medical drama The Resident, which originally premiered on Fox in the US. The series ran from 2018 to 2023 but was axed after a slump in viewership.

Set in the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital located in Atlanta, Georgia, The Resident delves into the personal and professional lives of its staff, casting a critical eye over the real-life red tape in the healthcare sector.

Leading the cast is Matt Czuchry as the charismatic Dr Conrad Theodore Hawkins, alongside Emily VanCamp who plays Nic Marie Nevin, a nurse practitioner and Conrad's romantic interest. Since its inception, the show has undergone several transformations.

Back in August 2016, Showtime was buzzing with news about developing a gritty new medical drama titled The City. This project never saw the light of day, and in a twist of fate, Fox snapped it up from Showtime the following year, rebranding it as The Resident.

The initial pitch for the series was pretty dark: "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."

Despite its narrative twists, some medics weren't fans, with critiques branding the show as "grossly unrealistic" across various platforms.

Medscape Med Students lashed out against the drama with a scathing review, declaring: "The Resident is not only poor entertainment; it harms the public by grossly misrepresenting core concepts of medicine."

"The series follows a young doctor in training, senior resident Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry), as he battles the corrupt, profit-driven hospital system he is part of."

"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."

Though facing some backlash, the show has notched up nominations for three awards, including Teen Choice accolades for Breakout TV Show and Drama TV Show.

Evan Whittan was in the running for a Young Artist Award in 2019, acknowledged for his role as Henry Barnett in the category of Guest Starring Young Actor.

Netflix has now unleashed the seasons of high-drama to its platform as of September 20, allowing viewers to judge the 'melodrama and cliches' for themselves.

'The Resident' is available on Netflix