Diagnosis Murder follows Dr. Mark Sloan, the chief of internal medicine, at LA's Community General Hospital. Dr. Sloan, much like Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote, has a magnetic quality that apparently draws murders to him. Every week, Dr. Sloan stumbles across murders, either acting in his role at the hospital, aiding the police as a medical consultant, or just plain dumb luck.


Dr. Sloan is assisted by several others over the years: Dr. Jack Stewart, a prodigy of Dr. Sloan's, who raised him from the mean streets to become a doctor. Amanda Bentley, the hospital's chief pathologist. Jesse Travis, an intern in ER medicine. Steve Sloan, Mark's son, a homicide detective, who more often than not has to deter his father from interfering.


Diagnosis Murder first got its start on the television series Jake and the Fat Man in the episode "It Never Entered My Mind" which first aired on 20 Mar 91. In the episode Dick Van Dyke played Dr. Sloan, who, when accused of murdering a hospital administrator, launches his own investigation, with the help from his medical students. The following year, in January of 1992, the first of three television movies aired, starring Dick Van Dyke and Barry Van Dyke in their present roles, but different actors as their sidekicks. Fall 1993 marked the beginning of Diagnosis Murder's turbulent existence. Almost cancelled in the fall of 1995, it returned as a mid-season replacement and has been renewed every since. For the 1998-1999 television season, the show was initially given a 13 episode commitment, which eventually was made into a full 22 episode commitment.

Source: www.tv.com

Does anyone else watch this?

I blame my mother she is always watching this and I just sit down and somehow get drawn in, lol! I'm always trying to solve it before they do (I fail almost every time though). But Mark Sloan is just so funny, but I guess thats just Dick Van Dyke for you ... great actor

Ooooh this is one of my favourite shows.

I don't know when I started to watch this (around season five/six time but don't know when that was) or why. I've since seen most of the episodes and have a fair few on tape for re-watching. I don't know what it is about this show but it's got this kind of magnetic quality. My mum always reckoned it was unrealistic but I could always believe in it, and I am an incredibly pessimistic viewer. It was only in the last season when they introduced the medical students that it started to get a little silly.

What's your favourite episode? Mines got to be Blood Ties, either that or the four parter Sweeney case, Rear windows 98, Murder my suite or Blood will out. I can never decide which. Sadly, I haven't got the first two on tape and so they have achieved iconic status in my memory.

This show was my first real obsession.

When I finished at school I watched this every day until I went to college lol. It's really weird, even though I figured out who it was every time I still watched it!! I guess I like feeling intelligent!!

I watch this I started watching it when I was off one day because I was ill and there wasn't anything else on TV. I love to solve the cases and I sometimes manage to solve them before they do. Mark is a good character in the show and I like his son in it as well it gives it more variety then just having a doctor going off and solving the cases.

Well I don't think it would be realistic to have a doctor just going off and solving cases really... Having his son there who is an investigator brings that link in and makes it a viable show

I don't know any episode names so no idea what one's your talking about... I've seen quite a few, all I can say is that I prefer the cases which are tough to solve. I think it's good because they have a good cast thats seem to work well together, and there is some good humour in there too.

How many seasons have there been?

I'm not sure how many seasons there have been but I think there have been quite a few as I think it has been going for a few years now. It is good and I enjoy watching it when it is on which it isn't on at the moment on normal TV.

There have been eight It's been axed now, well since april 2001.

There are some really cool spin off books though. I have the lot