Cast of Best Medicine: Full Actor and Character Guide

The cast of Best Medicine brings together a carefully balanced ensemble led by Josh Charles as Dr. Martin Best, supported by Abigail Spencer, Josh Segarra, Cree, and Annie Potts. As a FOX medical comedy-drama inspired by Doc Martin, the series relies heavily on its characters to drive both its humor and emotional depth. From Martin’s clinical brilliance and social awkwardness to the interconnected lives of Port Wenn’s residents, each cast member plays a distinct role in shaping the show’s small-town dynamics, relationships, and ongoing conflicts.

Cast of Best Medicine

• Josh Charles as Dr. Martin Best – A gifted former Boston surgeon adjusting to life as Port Wenn’s local doctor.
• Abigail Spencer as Louisa Gavin – A schoolteacher and Martin’s central romantic counterpart.
• Josh Segarra as Sheriff Mark Mylow – The town sheriff and Louisa’s former fiancé.
• Cree as Elaine Denton – Martin’s ambitious administrative assistant.
• Annie Potts as Aunt Sarah – Martin’s resilient aunt and a local lobsterwoman.

The cast of Best Medicine is led by Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer, Josh Segarra, Cree and Annie Potts. This FOX medical comedy-drama follows Dr. Martin Best after he leaves Boston for the fictional Maine fishing village of Port Wenn, where an increasingly complicated personal life matches his clinical brilliance.

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Complete Cast of Best Medicine

Main cast

• Josh Charles – Dr. Martin Best: The series lead. Martin is a highly accomplished former surgeon whose fear of blood, blunt manner, and discomfort with intimacy complicate his work as Port Wenn’s new doctor.
• Abigail Spencer – Louisa Gavin: A local schoolteacher who becomes Martin’s most important personal relationship. She challenges his detachment without overlooking its effect on others.
• Josh Segarra – Sheriff Mark Mylow: Port Wenn’s sheriff and Louisa’s former fiancé. His familiarity with the town makes him an important counterpoint to Martin, an outsider still learning its social rules.
• Cree – Elaine Denton: Martin’s administrative assistant. Elaine keeps the practice running while pursuing ambitions that could eventually take her beyond Port Wenn.
• Annie Potts – Aunt Sarah: Martin’s aunt, a lobsterwoman and one of his strongest ties to the town. Her independence and directness make her difficult for Martin to avoid.

Recurring cast

• Didi Conn – Councilwoman Geneva Potter: A senior community figure with a voice in Port Wenn’s local affairs.
• Clea Lewis – Sally Mylow: The town pharmacist and Mark Mylow’s mother.
• Stephen Spinella – Greg Garrison: Co-owner of The Salty Breeze, one of Port Wenn’s key gathering places.
• Jason Veasey – George Brady: Greg’s husband and co-owner of The Salty Breeze.
• Cindy De La Cruz – Jeannie: A local schoolteacher in Louisa’s professional circle.
• John DiMaggio – Bert Large: A local handyman and Al’s father.
• Carter Shimp – Al Large: Bert’s son and a younger member of the Port Wenn community.
• Wattson – Copernicus: A stray dog who becomes an unexpectedly persistent part of Martin’s life.

Notable guest appearances

• Martin Clunes – Dr. Robert Best: Martin Best’s father and a physician. The role is a deliberate connection to Doc Martin, in which Clunes played the original lead.
• Judith Ivey – Vanessa Best: Martin’s mother.
• Eliza Coupe – Guest role: A late-season guest performer.

The expanded recurring cast gives Best Medicine a genuine community feel rather than limiting the show to Martin’s practice or one central romance. The residents have overlapping family, workplace and social connections, which makes Port Wenn an active part of the story.

Character relationships that drive the series

• Martin and Louisa: The show’s main romantic relationship. Their connection develops slowly because Martin’s emotional reserve often clashes with Louisa’s expectations of honesty and consideration.
• Martin and Mark: Mark’s past with Louisa adds personal tension, while his role as sheriff makes him one of the town figures Martin cannot simply dismiss.
• Martin and Elaine: Their workplace dynamic highlights Martin’s difficulty managing people, not just medical problems.
• Martin and Aunt Sarah: Sarah gives Martin a family history in Port Wenn and prevents him from isolating himself completely.
• Elaine and Al: Their developing relationship creates a younger romantic storyline alongside Martin and Louisa’s more complicated bond.
• Greg and George: The married owners of The Salty Breeze provide a social hub where the town’s different storylines intersect.
• Martin and Copernicus: The stray dog is a recurring comic reminder that Martin cannot fully control his surroundings.

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Why the cast of Best Medicine works

Josh Charles is well suited to Martin Best because the character needs both authority and vulnerability. He must be convincing as a doctor with elite medical training while also making Martin’s social discomfort, impatience and emotional resistance believable rather than simply unpleasant.

Abigail Spencer gives Louisa warmth and independence, preventing the relationship from becoming a simple story about fixing Martin. Josh Segarra, Cree and Annie Potts widen the show’s focus through civic life, workplace conflict and family history.

The ensemble also gives the series broad audience appeal. Viewers can follow Martin’s medical cases, Louisa and Martin’s relationship, Elaine and Al’s storyline, Aunt Sarah’s family influence, and the wider comic life of a town where privacy is almost impossible.

Best Medicine vs. Doc Martin cast comparison

Best Medicine is an American adaptation of Doc Martin, not a scene-for-scene remake. It keeps the central idea of an exceptionally capable but socially difficult doctor in a coastal community, while adapting the characters and relationships for Maine.

• Dr. Martin Best / Dr. Martin Ellingham: Josh Charles’s Martin Best parallels Martin Clunes’s Dr. Martin Ellingham. Both are brilliant doctors with blood phobia and limited bedside manner, but Best arrives in Port Wenn after leaving a Boston surgical career.
• Louisa Gavin / Louisa Glasson: Both are schoolteachers and the doctor’s primary love interest. The adaptation changes Louisa’s name and reshapes her relationships within the local community.
• Aunt Sarah / Aunt Joan Norton: Both characters serve as strong maternal figures in Martin’s life. Sarah’s identity as a Maine lobsterwoman distinguishes her from Aunt Joan’s Cornish farming background.
• Elaine Denton / Elaine Denham: Both work in the doctor’s office. The American version gives Elaine a more contemporary ambition through her interest in online influence and life beyond the village.
• Sheriff Mark Mylow / PC Joe Penhale: Both represent local law enforcement, though Mark’s history with Louisa gives the U.S. character a more direct place in the central relationship dynamic.
• Sally Mylow / Sally Tishell: Both are local pharmacists, but the adaptation ties Sally directly to the Mylow family.
• Bert and Al Large: The U.S. series retains these character names while adapting them to the Maine setting.
• Dr. Robert Best / No direct equivalent: Martin Clunes appears as Martin Best’s father, creating a playful link to his role as the original Dr. Martin.

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FOX series, setting and production

Best Medicine is a medical comedy-drama developed by Liz Tuccillo for FOX. The series is set in fictional Port Wenn, Maine, a small fishing village where professional, family, and social lives constantly overlap.

The Maine setting is fundamental to the cast dynamic. Martin arrives expecting professional distance, but Port Wenn operates through personal relationships, familiar faces, and shared history. That contrast gives every member of the ensemble a natural reason to affect Martin’s life.

Frequently asked questions