The medical comedy launched in the US last November and has now arrived in the UK
Life in A&E is always dramatic but when the department is underfunded and understaffed matter can soon become farcical as St Denis Medical reveals.
The US mockumentary showcases day-to-day life in a small, local Oregon hospital where staff are expected to take on a number of roles.
Created by created by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin, it stars Wendi McLendon- Covey, Allison Tolman and Josh Lawson as overworked medical staff desperately trying to maintain their sanity.
The medical comedy launched in the US last November and has now arrived in the UK, where it will begin airing on BBC One this week.
What is St Denis Medical about?
St Denis Medical is a mockumentary chronicling the lives of overworked doctors and nurses in an underfunded and understaffed small Oregon hospital.
The dedicated staff are trying their best to treat patients while maintaining their own sanity.
Action centres around the emergency department at the local hospital, where there is a revolving door of patients with issues creating farcical moments.
The show’s co-creator Eric Ledgin told the Los Angeles Times: “Smaller hospitals can feel more like a community, where you might treat a neighbour or family member.
“And because they have less employees, people can be forced to wear multiple hats.
“All of this felt like more fertile ground for this show.”
Who is in the cast of St Denis Medical?
Wendi McLendon-Covey
Wendi McLendon-Covey stars as Joyce, an ambitious but quirky hospital executive director.
The American actress, 55, will be well-known to television audiences as matriarch Beverly Goldberg from the comedy series The Goldbergs.
She played Rita in the 2011 film Bridesmaids and has appeared in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Single Moms Club, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, What Men Want and Paint.
On television, she has starred in Reno 911!, Rules of Engagement and Modern Family.
Allison Tollman
Allison Tolman is Alex, a workaholic and empathetic supervising nurse on the ward.
Tolman, 43, is best-known for playing Molly Solverson in the first season of the television series Fargo. She also played Alma Fillcott in the series Why Women Kill.
She has appeared in the films The Gift, Barracuda, The Sisters Brothers and The Last Shift.
And she has had lead roles in Gaslit, Emergence, Good Girls, Mosaic and Downward Dog.
Josh Lawson
Josh Lawson plays Dr Bruce, the arrogant trauma surgeon at St Denis Medical.
Australian actor Lawson, 43, is a familiar face to television viewers as Tate Staskiewicz in Superstore and Doug Guggenheim in House of Lies.
He played Kench Allenby in the film Anchorman: The Legend Continues, James Murdoch in Bombshell and Kano in Mortal Kombat.
Kahyun Kim
Universal Media/BBC)
Kahyun Kim takes on the role of Serena, a quick-witted and confident nurse.
South Korean-American actress Kim played Ducky in the television series I’ll Manage and New Media in American Gods.
She has also starred in Cocaine Bear, Fire Island and Double Exposure.
The remaining cats of St Denis Medical includes:
- Mekki Leeper as Matt (Jury Duty, The Sex Lives of College Girls)
- Kaliko Kauahi as Val (Superstore, Raven’s Home)
- David Alan Grier as Ron (Joe Pickett, The Color Purple)
- Dave Theune as Keith (For All Mankind, Frasier)
- Alexandra Ford as Holly (High Maintenance, Adam Ruins Evertthing)
- Stephen Schneider as Chaplain Steve (Best Foot Forward, Players)
- Ruben Garfias as Hector (The Loud House, The Casagrandes)
- Bella Ivory as Stella (The Ides of March, Millenials)
- Jeff Marlow as Dr Andrews (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Magnum PI)
- Emma Pope as Dakota (The Goldbergs)
- Kyle Bornheimer as Tim (Good American Family, Avenue 5)
- Jonathan Slavin as Parker (Santa Clarita Diet, Speechless)
- Tory Freeth as April (The Goldbergs, Dog)
- Steve Little as Sanderson (The Ugly Truth, The Righteous Gemstones)
Where is St Denis Medical filmed?
Although the medical comedy is set in a hospital in a fictional town called Merrick in Oregon, USA, the filming for the show has always taken place further south in California.
The pilot was shot in a real hospital – St Vincent Hospital in Los Angeles – which is no longer in use.
But since then, the show has been made at a especially built set at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.
Wendi McLendon-Covey told the Los Angeles Times: “The hospital set is so realistic that it makes me want to not touch anything.
“And we have amazing medical consultants to help us look like we know what we’re doing when it comes to taking blood or learning the terms of things.”
When is St Denis Medical on and how many episodes are there?
St Denis Medical premieres on BBC One on Friday 6 June at 10.40pm, with the first two episodes being aired on the day.
There are eighteen installments in total, which will be shown two a week on Friday nights.
They can also be streamed on the BBC iPlayer.
