Just when you thought there were too many mockumentaries on television, we get “St. Denis Medical,” an “Office”-lite look at the healthcare industry that’s more than a little funny.
Set in a central Oregon hospital (whose administrator longs to make it a medical destination), the series is staffed by caring folks who know how to stitch up irony.
Alex (Allison Tolman), the newly appointed supervising nurse of the emergency department, wants to provide top-notch care but often has to deal with the whims of that administrator (Wendi McLendon-Covey); a cranky doctor (David Alan Grier); an arrogant surgeon (Josh Lawson); a new-to-St. Denis nurse (Mekki Leeper) and a host of veteran healthcare workers who are determined to do things the way they’ve always done them. By the time she gets through their lists, there’s no time for herself – or her family.
Created by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin, “St. Denis Medical” has all the hallmarks of previous mockumentaries but greater interplay with the filmmakers shooting the scenes. Hospital personnel aren’t afraid to ask for retakes and openly make note of the outsiders’ presence.
The reaction shots are fairly routine; the quirks make them interesting.
While Spitzer and Ledgin aren’t afraid to dabble in darker moments in St. Denis, they don’t shy from the absurd, either.
When a patient asks for a cross, Val (Kaliko Kauahi) has to haul in a life-sized version around the hospital. When Joyce, the administrator, looks for a new “featured’ employee of the quarter, the surgeon badmouths the others in order to win another quarter; and when Matt, the newbie, discovers the chaplain isn’t quite up on his Biblical studies, he sets out to trip him up.
The comedy hits a high, however, when nurses object to Alex’s scheduling and begin one of those freeze-outs popular in any industry. The “Filipino mafia” is a strong force at St. Denis – and should be brought back for more fun.
Laughter as medicine: 'St. Denis Medical' enters the field
Several actors from Spitzer’s “Superstore” turn up here and it’s clear they know his rhythm. “St. Denis” clicks when they’re around. Putting Joyce’s office so close to the emergency department is probably a mistake, particularly since she should waltz in unaware of the candy bar games the doctors could be playing. More personnel (perhaps more guest stars?) will help make this more than the domain of the five or six who are always there.
While Tolman is the show’s rock (and most comfortable in the setting), it’s Leeper who steals scenes, particularly when he’s trying to appear aware of everything that’s transpiring. When he thinks he has the chaplain just where he wants him, “St. Denis” becomes the comedy it wants to be.
Leaning into the community (what are Oregon’s strengths, for example) and showing Joyce out in it, would give “St. Denis” the specificity it needs.
It’s a fun half-hour. It just needs to uncover situations everyone can identify.
Electronic medical records, we’re looking at you.
“St. Denis Medical” airs on NBC and streams on Peacock.
