Hospital at the End of the City

Coming out of Soviet-era Czechoslovakia, this show is probably the pride of CZ TV of the time, if not of all time. It was widely exported and its stars gained international fame, not just throughout the Soviet bloc, but outside of it (Yugoslavia was glued to the TV sets when "Nemocnica" was on).

Many thing work well for this show; from its lack of pretentiousness and propaganda (showing real Soviet-era lifestyles of hospital workers in Czechoslovakia), to plausible plot lines and lifelike situations, to some of the finest acting to appear on prime-time TV.

While hospital daytime dramas were always popular fare in the US, as well as elsewhere, this show is in many ways a precursor to prime time dramas of the "Chicago Hope" or "ER" type. There is no doubt it stands shoulder to shoulder next to the two.