Inside 'Doc': Exploring Minnesota’s Med City In Popular Drama

The latest episode of the hit Fox TV medical drama just dropped several mentions of Minnesota's Med City-- and sharp-eyed fans in Rochester are already buzzing about our time in the spotlight.

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.

From Paisley Park to the U of M: How 'Doc' Nails Minnesota Details

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 place, using both sweeping panoramic daytime and nighttime shots of the Minneapolis skyline throughout the first season.

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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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That trend has continued now in Season 2. The second season premiere, which aired last September and is 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 happened during the George Floyd riots in May 2020.

Med City Spotlight: Did 'Doc' Just Recruit for 'The Mayo' in Rochester?

And now that the drama is back from its Olympic break, its latest episode, Season 2, Episode 16, titled 'The Best We Can Do' mentions 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 here in Rochester-- though they referred to Mayo simply as 'The Clinic.'

Fact Check: Where the Fox Drama Gets the North Star State Wrong

Of course, nobody here in Rochester calls Mayo Clinic 'the Mayo,' right? 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 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.

And in the Season 2 premiere, while some quick shots of an MPD squad car and officers are shown, the black and white design on the cars and the department patch shown on officers' uniforms do not match those MPD actually uses.

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 keep those Minnesota references coming in Season 2!

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!