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MDA premiered on 23 July 2002. The title refers to the firm that the show focuses on - Medical Defence Australia - a team of lawyers and doctors who defend doctors charged with malpractice, ranging from Botox injections gone wrong to spinal cord injuries.
The main characters: Dr. Louella "Ella" Davis, the moral centre of the firm whose passion lies equally distributed between her work at St. Albans Hospital Emergency Ward, and defending doctors; "Happy" Henderson, a lawyer whose nickname can be greatly misleading; Dr. Jamie Lawless, an optimistic young doctor whose passion for helping others often leads him to inner conflict; Caitlin King, the new law recruit at MDA whose ambitions far exceed what she can do at the firm; and Layla Young, the friendly receptionist. Also main characters were Dr. Tony McKinnon, a doctor who worked with Ella at the hospital, and Richard Savage - the cut-throat prosecutor who often did battles with MDA.
In the opening episodes, Ella faced personal problems when her lover Nick wished to move out of the country, and she often discussed these with her sister Edwina, but those characters quickly faded into the background. Edwina did return, for one episode, in the second season.
The first few episodes didn't draw great ratings, and the critics were ambivalent about the show, but - by the 8th episode, "Bowels, Bosch and the Whole Damn Thing" - in which Happy faced health problems, Jamie fell for Wendy Rossi, a doctor facing manslaughter, and Caitlin began to consider working with Richard instead of MDA, the show began to gain attention.
Other notable characters of the first season were Helena, a prosecutor whose lack of ability often led to comic relief moments; Claudia, Richard's sardonic barrister; Giles, the amiable old barrister contracted to MDA; Dr. Vince Phillips, a doctor on the MDA board whose desire to take over led to a legal battle; and Dr. Mark Matthews, the head of the MDA board.
In the final episodes of the season, Ella and Tony became victims of a civil suit which led to them facing considerable press exposure. They were found not guilty, but - in the final moments of the season finale, "Divine Intervention" - angry plaintiff Debbie Shanahan drove her car directly at Jamie, Tony and Ella, and the audience was left to wonder who had survived.
The second season opened with the episode "Eternity" in which Tony died on the operating table, and Caitlin moved to Richard Savage's firm. The second season improved markedly from the first season, tightening storylines and scripts.
Two new cast members joined: Amanda McKay, a legal case manager; and Simon Lloyd, a doctor joining MDA. The two became the will-they-or-won't-they? couple of the show, with the risk increased due to his wife who worked abroad. By season's end they were a couple, but were still easing into it.
Significant season two storylines included the destruction of Jamie and Wendy's relationship, Dr. Phillips' increasing efforts to become head of MDA, and the potential destruction of MDA itself as he attempts to incite a revolution against the firm, Caitlin and Richard's personal and professional fighting, Layla's grandmother getting closer to death, and Happy dealing with his son Jason.
In the second half of the season, Caitlin was written out of the show, as the producers decided her character had run its course. Kerry Armstrong also decided to leave - because the low Government funding for the arts (often criticised within the industry) meant that appearing on one television show was not a sustainable income. Ella, subsequently, took a full-time posting at St. Albans' as Head of Emergency and only appeared occasionally during the latter half of season 2, making her final appearance in the penultimate episode "Pas De Deux".