St. Denis Medical - Season 1

“St. Denis Medical provides a positive portrayal of a mom in the workplace that’s both heartwarming yet realistic.”

Title: St. Denis Medical
Episodes Reviewed: Season 1
Creators: Eric Ledgin 👨🏼🇺🇸 and Justin Spitzer 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writers: Eric Ledgin 👨🏼🇺🇸(3 episodes), Hunter Toro 👩🏼🇺🇸(3 episodes), Justin Shanes👨🏼🇺🇸 (3 episodes), Bridget Kyle 👩🏼🇺🇸(3 episodes), Vicky Luu 👩🏻🇺🇸🌈(3 episodes), Justin Spitzer 👨🏼🇺🇸 (2 episodes), and others

Reviewed by Sam 🧑🏻🇺🇸🌈

Technical: 4/5

Justin Spitzer (Superstore) and Eric Ledgin’s hospital comedy follows a group of characters working at the fictional St. Denis Medical in Oregon. Countless medical dramas have covered the gripping, tense moments of emergency rooms, but this NBC series is one of the first to shine a humorous light on the ER.

St. Denis Medical covers all of the classic sitcom elements that have made shows like The Office (2005–13) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–21) so beloved. There are wholesome friendships, silly workplace shenanigans, and a slow burn will-they-won’t-they relationship. It takes a bit of time to get properly invested—despite its stressful setting, the plot is oddly slow-moving—and it takes a while for the chemistry between characters to develop. But get there it does, and by the end of Season 1, viewers are treated to a rewarding watch.

Gender: 5/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

While gender-balanced by the numbers, St. Denis Medical focuses on female characters and puts in the time to build out their backgrounds. The main character, Alex (Allison Tolman), is the supervising nurse with a work ethic made of steel. Many episodes show Alex juggling the intense demands of work with the equally high stakes of parenting, as she makes sacrifices on every front as a result of being spread too thin. But from the very first episode, her coworkers never treat her as less than for having her family life show up at work—sometimes literally, like when Alex brings her daughter to the office in “Some Famous Internet Guy” (Season 1, Episode 13). In a society where women are still consistently punished in their careers for having children, it’s wonderful that St. Denis Medical provides a positive portrayal of a mom in the workplace that’s both heartwarming yet realistic.

Alex may be the supervisor, but her boss is Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey), the well-meaning but overbearing executive director of the hospital. In almost all workplace comedies, the boss is usually a man, so it’s refreshing to see Joyce run the place. She delivers on her mission of securing the hospital’s financial stability while comically making mistakes left and right. By showcasing both her successes and failures, this series suggests that women in executive positions should be allowed to fail without excessive judgment.

Race: 3.5/5

The show’s main character, Alex, is white. But about half of the ensemble cast is made up of characters of color, including young, free-spirited nurse Serena (Kahyun Kim, Korean American), grouchy but experienced physician Ron (David Alan Grier, Black), and friendly nurse administrator Val (Kaliko Kauahi, Native Hawaiian and Japanese).

The show occasionally acknowledges the characters’ racial backgrounds, but it rarely delves into these identities in depth. One notable exception is Season 1, Episode 4’s “Salamat You Too,” which features the hospital’s “Filipino Mafia”—a group of Filipino nurses and doctors who band together and, in a funny moment, speak to Val in Tagalog when they mistake her for being Pinay. It’s a silly but lovely nod to Filipino healthcare workers who care for Americans while making huge sacrifices, yet rarely get the recognition they deserve.

LGBTQ: 1.5/5

Despite 18 episodes full of characters, relationships, and subplots, St. Denis Medical lacks a single storyline of note that involves a queer character. The entire cast of main and supporting characters are presumed straight so far, and the only exception is Rene, an intimidating nurse portrayed by gay Filipino American actor Nico Santos. But Rene only appears during one episode—the aforementioned “Salamat You Too”—leaving a glaring gap in LGBTQ representation on the show.

Mediaversity Grade: B- 3.50/5

St. Denis Medical does a fantastic job of highlighting the difficulties of work-life balance for parents, especially moms. But the series never confronts the role that race plays in patient care, and it misses the boat entirely when it comes to portraying LGBTQ stories and people. With its second 18-episode season premiering next week, I’m hoping the series will provide a more truthful portrayal of American healthcare without losing its wonderful sense of humor.

Like St. Denis Medical? Try these other easy-to-watch hospital dramas.

Grade: BLiOctober 28, 2025Great for: Gender