Local Pride Shines In Fox's Medical Drama 'Doc'

It turns out the producers of Doc have a serious case of Minnesota fever, and they just prescribed a healthy dose of local pride. The Fox medical drama just dropped another blink-and-you ’ll-miss-it Minnesota reference that proves the show’s writers are definitely North Star State savvy.

The Fox series Doc, which premiered last season and airs Tuesday at 8 pm CST, is the latest show to be set here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. It's based on the adventures of Dr. Amy Elias, the Chief of Internal and Family Medicine at the completely fictional Westside Hospital in Minneapolis, and was one of Fox's most-watched shows last season.

Is Fox’s Hit Medical Drama Doc the Most Minnesota Show on TV?

Throughout its first season, which aired last year, Doc was fairly accurate in its portrayal of Minnesota. While the show is actually shot on location in Toronto, it DOES contain the establishing shots of Minneapolis, which are used to give viewers a sense of being in Minnesota, using both sweeping panoramic daytime and nighttime shots of the Minneapolis skyline.

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It also appears the Doc writing team has a Minnesota native on staff, or someone familiar with the Bold North, who created several different local references that have been accurate to our state. Take a look at some definite Minnesota references from season 1:

In Episode 4, the plot concerns the treatment of a Marine and includes a reference to Fort McCoy, the US Army's Total Force Training Center near Sparta, Wisconsin.
In Episode 4, a conversation mentions not getting a reservation at Spoon And Stable, the downtown Minneapolis restaurant created by James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen.
Also in Episode 4, a patient being treated says she's a professor at the University of Minnesota-- and the writers were familiar enough with Minnesota to call it the 'U of M.'
A flashback scene of a school field trip in Episode 4 shows a school bus with 'Minneapolis Public Schools' written on the side.
Episode 7 (S1 E7 'Secrets And Lies') included a reference to Prince and tours of his former home and recording studio at Paisley Park, as well as the classic Minneapolis record store, Electric Fetus.

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From Paisley Park to Spoon and Stable: Doc’s Best Twin Cities Easter Eggs

That trend has continued now in Season 2. The second-season premiere, which aired last September and is now streaming on Hulu, featured a fictitious member of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and referenced the burning of the department's Third Precinct building, which occurred during the George Floyd riots in May 2020.

And in a story I wrote about last month, Doc Season 2, Episode 16, titled 'The Best We Can Do' mentioned Minnesota's Med City several times. In a plot that involves one of the doctors exploring the possibility of changing jobs, a representative of 'The Mayo' is introduced, with the character, Dr. Hamda, asking him, 'How are things going in Rochester?' Then, 'the Mayo' is later referenced again when a colleague asks him about his plans.

It's similar to the time I previously wrote about, when the long-running ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy also referenced the world-famous Mayo Clinic-- and actually shot some scenes on location in Rochester-- though they referred to Mayo simply as 'The Clinic.'

And now, in Season 2, Episode 20, titled 'The Big Chair,' Dr. Gina Walker and her love interest are looking forward to celebrating their relationship and have snagged reservations at Spoon And Stable, the downtown Minneapolis restaurant created by James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen. (Spoon And Stable were also shouted out in Season 1, Episode 4, as we mentioned above.)

Fact Check: Where Doc Gets Minnesota Right (and Where it Fails)

Mentioning Spoon And Stable is a totally accurate Twin Cities shout-out, but Doc also has some inaccuracies. When it mentioned 'the Mayo,' earlier this season, that was clearly made up; nobody in Rochester or Minnesota refers to Mayo Clinic by that name.

While not a big deal, it joins a few other tidbits where Doc is also inaccurate when it comes to Minnesota. In addition to creating the fictitious Westside Hospital, Season 1, Episode 3 sees Dr. Elias travel to a warehouse in 'Dobbs, Minnesota', which is portrayed as a small town near the Twin Cities. But, there doesn't appear to be any actual city or town with that name in Minnesota.

Then, in Season 1, Episode 4, Dr. Elias and her ex-husband head to the museum where their son's field trip took place. The Museum is called 'The Franklin,' but again, there doesn't appear to be any actual museum in Minnesota with that name.

Overall, for a show that isn't filmed here and doesn't have any Minnesota natives in the cast, it's done a pretty good job so far in accurately portraying our fair state. Let's hope they continue to include those Minnesota references in Season 2 and next year during Season 3.

Although not featured in this show, our state *does* have its share of famous residents, right? Keep scrolling to check them out and see where they went to high school here in the Bold North!