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Shows Like Ryan's Four

If you enjoyed Ryan's Four, should consider this hand-picked list which questions the purpose and weight of our choices while grounding the story in targets the intellect with complex, multi-layered ideas. Carefully balances character depth with narrative flow makes this a deeper look into what makes these stories stick.

Mood Breakdown
Runtime Cluster

Standard feature-length experiences.

Viewer Fit

Best for fans of who appreciate concise storytelling.

Top Picks

SkyMed
6.9

SkyMed

2022

Life, death and drama at 20,000 feet. The series weaves together intense character journeys and high-stakes medical rescues, as we follow the triumphs, heartbreaks and tribulations of budding nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote Northern Canada. They’re all in over their heads, and on their own, with no one to rely on but each other.

Casualty
6.2

Casualty

1986

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

The Resident
8.4

The Resident

2018

A tough, brilliant senior resident guides an idealistic young doctor through his first day, pulling back the curtain on what really happens, both good and bad, in modern-day medicine.

Good Sam
7.3

Good Sam

2022

A gifted heart surgeon excels in her new leadership role as Chief of Surgery after her renowned boss falls into a coma. When her former boss wakes up months later demanding to resume his duties, Sam is tasked with supervising this egotistical expert with a scalpel who never acknowledged her stellar talent.

Trapper John, M.D.
6.5

Trapper John, M.D.

1979

Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable doctor who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986.

Heartbeat
6.3

Heartbeat

2016

Based on the real life and achievements of Dr. Kathy Magliato, this unique character-driven medical drama follows Dr. Alex Panttiere, an outspoken world-renowned heart-transplant surgeon and one of the few women in her field. Stubborn and fearless, Alex always operates on her own terms. Watch as she revels in a racy personal life, manages the daily demands of skeptical faculty and dutiful interns, and pushes the boundaries of medical science to impressive new heights.

Private Practice
7.5

Private Practice

2007

Having left behind Seattle Grace Hospital, renowned surgeon Addison Forbes Montgomery moves to Los Angeles for sunnier weather and happier possibilities. She reunites with her friends from medical school, joining them at their chic, co-op, Oceanside Wellness Center in Santa Monica.

Chicago Hope
7.2

Chicago Hope

1994

Chicago Hope is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It ran on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charity hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

More Shows Like Ryan's Four

Emily Owens, M.D.
6.4

Emily Owens, M.D.

2012

At long last, Emily Owens feels like she is an actual grown-up. She's graduated from medical school and is now a first-year intern at Denver Memorial Hospital. So why does everyone keep warning her that the hospital is just like high school?

Hawthorne
7.0

Hawthorne

2009

Christina Hawthorne is a compassionate and headstrong Chief Nursing Officer heading up a group of dedicated nurses at Richmond Trinity Hospital on the hospital's front lines. She does everything in her power to help her patients. When necessary, she takes on doctors and administrators who are overworked, distracted or just unable to see the human being behind the hospital chart. But the long days at the hospital and Hawthorne’s intense focus on helping others take a toll on her personal life.

Painkiller
7.2

Painkiller

2023

The causes and consequences of America's opioid epidemic unfold in this drama following its perpetrators, victims and an investigator seeking the truth.

Grey's Anatomy
8.2

Grey's Anatomy

2005

Follows the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors at Seattle's Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Silk
7.5

Silk

2011

Silk is a British television drama series produced by the BBC and first shown in 2011. Written by Peter Moffat, the series follows a set of barristers, and what they do to attain the rank of Queen's Counsel, known as 'taking silk'. Passionate defence barrister Martha Costello faces challenging cases and surprising clients, which test her faith in the criminal justice system. Gifted colleague Clive Reader is called to the bar with her. They work hard with pupils, Nick Slade and Niamh Cranitch, but ultimately only one can eventually be taken on as a member of chambers.

Sullivan's Crossing
8.3

Sullivan's Crossing

2023

After Neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan’s personal and professional life are thrown into turmoil she returns home to Sullivan’s Crossing. While there, Maggie is forced to navigate her complicated present while confronting the painful past she has chosen to ignore for years.

ER
7.8

ER

1994

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

Ballers
6.8

Ballers

2015

Looking at the lives of former and current football players, the show follows former superstar Spencer Strasmore as he gets his life on track in retirement while mentoring other current and former players through the daily grind of the business of football.

Bad Girls
7.5

Bad Girls

1999

Bad Girls is a British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1 June 1999 to 20 December 2006 and starred Simone Lahbib, Mandana Jones, Debra Stephenson, Linda Henry, Jack Ellis and many more throughout the eight-year run. The series was broadcast in 17 countries and was produced by Shed Productions, the company which later produced Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road. It is set in the fictional women's prison of Larkhall, and features a mixture of serious and light storylines focusing on the prisoners and staff of G Wing. From 2010, the UK broadcast rights were bought by CBS Drama, and is repeated regularly – as of September 2012, the channel is re-running the series again in a late-night time slot.

Chicago Med
8.3

Chicago Med

2015

An emotional thrill ride through the day-to-day chaos of the city's most explosive hospital and the courageous team of doctors who hold it together. They will tackle unique new cases inspired by topical events, forging fiery relationships in the pulse-pounding pandemonium of the emergency room.

Code Black
7.8

Code Black

2015

Inspired by the award-winning documentary, this medical drama is set in the busiest and most notorious ER in the nation where the extraordinary staff confront a challenged system in order to protect their ideals and the patients who need them the most.

PULSE
7.7

PULSE

2025

A group of ER residents navigate medical crises and personal drama amid a divisive allegation at their Miami hospital.

Why These Shows Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Ryan's Four (1983): Drama themes, similar pacing, and comparable production quality. NoBadPicks uses TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface series most likely to resonate with fans of Ryan's Four.

See full details for Ryan's Four (1983)

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