A running visual gag in St. Denis Medical, NBC’s promising new mockumentary, involves the show’s star trauma surgeon (played by Josh Lawson) having a fear of needles. He’s quick to help a patient in crisis but plays a long con when it’s his turn to donate blood. This is the sort of juxtaposition that’s at the heart of St. Denis Medical: Despite the serious environment of its eponymous, underfunded Oregon hospital, the show piles on punchy banter and one-liners laced with warmth.
St. Denis Medical launches on a milder, notably nicer note than NBC juggernauts The Office and Parks And Recreation did in their first seasons—and perhaps that's essential for a workplace comedy with literal life-or-death stakes. ER doctors and nurses can’t play pranks, solve crossword puzzles, and frequently sit in pointless meetings. It doesn’t mean they can’t goof around and rely on each other to cope with tension (or take breaks to talk to the documentary crew, of course). Thankfully, in the six episodes screened for critics, St. Denis Medical nicely balances its high-stakes and comical vibes.
The show also has scope, which should come as no surprise as the sitcom hails from Superstore creator Justin Spitzer and writer Eric Ledgin. Like with that show, the lens here remains sharp yet wholesome, even if it lacks the nuanced commentary on topics like unions, the gig economy, and immigration that made Superstore special. For now, St. Denis Medical musters only a couple of throwaway lines about how these medics handled COVID. But with time, hopefully it will more deeply tap into social issues.
St. Denis Medical does stumble a bit into broad-comedy territory, but the show lands overall with the help of an undeniably appealing ensemble. The cast is an ace mix of familiar faces like David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Superstore breakout Kaliko Kauahi, as well as fresher ones such as Jury Duty’s Mekki Leeper and Cocaine Bear’s Kahyun Kim.
Most of the characters feel reminiscent of beloved mockumentary figures, like McLendon-Covey’s executive director Joyce, whose enthusiastic personality bears a resemblance to Leslie Knope. No matter the hurdles, Joyce is determined to make St. Denis Medical a top-notch facility, one $300,000 mammography machine at a time. She also walks around dropping Michael Scott-esque quotes like “the most infectious thing in a hospital is a smile.”
The staff also includes Ron (Grier), a curmudgeonly surgeon with a Reese’s NutRageous obsession. Having worked at the same hospital for years, he assumes he knows best but meets his match in the form of determined nurses Alex (Allison Tolman) and Serena (Kahyun Kim, an MVP of the show). But even those two can't muster the energy of their new coworker, Matt (Leeper), who comes from a religious family and struggles to learn his caretaker duties. (Also, the seeds are sown for a nice, slow-burn romance with Matt and Serena.)
Meanwhile, Lawson’s performance as the cocky Dr. Bruce demands a bit of patience but works nicely with this ensemble. Kauahi wisely takes on a role that’s vastly different from the meek Sandra, proving there’s a reason she was a Superstore scene-stealer. All the actors are impressive, but Tolman is the de facto linchpin and heart of the show. Alex is a recently promoted, overworked nurse who finds it difficult to step away from her shift and be with her kids. And Tolman’s layered performance makes it easy to get lost in her world and empathize with her circumstances.
While there is no outright critiquing of the health-care system (something the show would benefit from doing), the series’ depictions of the day-to-day lives of the hospital’s burnt-out staff are enough of a commentary for now. And by imbuing their hard work with genuine warmth and hilarity, St. Denis Medical has the potential to be your next favorite feel-good sitcom.
St. Denis Medical premieres November 12 on NBC
