Why Louisa Gavin From Best Medicine Looks So Familiar

One cannot subsist on a diet of downbeat entertainment and doomscrolling. The state of the world may be rotten, but it is important to, as Fred Rogers once said, look for the helpers. The helpers aren't just human rights activists and doctors and firemen; you can find them in film and television production, where they tell stories that appeal to our better angels. Fox's "Best Medicine," which might remind you of "The Pitt," is a series by people who believe the world isn't beyond moral repair.

While the show isn't looking to blaze any trails (it's based on a British series called "Doc Martin"), it's a clever take on the city-slicker-surgeon-becomes-a-small-town-doctor formula. Josh Charles stars as Dr. Martin Best, a hot shot MD who skips out on a lucrative Boston hospital position to tend to the maladies of Port Wenn, Maine's mostly friendly citizenry. Best didn't flake by choice. He developed a blood phobia while operating on a young woman with a strong resemblance to his deceased sister Rosemary. How can you be an effective doctor if you faint at the sight of blood? And to compound matters, what if you've also got a brusque bedside manner?

The people of Port Wenn are generally willing to accept Best as their new local doctor, but he gets resistance from skeptical schoolteacher Louisa Gavin, played by Abigail Spencer. Familiar face? Familiar name? If you've been watching television for the last few decades, you've seen her on everything from "All My Children" to "Gray's Anatomy." But her forte is comedy.

Spencer got her start on the soap opera "All My Children," which is how many actors (including Harvey Keitel) broke into the industry. She scored small roles in garbage studio product like "Cowboys & Aliens" and "This Means War," but popped as preternaturally perfect contestant Annie on Erica Oyama and Ken Marino's "The Bachelorette" parody "Burning Love." She also played Scottie on "Suits" and Dr. Megan Hunt on "Grey's Anatomy," but these roles felt unworthy of her talent.

Spencer shined on the short-lived sci-fi series "Timeless," and I think she's found her breakout role as Louisa on "Best Medicine." Charles' Best needs that person who sees through his weak facade, and Louisa had his number before he confessed his blood phobia. When the series comes back this September, she'll be integral to grounding Best. "Best Medicine" could wind up being a long-running hit for Fox, but only if it keeps emphasizing kindness instead of soapy plot twists. Just be nice, "Best Medicine." We need it.