What a relief: NBC returns to mockumentary in St. Denis Medical's exclusive trailer
Superstore's Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin have a brand new NBC comedy with a hella good cast. Here's your exclusive trailer.
Photo credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC
Can you feel our joy through the screen as we say this? NBC is adding a brand new mockumentary to its fall lineup. From the network that gave us The Office and Parks And Recreation comes an emergency room-set sitcom, St. Denis Medical. What’s better is that the series hails from NBC alum Justin Spitzer, who helmed Superstore and the short-lived American Auto (RIP). He teams up with It’s Always Sunny‘s writer Eric Ledgin to co-create this comedy, which premieres in November.
The assortment of TV titles mentioned above makes St. Denis Medical a promising entrant to the mockumentary landscape after Abbott Elementary‘s recent success. Today, The A.V. Club is exclusively premiering this first trailer for the series. As seen in the clip, serious situations in the ER are balanced with silly, lighthearted moments—and lots of talking heads, of course.
St. Denis Medical takes place in the titular underfunded, understaffed Oregon hospital, where Alex (Allison Tolman), a supervising nurse, seems to be the heart of the show. In the trailer alone she saves a woman who collapses in the parking lot and later shares a sweet moment with that woman’s husband. Alex and her coworkers strive to manage the day-to-day operations, including unruly patients, lack of supplies, and even corporate shenanigans. Wendi McLendon-Covey, meanwhile, is the show’s sort of Michael Scott. She plays Joyce, a former oncology surgeon who switched over to the dark side—i.e. she’s now St. Denis Medical’s executive director.
The show’s ensemble includes David Alan Grier, Josh Lawson, Kahyun Kim, and Mekki Leeper. Best of all, Superstore‘s breakout Kaliko Kauahi stars, too, in a role that looks like the polar opposite of Cloud 9’s mellow Sandra. Since it’s a Spitzer joint, expect a few cool guest appearances as well.
Season one, which consists of 18 episodes, arrives exactly a week after Election Day. We’ll certainly want the laughs. St. Denis Medical premieres on Tuesday, November 12.