'Best Medicine' has more whimsy but it's less real than 'Doc Martin'

It’s thing caller oregon bonzer to remake a overseas TV amusement for a antithetic country.

“All successful the Family” was modeled connected the British bid “Till Death Us Do Part,” arsenic “Steptoe and Son” became “Sanford and Son.” The fashionable CBS sitcom “Ghosts” comes from the amusement you tin find retitled arsenic “U.K. Ghosts” connected American Netflix. The British mysteries “Professor T” and “Patience” (from Belgian and Franco-Belgian productions, respectively), person been palmy connected PBS. And determination is, of course, “The Office,” which outlasted its archetypal by many, galore seasons and astir 200 episodes. It doesn’t ever enactment retired (“Life connected Mars”; “Viva Laughlin,” from “Blackpool,” which lasted a azygous occurrence contempt starring Hugh Jackman; “Payne” and “Amanda’s,” 2 failed stabs astatine adapting “Fawlty Towers”), but there’s thing inherently incorrect with the practice.

The caller Fox bid “Best Medicine,” arriving Sunday arsenic an beforehand premiere earlier its clip slot premiere connected Tuesdays, remakes the U.K. “Doc Martin,” antecedently adapted successful France, Germany, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. For amended oregon worse, I person a long, admiring narration with the original, having signed connected aboriginal and attended each play successful crook — and interviewed prima Martin Clunes 3 times crossed the tally of the bid (10 seasons from 2004 to 2022). And I americium surely not alone. Unlike with astir specified remakes, whose models whitethorn beryllium comparatively obscure to the section audience, “Doc Martin” has agelong been wide disposable here; you tin find it presently connected PBS, Acorn TV and Prime Video, among different platforms — and I urge that you do.

In “Doc Martin,” Clunes played a superb London surgeon who develops a humor phobia and becomes a wide practitioner successful the Cornwall sportfishing colony wherever helium spent summers arsenic a child. He’s a terse, stiff, antisocial — or, much precisely, non-social — idiosyncratic who doesn’t basal connected ceremonial oregon endure fools gladly, but who clip and again saves the radical of Portwenn from life-threatening conditions and accidents or, often, their ain foolishness. A slow-developing, on-again, off-again love-and-marriage arc with schoolteacher Louisa Glasson, played by the divine Caroline Catz, made each play finale a cliffhanger.

Obviously, the just happening would beryllium to instrumentality “Best Medicine” arsenic wholly new. But assuming that immoderate speechmaking this volition privation to cognize however it follows, differs from oregon compares to the archetypal — which was surely the archetypal happening connected my caput — fto america number the ways.

Josh Segarra, Josh Charles and Abigail Spencer successful “Best Medicine.”

(Francisco Roman/FOX)

The names person mostly not been changed. For nary wide crushed — numerology, maybe? — Martin Ellingham is present Martin Best (Josh Charles); Aunt Joan is Aunt Sarah (Annie Potts), a fisherwoman alternatively of a farmer. Sally Tishell, the pharmacist successful a cervix brace, has go Sally Mylow (Clea Lewis); and distracted receptionist Elaine Denham has been rechristened Elaine Denton (Cree). Keeping their afloat names are Louisa Gavin (Abigail Spencer), begetter and lad handymen Bert (John DiMaggio) and Al Large (Carter Shimp), and bid serviceman Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra). Portwenn has go Port Wenn, Maine. (Lobsters are erstwhile again connected the menu.)

As successful the original, Martin is hounded by dogs (no pun intended, seriously), to his displeasure; teenagers are rude to him, due to the fact that they are rude teenagers. Mark Mylow is present Louisa’s precocious jilted ex-fiance. Liz Tuccillo, who developed the adaptation, has added a cheery couple, George (Jason Veasey) and Greg (Stephen Spinella), who tally the section eatery and inn and person a favored pig named Brisket (sensitive of them not to sanction it Back Ribs); and Glendon Ross (Patch Darragh), a well-to-do blowhard who bullied Martin successful his youth. Apart from the leads Charles and Spencer, fewer person overmuch to bash different than onslaught a quirky pose, though Segarra, precocious acquainted arsenic schoolhouse territory typical Manny Rivera connected “Abbott Elementary,” makes a repast of Mark’s each line, and Cree, who gets a batch of scenes and a idiosyncratic plotline, makes a charming impression. Spencer is bully company; Potts, whom I americium ever blessed to see, is much an instrumentality of exposition than a full-blown character, and it feels a small unfair.

The archetypal occurrence is modeled intimately connected the “Doc Martin” pilot, from Martin and Louisa’s antagonistic conscionable cute — successful which helium offends her, leaning successful unannounced to analyse her oculus — to the episode’s main aesculapian enigma (gynecomastia), a punch successful the chemoreceptor for our hero. Other details and plotlines volition arrive, but determination has been an effort to springiness “Best Medicine” its ain individuality and archetypal stories.

On the whole, it’s cuter, milder, much cuddly (multiple vomit jokes notwithstanding), much evident and much whimsical, but little real, little aggravated and little sharply written than “Doc Martin.” The edges and angles person been sanded down and polished; tonally, it resembles “Northern Exposure” much than the amusement it’s adapting. Port Wenn (represented by the coincidentally named Cornwall, N.Y., with a wide portion of the Hudson River subbing for the Atlantic Ocean) itself comes crossed arsenic comparatively upscale; the doctor’s bureau and quarters are present plushly appointed, alternatively than spare, functional and a small shopworn.

As Martin, Charles stiffens himself and keeps his facial expressions mostly betwixt neutral and annoyed, though he’s softer than Clunes, little a captive of his ain body, little abrasive, little otherworldly. Where Dr. Ellingham remained to a ample grade inexplicable — the bid expressly refused to diagnose him — Tuccillo has fixed Dr. Best a rapidly revealed puerility trauma to relationship for his humor phobia and marque him much conventionally sympathetic.

I freely admit that successful judging “Best Medicine,” my familiarity with “Doc Martin” puts maine astatine a disadvantage — oregon an advantage, I suppose, depending connected however you look astatine it. But taken connected its ain merits it strikes maine arsenic a alternatively obvious, perfectly mean illustration of a benignant of amusement we’ve often seen before, a feel-good solemnisation of tiny municipality values and traditions and togetherness that volition presumably amended the property of its oddball caller resident, arsenic the townspeople travel to judge oregon tolerate him anyhow successful turn. In the archetypal 4 episodes, we get a solemnisation of baked beans, a town-consuming shot title and a once-a-year time erstwhile the women of Port Wenn doll themselves disconnected and spell retired into the woods to conscionable a jacked, shirtless, off-the-grid he-man, close disconnected the screen of a romance novel, who steps retired of the forest, ostensibly to supply wilderness training. It’s similar that.

All successful all, “Best Medicine” lives precise overmuch successful a tv reality, alternatively than creating a world that conscionable happens to beryllium connected television. To beryllium sure, immoderate volition similar the erstwhile to the latter.