Sartaj Singh
Created by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin, ‘St. Denis Medical’ is a medical drama that revolves around an understaffed and underfunded Oregon hospital of the same name where healthcare workers combat an overwhelming workload with lighthearted humor. Doctors, nurses, and administrators each face their own struggles in maintaining a work-life balance while treating a myriad of difficult patients. The NBC mockumentary series effortlessly weaves humor into the otherwise serious day-to-day operations at the hospital with eccentric staff members and ridiculous scenarios.
St. Denis Medical is a Fictional Medical Drama Full of Heart
‘St. Denis Medical’ is a fictional workplace comedy shot in a single-camera format and with a mockumentary style in the same vein as ‘The Office’ and ‘Parks and Recreation.’ Written by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin, the series dedicates a considerable effort to elevate the authenticity of the medical technicalities in the episodes. It strengthens the relatability of its setting by tying it into the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, which has seen a paradigm shift for medical professionals and hospitals. The show’s creators also take inspiration from the unexpected humor to be found in real-world medical centers, originating both from the patients and the healthcare professionals despite the severity of their environment.
St. Denis Medical Consults Medical Technicians For An Authentic Touch
Despite being a comedy, ‘St. Denis Medical’ is dedicated to creating a believable environment through both its mockumentary format and its accuracy in depicting medical technicalities and details. The creatives ensure that they and the actors know what they are talking about. This leads to immersion in the setting and their difficult lives, which makes their gags all the more hilarious when contrasted with the seriousness of their situation. The show hires medical technicians Rachel Daigh, Jamie Watkins, and Melissa Oliver as consultants.
The trained professionals not only help write the scripts by infusing them with medical jargon but also guide the actors on how to conduct themselves in order to appear as though they have been practicing medicine their entire careers. Covering everything from how the actors should be holding instruments to what kind of mental space they would be in, the consultants are ever-present on set to help the show look as real as possible. Allison Tolman and Josh Lawson confessed that the medical technicians are a go-to source for any questions about how they should be conducting themselves in character. The leads go so far as to say that they would be lost without them.
The Creators of St. Denis Medical Enhance Comedy With Realism
The team behind ‘St. Denis Medical’ aims to remain true to its sober subject matter and create refreshing humor through it. The showrunners have observed that speaking to patients and medical professionals often creates a contrast with the high-stakes environment of hospitals that they are in. They narrate funny anecdotes and often maintain a lighthearted sense of humor, which is an effective means to disperse the tension built up around them.
Given the setting, the creators don’t want to seem disingenuous and do include difficult and sincere moments, and hope that their show resonates with medical professionals. At the same time, such moments also give them fertile ground to create more comedy. “It takes the audience by surprise more to have a silly joke followed immediately by something real, or heartfelt, or chilling,” said Justin Spitzer in an interview. “And it’s more realistic. People don’t generally receive notice when something dramatic is about to happen to them. They’re just living their life, joking around or whatever, and then the bottom falls out.”
St. Denis Medical Draws Comparison to Other Workplace Comedies
Creating comedic moments in a show set at a hospital is an undeniable challenge, but one which has been taken on by ‘Scrubs,’ ‘M*A*S*H,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Royal Pains,’ and Fox’s ‘House.’ Furthermore, NBC is known to launch bold comedy concepts to great success with shows like ‘Friends,’ ‘The Office,’ ‘Will & Grace,’ and ‘Rock 30.’ The team behind ‘St. Denis Medical’ thinks that their medical drama is one more such bold concept that isn’t reflected entirely in other medical dramas. This is largely due to the combination of the single-camera mockumentary format with the medical comedy setting.
The sense of familiarity with other workplace comedies may also arise because both creators of the show have worked on prominent productions in the genre. Justin Spitzer created ‘Superstore’ with Eric Ledgin serving as writer, and Spitzer has also written for ‘Scrubs’ and ‘The Office.’ He nevertheless maintains that ‘St. Denis Medical’ is unique as a true medical comedy with an authentic workplace environment and relatable aspects.
