Doc’ Returns: Here’s When Minnesota Fans Can Watch Season 3

We heard back in March that 'Doc,' the Fox TV drama that's set in Minneapolis, was renewed for Season 3, and we now know when the new season will hit TV screens here in Minnesota.

If it seems to you like there are more TV shows and series that get cancelled than get renewed, you're not wrong. Industry insiders say that only about 20 percent of new shows and series get picked up (as they say in the industry) and are renewed for another season. But 'Doc,' the FOX TV drama series set at a hospital in Minnesota, was one of those that made the cut for a big season three.

According to Deadline, Fox ordered 22-episodes of the medical drama for season 3 of the medical drama, 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 over its first two seasons.

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When Does ‘Doc’ Season 3 Premiere in Minnesota?

Now Season 3 is set to premiere on Tuesday, September 22 at 8 p.m. CDST on Fox, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu. You can check out the official trailer for what to expect in this season below.

Throughout its first season, which aired in 2024, 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.

How Accurate Is ‘Doc’ About Minnesota?

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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‘Doc’ Season 2 Included Some Major Minnesota References

That trend continued in Season 2, which premiered last September and is streaming on Hulu. It featured references to the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the burning of the department's Third Precinct building, which happened during the George Floyd riots in May 2020.

Doc also referenced Minnesota's Med City of Rochester several times last season as well. Season 2, Episode 16, titled 'The Best We Can Do,' featured a plot involving one of the doctors exploring the possibility of changing jobs, and a representative of 'The Mayo' is introduced. Doc character, Dr. Hamda, asked 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.'

What ‘Doc’ Gets Wrong About Minnesota

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.

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 in seasons 1 and 2. Let's hope they keep those Minnesota references coming in Season 3!