‘Best Medicine’ Trailer Reveals Josh Charles’ Doctor Has Major Secret (VIDEO)

If you’re a fan of Doc Martin, chances are you’re going to recognize some of the moments in the new trailer for Fox’s new charming, quirky dramedy. Best Medicine is, after all, based on the British series; Martin Clunes is even going to be guest starring in the first season, as the father of Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles).

The series, which premieres on Sunday, January 4, before moving to its regular night on January 6, 2026, follows Charles’ Martin as the brilliant surgeon leaves behind his career in Boston to move to Port Wenn and become its general practitioner; he spent his summers in the East Coast fishing village as a child. But, as the trailer shows, it’s clear from the start that he and the locals aren’t going to get along.

“I’m curious about your interpersonal skills,” Louisa (Abigail Spencer) says during his interview. “I take people who are sick and I make them well. Should I buy a litter of puppies and hand them out at every visit?” he asks.

Martin’s also irritate when everyone greets him as Doc Martin — “I prefer Dr. Best, actually,” he says, leading to a funny misunderstanding with the town’s sheriff, Mark (Josh Segarra) — and as he tells his Aunt Sarah (Annie Potts), “I find the people here demanding, irrational, and far too chatty at supermarkets.”

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Josh Charles Gets to Know 'Best Medicine's Small Town in First Promo

The series’ description teases, “What the locals don’t know is that Martin’s terse demeanor masks a debilitating new phobia and childhood trauma that prevent him from experiencing true intimacy with anyone. But tenacity is the creed of everyone in their small village, and the people who live there may be exactly what the doctor ordered.” The trailer offers a look at just that, with Martin’s assistant Elaine (Cree) the one to see just how Martin reacts when he sees blood. “You’re a doctor!” she says, surprised.

But he is going to start to enjoy himself in Port Wenn … even if he doesn’t admit it. Watch the full trailer above for more, including Martin ruining what you’d expect to be a possible romantic moment with Louisa.

As you’d expect and can already see in this trailer,  Martin and Louisa don’t get off to the best start. “You can’t have people that you’re rooting for not love to hate and hate to love each other,” Spencer told TV Insider on the set in the fall. “And I think the misinterpretation is part of the fun of the dynamic and the will they/won’t they. What I also think they’ve established is all the other characters are so strong. You could go home with anyone. But at the core of it is this kind of unrequited love becoming requited.”

Best Medicine is getting an early series premiere on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 8/7c, after a Fox NFL doubleheader. The first episode will then re-air in its regular time slot on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 8/7c.

What do you think of the trailer? Will you be tuning in? Let us know in the comments section below.

Best Medicine, Series Premiere, Sunday, January 4, 2026, 8/7c, Fox