NBC and Peacock's new sitcom St. Denis Medical is a mockumentary workplace comedy set in an underfunded Oregon hospital and is sure to cure your woes, at least according to critics. It avoids the tropes of other medical shows that tend to focus on flashy doctors and major crises, instead primarily focusing on nurses -- the unsung heroes that keep the hospital running.
A perfectly cast Allison Tolman (Fargo) stars as a workaholic supervising nurse and mom who keeps the ER running; Wendi McLendon-Covey (a familiar face to fans of The Goldbergs and Reno 911!) plays the administrative bigwig who's focused more on accolades than patient care; and David Alan Grier (In Living Color, Martin) takes on the role of a curmudgeonly doctor. Kahyun Kim, Josh Lawson, Kaliko Kauahi, and Mekki Leeper fill out the rest of the archetypes, including a nurse with a wild streak, a self-idolizing surgeon, and a Montana transplant with a strict religious background who acts as the audience's "newbie" perspective.
'St. Denis Medical' Comes From the Hands of Comedy Veterans
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St. Denis Medical is just the latest series to come from comedy veteran Justin Spitzer, who partnered with Eric Ledgin for this project. After working on hits like The Office and Scrubs (which is getting a much-anticipated revival), Spitzer translated his expertise into his own shows, creating American Auto and the popular Superstore, both of which Ledgin worked on as well. St. Denis Medical is similar to these previous efforts in the way it focuses on the lower-rung employees that keep various institutions running. It's a tried and true recipe, and a medical setting provides an unlimited number of situations and circumstances to pull comedy from.
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If the showrunners' goal is to create relatable content for the average working American laughing-through-the-tears of their everyday struggles, they've succeeded. Ledgin explained the show's balance of humor and heart to ScreenRant:
"This is a comedy, so if you're not laughing through at least some of it, we definitely messed up. But it's also the emergency room of a hospital, and we'd be crazy not to show some of the heartfelt or difficult moments that happen in these spaces. My hope is that some people -- and particularly healthcare workers -- feel seen by those moments."
'St. Denis Medical' Doesn't Shy Away From Social Commentary Close
Spitzer and Ledgin clearly know how to make a successful network comedy. There is ample opportunity for social commentary about the American healthcare system amongst the humor -- the show makes a point to acknowledge that St. Denis is a "safety-net hospital" that treats patients of all kinds regardless of insurance or income status. This goes with the showrunners' consistent working class attitude to character comedy.
The pilot opens with jokes about overdoses as Tolman's character interacts with a patient who is addicted to opiates. Other topical material from the first batch of episodes includes the attention-seeking surgeon playing up COVID-19 camaraderie among medical staff for the documentary cameras and a dig at Joe Biden for the nationwide nursing shortage.
'St. Denis Medical' Tops the Fall 2024 Comedies
St. Denis Medical stands up well against other new comedies of the Fall 2024 season. Others that have performed well include Netflix's heartfelt and funny A Man on the Inside with Ted Danson as an undercover investigator in a retirement community; NBC's Happy's Place, which reunites Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman, pulling in viewers with its Reba-meets-Cheers nostalgia; FX and Hulu's must-watch English Teacher which reads as an edgier Abbott Elementary; CBS's Young Sheldon spin-off Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage; and the Fresh of the Boat-esque immigration comedy called The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, starring Lost veteran Naveen Andrews. However, St. Denis Medical stole the spotlight with a two-episode debut that brought in 4M viewers, a total that rose to 7.4M within a week.
With two comedy legends at the helm and an extremely talented ensemble cast, St. Denis Medical has the highest potential for longevity among new 2024 comedies. Pessimists could argue it has a slightly contrived premise and a predictable trajectory, but for most, it seems to be just what the doctor ordered.
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*Availability in US Release Date November 12, 2024 Main Genre Comedy Cast Wendy McLendon-Covey , David Alan Grier , Josh Lawson , Mekki Leeper , Kahyun Kim , Jeff Marlow , Allison Tolman , Kaliko Kauahi Seasons 1