Spoilers below for those who haven’t yet watched St. Denis Medical’s first pair of Season 2 episodes on NBC or via Peacock subscription.
TV shows set in hospitals haven’t ever really been a rarity, to the point where I often find myself groaning when new ones are announced. Both St. Denis Medical and The Pitt set new bars for the subgenre in during the 2024-2025 TV schedule, but only one of those shows is already back for Season 2 and nearly had me peeing my pants with laughter with its premiere block. That victory goes to St. Denis’ medical (un)professionals.
I know that the NBC mockumentary comedy has only aired 20 episodes to this point, including the doubled-up Season 2 premiere, but I’m already finding it hard to believe that anything else this season is going to be able to top the ensemble magnificence of the second installment, “Mama Bear Activated,” with Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier as my standout duo. (Followed by Dan Leahy’s Brandon in an astonishingly close third.)
Joyce’s Safety Meeting Was Top-Tier Ensemble Comedy
It doesn’t take brilliant mathematicians to figure out “the more comedic actors in one room, the funniera scene can be,” but it’s still wildly impressive to see just how many downright hilarious people fill out this cast. As well as how terrible most of these characters are at having meaningful and honest exchanges with other people.
Cast in point: Joyce’s attempt to preach about office safety is predicated on Bruce’s nonsense belief that he was mugged by an angry patient. Rather than directly looking into that one instance, Joyce takes an impulsive big-picture approach to teaching her employees about…well, not much, really. She wants it to be full of quick and proven tips for staying safe, but it mostly serves to illustrate how terrible Joyce is at putting her good intentions to use.
Luckily, viewers don’t have to worry about working for her, and can take joy in watching everyone else’s awkward misery as she realizes her lofty goals can’t be reached. Such as it went during this exchange with A+ guest star Frankie Quiñones as the head of security, Leslie.
- JOYCE: It’s time to get serious, so Leslie is pricing out some security upgrades for us. We’re talking fencing, extra guards, floodlights. You name it. You cannot put a price on the safety of our people.
- LESLIE: Well, give or take, it’s gonna be about $200,000.
- JOYCE: Fuck you! I’m sorry. Not you. I just mean like, the economy, like ‘Oh, eff you, price of goods.’ [Whispers loudly] We can’t do that.
Any of those options are better safety measures than Joyce’s suggestion to ward off would-be attackers by having loud phone conversations where gross personal facts are shared with reckless abandon. Or the fairly specific advice that avoiding biting Keith’s ear might mean you become his next skin suit. Poor Keith.
Even beyond Wendi McLendon-Covey’s perfect performance, these scenes are futher enhanced by Dan Leahy’s crimson-haired nurse Brandon, who could easily turn into Season 2’s MVP when all is said and done.
- SABRINA: Why would you run towards a fire?
- BRANDON: Because firemen are hot.
- SABRINA: What if your attacker IS a fireman?
- BRANDON: [Smiles] Okayyyy….
Hopefully someone at that meeting came out of it feeling safer, since the only thing that “attacked” Bruce was a goose. I do love a good rhyme scheme between assailants and victims.
Ron’s Pained Screaming May Be The Funniest TV Moment Of 2025 For Me So Far
Here in 2025, I truly thought TV viewers had already seen the last plotline involving a character accidentally throwing their back out and then having to pretend as if everything is just peachy. But no, St. Denis Medical showed up and proved that idea wrong, and thankfully so, since it provided the most side-splitting audio beat of anything else on TV this year.
Ron’s ego won’t let him admit to Sabrina that he injured his back, despite very obviously suffering constant pains from it. Naturally, Sabrina won’t let him go very long without provoking him. It’s all amusing enough, if not exactly original, when Ron drops some papers and foolishly bends over to pick them up as if nothing is wrong.
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I have no idea if David Alan Grier himself provided the vocals for the tortured screams that Ron let loose, since they were likely culled from ADR recordings. But some big fat kudos for whoever was responsible, because that moment sent me and my wife into full body tremors that left us with sore throats and bliss-affected tear ducts.
The screams are so sharp, piercing and sudden that I can keep watching the moment over and over again (and have) without it losing much of the comedic spark that had me doubled over to begin with. Sure, it wasn’t realistic in the slightest, but this show is often at its best when there’s a cartoonish layer applied.
St. Denis Medical will hopefully air even better episodes in the coming weeks, but fans will need to tune in Monday nights on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET.
