Doc - Nelle tue mani season 4 leads Italian prime time with 3.98 million viewers

Prime-time victory for Rai 1

The fourth season of the medical drama Doc - Nelle tue mani premiered on Rai 1 on Thursday, 1 October 2026, leading Italian television ratings with 3,979,000 viewers and a 26.4% audience share. The opening broadcast featured two episodes titled "Tutto scorre" and "Qui e ora", marking the return of Luca Argentero as Dr. Andrea Fanti. On Canale 5, the Turkish drama Racconto di una Notte secured second place in prime time with 1,906,000 viewers and an 11.1% share. Italia 1 followed in third place as Le Iene drew 1,007,000 viewers (8.6% share). Talk show Ore 14 Sera, hosted by Salvo Sottile on Rai 2, registered 884,000 viewers and a 6.4% share, finishing ahead of La7's Piazzapulita with 776,000 viewers (5.9% share) and Rete 4's Dritto e Rovescio with 707,000 viewers (6% share).

Narrative evolution and cast additions

The series is based on the real-life story of Pierdante Piccioni, a physician who entered a coma after a road accident and lost 12 years of memories due to a cerebral cortex injury, which he documented in his book "Meno dodici". In the fourth season, Dr. Fanti returns to the wards of the Policlinico Ambrosiano following a leave of absence lasting over a year. He finds the hospital restructured, with Dr. Giulia Giordano, played by Matilde Gioli, promoted to head of the department. Speaking about his character's return, Argentero outlined the internal and institutional conflicts facing the fictional hospital:

Andrea Fanti returns after more than a year of absence and finds a hospital he no longer recognizes, but above all he is forced to come to terms with himself, with the need to piece back together what he has lost. Around him, however, everything has changed: Giulia is now head of the department, the finances are in the red, staff has been reduced and the need to keep the hospital machinery running risks taking space away from the very medicine of listening on which Fanti built his way of being a doctor.

New cast additions for season four include Gabriele Falsetta as health director Stefano Campigli, Alessandro Piavani as resident Matteo Pellegrini, Irene Ferri as general director Paola Grandi, Sara Mondello as Dr. Claudia Cinone, and Andrea Pennacchi as Dr. Dante Pellegrini. Argentero's wife, Cristina Marino, also joined the cast as locum physician Dr. Lidia Morganti. Nicola Abbatangelo directed the first eight episodes of the season, while Alessandro Tonda directed episodes 9 through 16.

We have already worked together, we met on a set. She is a locum doctor, which is a very topical role. I believe that our real-life experience has enriched the series.

Access prime-time and preserale standings

In the access prime-time slot, Rai 1's Affari Tuoi, hosted by Stefano De Martino, led the evening with 4,596,000 viewers and a 23.3% share between 20:50 and 21:43. Canale 5's La Ruota della Fortuna, hosted by Gerry Scotti, followed closely from 20:51 to 21:49 with 4,375,000 viewers and a 22.2% share. Rai 1 also led the preserale slot, where game show Reazione a Catena recorded 3,697,000 viewers and a 24.8% share, compared to 2,220,000 viewers and 16.6% for Canale 5's Caduta Libera. In the pre-show segments, Rai 1's L'Intesa Vincente reached 21.6%, while Canale 5's Inizia la Sfida recorded 14.2%.

Afternoon and niche network results

Across daytime programming, Canale 5 maintained strength with Uomini e Donne drawing 2,050,000 viewers and a 24% share, followed by Tutto per la mia Famiglia at 1,731,000 viewers and a 24% share. On Rai 1, afternoon programme La Volta Buona rose from 13.2% in its first part to 17.3% in its second part. In other evening slots, film broadcast Papà scatenato on Rai 3 took 540,000 viewers (2.9% share), The Equalizer - Il vendicatore on Tv8 recorded 507,000 viewers (3.4% share), X Factor on Sky Uno reached 485,000 viewers (3.0% share), and Buy it Now - Mai Più Senza on Nove drew 274,000 viewers (1.7% share). On Rete 4, soap opera La Promessa gathered 970,000 viewers and a 5.6% share, while Rai 3's Blob recorded 956,000 viewers (5.6% share).