Our take
Is it possible to make a workplace comedy set in a hospital emergency room, of all places? St. Denis Medical proves that it is. Like The Office and Parks and Rec before it, St. Denis is a mockumentary that follows an eclectic ensemble who are well-meaning but not always professional, which gives way to funny scenes, pairings, and hijinks. Because of the show’s bleak setting, it risks jarring audiences with a mismatch in tone (there are literally people who are dying around them), but St. Denis is able to be both earnest and funny. The characters are all likable, but the show’s big beating heart is Alex (Allison Tolman), the designated straight-woman, the level-headed foil against her more absurd colleagues. More than anyone, she genuinely cares for the patients and her workmates’ well-being. Issues like understaffed hospitals, expensive healthcare, and medical bias are highlighted in humorous ways. And it works! Laughter is, after all, the best medicine.
The story
An eclectic group of underfunded yet dedicated doctors and nurses navigates caring for patients — and each other — while keeping it all together at an Oregon hospital.
Elsewhere
"Spitzer characters don’t debate issues at length like Norman Lear ones did, but their everyday lives are unmistakably downstream of larger social and political forces. St. Denis Medical is a worthy entrant in this larger project."
— Alison Herman
Led by a well-meaning director and a big-hearted head nurse, the hospital staff of St. Denis Medical in Oregon try to get through their shifts as a surge of patients and inter-office drama test their patience.
There’s something to be said about the show’s (welcome) focus on nurses instead of doctors. There is no dearth of ER dramas and comedies, but only a handful give nurses their due. Alex’s speech in the first episode about why she chose to go the nursing route is a heartwarming one, and it’s what makes the show so grounded and likable even in its craziest moments. Also, it’s impossible not to laugh out loud when the ditzy Matt (Mekki Leeper) is onscreen.
It’s The Pitt by way of Parks and Recreation—an unusual pairing, but it surprisingly works. I haven’t laughed this loud in a while.
The details
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
