They're not doctors, but they play them on TV

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They're not doctors, but they play them on TV

They're not doctors, but they play them on TV

Sarah Chalke, left, Zach Braff and Donald Faison played medical drama for laughs as Dr. Elliot Reid, Dr. John Michael "J.D." Dorian and Dr. Christopher Turk, respectively on "Scrubs," a comedy set at fictional Sacred Heart teaching hospital. The show ran from 2001-2010.

Patrick Dempsey starred as Dr. Derek Shepherd, one of many doctors who allowed their love lives and drama spill into the operating rooms of Seattle Grace Hospital.

Jack Klugman starred in "Quincy, M.E." as a strong-willed medical examiner in Los Angeles. The show aired from 1976-1983.

"M*A*S*H" picked up where the movie of the same name left off, following a team of doctors during the Korean War, including characters played by Alan Alda (seated center), and beginning at Alda's left, clockwise) Harry Morgan, Mike Farrell, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, David Ogden Stiers, and Loretta Swit. The show ran from 1972-1983, with the series finale being the most watched television episode ever at the time.

"House" starred Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, a prickly but brilliant doctor who is addicted to painkillers. He also frequently clashes with doctors on his team, including characters played by Omar Epps, Kal Penn and Olivia Wilde. The show ran from 2004-2012.

A spinoff of "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice" focused on Dr. Addison Montgomery and the doctors at her practice, including Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett and Tim Daly as Dr. Peter Wilder.

Bill Cosby was a hit as Dr. Cliff Huxtable, an OB-GYN, on "The Cosby Show," one of the highest-rated television shows of the 1980s. Cliff juggled his professional duties with his marriage to wife Clair and their five children. The show ran from 1984-1992.

Jordana Spiro, left, starred as Dr. Grace Devlin on the short-lived show "The Mob Doctor," which premiered in September 2012 and was canceled in January 2013. The show focused on Spiro's character, who had to perform her medical duties while protecting her brother from the mafia.

Taking a satirical look at medical dramas, "Childrens Hospital" -- which started out as a web series in 2008 -- starred Seth Morris, left, and Rob Corddry as inept doctors at a childrens hospital. The show premiered on Cartoon Network in 2010.

Chad Everett played Dr. Joe Gannon, one of several doctor characters on the show "Medical Center," which ran from 1969-1976. The show focused on the lives of the doctors and the patients they treated.

Neil Patrick Harris, he of "How I Met Your Mother" fame, started his acting career as a child prodigy doctor on "Doogie Howser, MD." The show, which ended each episode with Doogie typing his thoughts into an online journal, aired from 1989-1993.

Jane Seymour played frontier doctor Michaela "Mike" Quinn on 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" from 1993-1998.

The longest-running primetime medical drama in television history, "ER" featured Anthony Edwards as Dr. Mark Greene, George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross, Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter, and Eriq La Salle as Dr. Peter Benton, in addition to several other doctor characters over the years. The show ran from 1994-2009.

Melina Kanakaredes played Dr. Sydney Hansen, a plastic surgeon who left Beverly Hills to return to Rhode Island to be with her family on "Providence," which aired from 1999-2002.

"General Hospital" has featured more than 50 doctor characters since it's start in 1963.

Matthew Fox played Dr. Jack Shephard, a surgeon trapped on a desert island after a plane crash, on "Lost." The show aired from 2004-2010.

Rosa Blasi played Dr. Luisa Delgado and Janine Turner played Dr. Dana Stowe on "Strong Medicine," from 2000-2006 on Lifetime. The show, which was created by Whoopi Goldberg, focused on women's issues.

Julian McMahon (left) starred as Dr. Christian Troy and Dylan Walsh as Dr. Sean McNamara in the FX series "Nip/Tuck," about plastic surgeons who often crossed the moral -- and ethical -- line. The show aired from 2003-2010.

Rob Morrow played Dr. Joel Fleischman, a New York transplant to the town of Cicely, Alaska, in "Northern Exposure," which ran from 1990-1995.

Mandy Patinkin played surgeon Jeffrey Geiger on "Chicago Hope," a David E, Kelley drama set in a Chicago emergency room. The show ran from 1994-2000, and also starred Mark Harmon, Héctor Elizondo, Christine Lahti and Adam Arkin.

Ed Flanders, William Daniels and Norman Lloyd Flanders starred as doctors at a Boston teaching hospital in "St. Elsewhere," which ran for six seasons, from 1982-1988. The show was notable for giving exposure to several future stars, including Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon and Howie Mandel.

Robert Young played Marcus Welby, a doctor with unorthodox methods often pitted against the younger Steven Kiley (played by a young James Brolin) on the show "Marcus Welby, M.D." The show ran for seven seasons, from 1969-1976.

In the "Golden Girls" spinoff "Empty Nest," Richard Mulligan portrayed Dr. Harry Weston, a pediatrician and widower living with his two grown daughters (and living next to Bea, Sophia, Rose and Blanche).

Richard Chamberlain (right) starred as Dr. Kildare on the show of the same name, which aired from 1961-1966.

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Sarah Chalke, left, Zach Braff and Donald Faison played medical drama for laughs as Dr. Elliot Reid, Dr. John Michael "J.D." Dorian and Dr. Christopher Turk, respectively on "Scrubs," a comedy set at fictional Sacred Heart teaching hospital. The show ran from 2001-2010.

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