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.

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.