While NBC’sSt. Denis Medicalhasn’t arrived yet, the upcoming sitcom seems to prove an iconic sitcom format is making a comeback. There are many different types of sitcoms, from warm family comedies likeFull Houseto darker, stranger shows likeIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. There are hang-out shows likeFriends,New Girl,The Big Bang Theory, andHow I Met Your Mother, as well as workplace sitcoms likeBrooklyn Nine-Nine,The Office, andSuperstore. Within these categories, there are also different formats for sitcoms, ranging from period pieces to mockumentaries, to traditional multi-camera shows with laugh tracks.
AlthoughNBC’s new medical comedy seriesSt. Denis Medicalhas not arrived yet, the series has revealed its cast and its format.St. Denis MedicalstarsWhy Women Kill’s Allison Tolman as Alex, a supervising nurse in an underfunded public hospital.The Goldbergsstar Wendi McLendon Covey plays the hospital’s executive director, Joyce, whileIn Living Color’s David Alan Grier is one of St. Denis Medical Centre’s ER doctors. This starry cast is promising, but what makes the show really exciting is its decision to revisit an old sitcom format that has recently undergone a revival.
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NBC’s St. Denis Medical Brings Back Workplace Mockumentary Sitcoms
Abbott Elementary Reignited This Sub-Genre After Its ‘00s Peak
NBC’sSt. Denis Medicalis helping revive the workplace mockumentary sitcomafter the success ofAbbott Elementary.The OfficeandParks and Recreationoriginated the style back in the mid-’00s, butAbbott Elementarybrought it back years later when the series began in 2021. Now,St. Denis Medicalis here to prove that the workplace mockumentary sitcom is back to stay. The earliest promos forSt. Denis Medicalfeatures the characters speaking directly to the camera in interview segments, something thatThe Office,Parks and Recreation, andModern Familyall relied on as part of their mockumentary setup.
BeforeAbbott Elementaryrevived mockumentary sitcoms, the format had fallen out of favor with audiences in the mid-2010s. High-profile flops like 2015’sthe muppets., the same year’sThe Comedians, and 2013’sZach Stone Is Gonna Be Famousproved that viewers were sick of the style after mockumentary sitcoms dominated the genre throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. It didn’t help thatModern FamilyandThe Officewere among the most popular sitcoms on television at the time, meaning their style was aped by countless competitors hoping to recapture their success.
St. Denis Medicalis scheduled to premiere on NBC on July 24, 2025.
St. Denis Medical Shares Abbott Elementary’s Clever Sitcom Setup
The Show’s Settings Allow The Sitcoms To Address Real-Life Issues
Luckily, a lot of time has passed since the mid-2010s. Now,St. Denis Medicalcan outdoThe Officeby offering a workplace mockumentary sitcom that has something to say about the real world. WhileThe Officewas a great character comedy, the series wasn’t overly concerned with real-life issues. The biggest theme ofThe Office’s social commentary was the banality of corporate culture and, even then, the show ended up portraying Dunder Mifflin as an oddly warm environment by its final season. In contrast,St. Denis Medicalcan copyAbbott Elementary’s cleverest use of its mockumentary setup.
St. Denis Medicalcan offer a sharp satirical view of America’s healthcare system through its mockumentary setup.
Abbott Elementaryfrequently utilizes its mockumentary style to draw attention to real-life issues without feeling preachy or didactic. Since the show is presented as an in-universe documentary, it makes sense that issues like under-funding, overcrowding, systemic racism, and unfair resource allocation are all addressed by the teachers. Similarly,St. Denis Medicalcan offer a sharp satirical view of America’s healthcare system through its mockumentary setup. The series has already managed this with its opening four minutes, wherein Alex mentions how habitually overworked the staff is, while Joyce candidly admits that the hospital is criminally underfunded.
St. Denis Medical Combines Two Beloved Network TV Styles
The Upcoming Sitcom Is Both A Medical Drama And A Workplace Sitcom
WhileSt. Denis Medicalpromises to borrow the best elements ofAbbott Elementary’s formula, the show also has a trick of its own up its sleeve. Untilthe promisedScrubsrevivalreaches the airwaves,St. Denis Medicalis one of few network shows to combine medical drama with a sitcom setup. Medical dramas are some of the most-watched shows on television thanks to hits likeGrey’s Anatomy,Chicago Med, andThe Good Doctor. Similarly, shows likeYoung SheldonandThe Connersensure that sitcoms are also big business for major networks.
St. Denis Medicalcannily combines two of the most popular formats on television while simultaneously bringing back a style that has gone out of vogue in recent years. By revising the mockumentary sitcom format,St. Denis Medicalcan appeal to viewers who are nostalgic for the heyday of hits likeParks and RecreationandModern Family. Meanwhile, by combining a medical drama with a workplace sitcom,St. Denis Medicalcan also borrow from two of the most perennially popular genres on network TV. As such,St. Denis Medicalis set up for success before the NBC series even begins.
