Network comedies are in a fallow period, with only a handful on the schedule at this point. Where sitcoms once flourished, we now get cop-show spinoffs and reality shows old enough to vote.
Hope flickers. “Abbott Elementary” broke through in the last few years, and “Ghosts” has its charms. Prayers up for “St. Denis Medical,” the first six episodes of which are streaming on Peacock.
In the episodes that have aired so far — Season 1 returns to NBC on Jan. 14 after a short midseason break — the show already feels solid in its rhythms and ideas. Its mockumentary format mocks quite gently, and the show mostly dodges the inherent intensity of an emergency room by focusing on peccadilloes and quirks. “Denis” was created by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin, whose combined previous work includes “Superstore,” “American Auto” and “Rutherford Falls,” and this has a similar earnest-underdog energy. It is less antic than “Scrubs,” less cynical or cringey than “The Office,” more grounded than “Parks and Recreation.”
The biggest draw, beyond the cozy-endearing vibe, is its cast. Allison Tolman plays Alex, our competent, overextended supervising nurse; David Alan Grier is Ron, a seen-it-all doctor; Wendi McLendon-Covey is Joyce, the out-of-touch administrator; Josh Lawson is Bruce, the arrogant surgeon; Kaliko Kauahi is Val, a veteran nurse; and Mekki Leeper is Matt, the newbie nurse with an ultrareligious background. Everyone, even in a smaller and one-off role, is someone you’re glad to see. Tolman and Grier anchor the show’s realism, keeping the sillier planets in orbit, but that means they rarely deliver the punchlines.
More often, the show has its fun through the loopier characters. On the most recent episode, the gang struggles to help a man with a would-be engagement ring stuck on the wrong appendage.
“Medicine isn’t just science,” Bruce muses. “Sometimes it’s like jazz.”
“It’s scary.” Matt adds in agreement.
“Denis” is rarely ha-ha funny — the best joke so far is one I can’t put in print, but it’s a throwaway line in Episode 5 — so individual episodes lack impact. Without a serial plot, tense stakes or big jokes, everything is a bit ephemeral, more like a good smell than a good meal. Which is why it feels more like a streaming comedy, one that makes its impact in volume not density. You need to mainline six in a row to get in the groove.
The post ‘St. Denis Medical’ Is a Cozy Mockumentary Hospital Comedy appeared first on New York Times.
