Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for St Denis Medical season 1, episode 1, “Welcome to St. Denis”
WhileSt Denis Medical’s pilot doesn’t deconstruct the entire medical drama genre, the episode does play with one major trope of medical shows. There are a lot of medical dramas on the airwaves right now. After cop shows, medical dramas are among the most popular genres on television thanks to the likes ofThe Good Doctor,Chicago Med,Grey’s Anatomy,Brilliant Minds, and many, many more. However, theworkplace mockumentary sitcomSt. Denis Medicalis a more playful, comedic entry into this oversaturated genre. LikeScrubsbefore it,St. Denis Medicalaims to make the high-stakes world of medicine funny.
St. Denis Medical Creators Justin Spitzer & Eric Ledgin Reveal What Makes The Medical Comedy Special
St. Denis Medical’s creators Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin discuss what makes their new medical comedy unique from other workplace sitcoms.
UnlikeScrubs,St. Denis Medicaluses the mockumentary format that was popularized in the ‘00s to tell its story. The workplace comedy follows a crew of overworked nurses, doctors, and surgeons, as well as their incompetent but well-meaning executive director, as they attempt to keep things running smoothly in the eponymous hospital. In the pilot episode, “Welcome to St. Denis,” Alison Tolman’s perpetually stressed, controlling Registered Nurse Alex struggles to make it to her daughter’s school musical thanks to the latest disaster at work.St. Denis Medical’s positive reviewsprove this plot resonated with critics and viewers.
St Denis Medical’s Arrogant Surgeon Turned Out To Be Right
Dr. Bruce’s Cluelessness Didn’t Impact His Surgery Skills
Part of the reasonSt. Denis Medicalearned positive feedback is due to the show’s clever deconstruction of overly familiar medical drama tropes. Certain stock characters are present in the hospital, from David Alan Grier’s Ron, a grizzled, divorced veteran doctor with a heart of gold, to Mekki Leeper’s hopelessly unprepared new nurse Matt. However, as proven when he diagnosed an unlikely collapsed lung alongside a standard pulmonary embolism during emergency surgery, Josh Lawson’s comically arrogant surgeon, Bruce, isn’t as clueless as he appears. With a samurai sword in his office, Bruce initially seemed like a preening, self-obsessed buffoon.
“Welcome to St. Denis” swerved where viewers expected St. Denis Medical to play things straight.
This assessment was reinforced when he grilled a patient who Ron had just diagnosed with a run-of-the-mill ailment, convinced they might have a rare, exotic disease instead. However, “Welcome to St. Denis” swerved where viewers expectedSt. Denis Medicalto play things straight when Mindy Sterling’s Laurie was admitted for an emergency procedure.Ron thought that Bruce’s assessment of a possible throat obstruction was ludicrous, since Laurie only mentioned a pain in her leg before passing out. However, the far-fetched guess turned out to be right on the money.NBC’s medical sitcomproved it wasn’t predictable with this welcome surprise.
St Denis Medical’s Pilot Played With Medical Show Tropes
Bruce’s Self-Importance Was Funny But His Prowess Was Inarguable
Bruce’s ridiculous comments about seeing himself as a medical detective set him up as a figure of fun, but “Welcome to St. Denis” was quick to prove that viewers shouldn’t write him off yet. Much like Alex’s control freak nature was unhealthy, but did save a patient’s life later in the episode, Bruce’s absurd desire to diagnose unlikely ailments proved crucially helpful at the right moment. Thus, the sitcom offered a complex take on the genre’s familiar tropes. With any luck, this will allowSt. Denis Medicalto stand out amid many other medical TV shows as the sitcom continues.
