Netflix’s Upcoming Series 'Anesthesia': Is This Polish Procedural the Next The Pitt?

Leszek Lichota. Cr : K. Grabowska/Netflix

Following the global success of The Pitt, Doc, and others, Netflix has ordered several new medical dramas from around the world for its 2026 slate. Today, we are examining a highly anticipated entry out of Poland: Anesthesia (Znieczulenie).

The logline for the new series, confirmed during Netflix’s preview of its 2026 slate from the region, reads, “A brilliant neurosurgeon is ousted from a prestigious clinic after a failed operation. He lands in a small county facility where his arrogance clashes with the locals, but his rule-bending methods might just be exactly what saves lives.”

Who created the show?

Lukasz Ostalski serves as the show’s main director. He previously helmed 2022’s Family Secrets, another Polish Netflix Original. As far as we can tell, this will be his first time directing a medical procedural.

In the writers’ room, Dana Łukasińska brings experience from the 2023 Netflix Original Infamia. She is joined by co-writers Bartosz Janiszewski (Disney+ original The Breslau Murders), Beata Halastra, and Marcin Kuchniań.

Who is cast in the show?

The series is fronted by actor and comedian Leszek Lichota. He is best known to Netflix subscribers as the star of the hit 2023 original movie Forgotten Love, though he also boasts an extensive resume in his home country, including a prominent role in the HBO Central Europe drama Wataha.

Aleksandra Poplawska (Cr: Netflix/K. Grabowska)

The female lead is played by Aleksandra Poplawska, who also starred alongside Lichota in HBO’s Wataha and has appeared in numerous local movies and TV shows. The cast is rounded out by Filip Kowalewicz, Karolina Gruszka, Dorota Kolak, Masza Wągrocka, Krzysztof Stelmaszczyk, and Gamou Fall.

What else do we need to know about the show?

It’s one of the few confirmed medical shows premiering this year on Netflix. We also have an untitled ER drama out of Norway that we mentioned in our European spotlight. Beyond that, Netflix’s slate of medical dramas remains pretty small. Breathless from Spain was recently announced for a third season, while Netflix’s US swing in the space fell flat with PULSE being swiftly canceled.

Netflix’s official description teases a controversial character who butts heads with his colleagues and the hospital hierarchy—not unlike another globally renowned character: Dr. Gregory House, MD. Here, however, the main protagonist is a neurosurgeon.

The procedural is set to tackle complex ethical dilemmas and quandaries through its medical cases. To ensure authenticity, the production enlisted the help of renowned American consultant Neal Baer. Baer worked on ER during its early seasons, bringing his real-world experience as a pediatrician to the table, before becoming a veteran showrunner with his years spent on Law & Order: SVU.

When is Anesthesia premiering?

No official release date has been set just yet; we only know it will premiere globally on Netflix in the latter half of 2026.

Anesthesia is just one piece of a massive 12-title Polish slate Netflix announced for 2026. The streamer is heavily investing in the region with a wide variety of new genres and returning favorites. On the series side, viewers can look forward to the 1970s medical drama Lead Children, the prison thriller The Riot, a local edition of Love is Blind, and a highly anticipated period adaptation of Bolesław Prus’s classic novel, The Doll. New feature films include the female-led comedy Revenge, the Lady Pank rock biopic Less of a Stranger, and the crime thriller Saint. Plus, several massive regional hits are returning, including a third season of the satirical mockumentary 1670, season 2 of the heartfelt comedy Mothers of Penguins, the movie sequel It Takes a Village, and Colours of Evil: Black, the follow-up to last year’s global chart-topping thriller.