ST. DENIS MEDICAL Creators Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer Preview Their New NBC Comedy

After finding success with workplace comedies like THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK, PARKS & REC, and SUPERSTORE, NBC is hoping they’ve found the next show to add to that list: ST. DENIS MEDICAL.

The series (which debuts Tuesday, November 12 at 8/7c with two episodes) is a mockumentary-style show, set at a ragtag Oregon hospital, where the doctors, nurses, and administrators struggle to treat the patients and keep the hospital afloat. (The ensemble includes Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman, Josh Lawson, Kahyun Kim, Mekki Leeper, and Kaliko Kauahi.)

At the helm are co-creators Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer, who have built up an impressive resume over the past couple of decades: Spitzer created SUPERSTORE and AMERICAN AUTO (and worked on THE OFFICE); Ledgin, who is the official showrunner for ST. DENIS MEDICAL, wrote on SUPERSTORE, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, and RUTHERFORD FALLS, as well as serving as the #2 on AMERICAN AUTO.

Here, Ledgin and Spitzer—who sat down with Give Me My Remote over the summer at TCA—preview their new series, share insight into the long process to get season 1 on the air, and more.

The medical world feels in flux lately—on top of the ongoing pandemic, there are a number of things that could become a big factor for healthcare workers at any given point. How are you handling the real world on this show, especially since there’s such a long lead time in season 1?
Eric Ledgin: I would say from a macro standpoint, one of the things that drew me—and us—to the Emergency Department of the hospital, specifically, is that these are people who work in chaos all the time. Their whole day is chaos. And they have to be the ground enforcers that just do what they’re doing no matter what. And they have to keep doing that. They have to keep their sense of humor, their flexibility, their senses of themselves. And so from a macro standpoint, I would say that whatever happens in the world, they have to keep doing what they’re doing and we have to keep doing what we’re doing.

So the hope is to write a show that is filled enough with joy and authenticity and true-to-life characters that viewers hopefully won’t get hung up on any details that don’t match up with the current reality that we’re living in. 

The other hope is that no other pandemics happen. [Laughs.]

Fingers crossed. With a new comedy ensemble, you can write the characters on the page, but things can always change when you actually figure out your cast and see what their dynamics are. What were your hopes for this ensemble in the development phase and how did that shift as you added actors on?
Ledgin: It is a healthy mix, I would say, of people who came in and knocked out of the park, exactly what we had pictured. I don’t think it’s like oversharing, to say that I think Josh Lawson, who plays Bruce, definitely came in and it was like, “That’s it. You’re doing the thing.” And then there’s someone like Mekki [Leeper], he plays Matt—he had a much, I would say, more interesting and layered take on the character than maybe even was on the page.
Justin Spitzer: Yes.
Ledgin: And it was just like, “Let’s write to that.” So I think, overall, it’s a mix. But I don’t think anybody came in doing anything that was so different that it was like, “Oh no, we need to totally rethink this.”
Spitzer: Wendi [McLendon-Covey, who plays Joyce] is just so warm, and I think she brought a warmth to the character
Ledgin: Probably more likable than what we had written originally for that character, which is probably a good thing, which is so wonderful.
Spitzer: I mean, even in the pilot, she improvised a cheerleading thing when she did a cartwheel and a split. That was not what we thought the character was going to be doing. But if you can do it, great. [Laughs.] It’s so fun.

What has been the biggest surprise in developing these characters so far?
Ledgin: I think you were hitting on it there. Everybody on our cast is a pro and can improvise and has shown something a little bit different. But I think Wendi…she’s someone you can just be like, “Here’s the intention, go.” And she’s gonna give you something interesting and funny.
Spitzer: But, yeah, the Alex-Serena relationship…I don’t know if we felt like they were as close in the writing of it. But from day one of shooting, [Allison Tolman, who plays Alex, and Kahyun Kim, who plays Serena] just [clicked]. It was like, “Oh, have they worked with each other before? They’re [acting] like best friends.”
Ledgin: There was a work-wife element to the pilot, but that doesn’t always mean that they’re gonna bring that on the day. And they had a natural friend chemistry. I think there’s a moment in the pilot where Allison grabs [Kahyun’s] arm. That was just something they did. And it was just like, “Oh yeah. It seems like they’re friends who have been at this for a while.”
Spitzer: And we’ve all grown to love the Bruce-Matt friendship, which starts to feel like cousin Greg and Tom in SUCCESSION. [Laughs.]
Ledgin: You’re right, that came in pretty organically throughout the course of the season.

The show was also ordered during the WGA strike and then held until the 2024-25 season. How did the prolonged break between filming the pilot, being picked up, going into production, and ultimately getting to air impact the show? 
Ledgin: There were benefits and there were big downsides. I would say the biggest benefit is that it gave Justin and I just more time to think about the show. This is my first time running a show, but I would imagine for a lot of people, sometimes it’s like, “You have a show—go!” And you have to just get started and figure it out. And we had a lot more time to just talk and think about it.
Spitzer: After the strike was done. We did not scab during [the strike]. What was nice is the strike finished, but then we were told the writers’ room wouldn’t even be starting for three or four months after that. So that’s a dream to have some time to think about this season and where we wanted to go; not just run into the fire.
Ledgin: Yeah. The downside…obviously, the strike was just a huge downside for a number of reasons. But also, selfishly, it was like we were so excited about moving forward on this thing. And [as we’re doing this interview], we shot the pilot at this point almost a year and a half ago, and it’s still not airing for another few months. I don’t always do well in waiting for something to get going. It feels like we’re making the show in a vacuum. But I think the benefits, at least for me, of doing this for the first time, definitely outweigh that in terms of just having more time to be more thoughtful and put work in trying to make it as good as we can.
Spitzer: It’s also just kind of one of those things: [On] AMERICAN AUTO the world shut down the day before our table read of the pilot. That process was like two years. And then this is not nearly as significant, obviously, as COVID, but…
Ledgin: So you’re the curse, is what you’re saying?
Spitzer: Now I’m realizing…

I actually remember writing about the ST. DENIS MEDICAL pickup in my parked car after covering a WGA picket. I can’t imagine how surreal that timing was for you guys.
Ledgin: That was such an odd, bittersweet moment because you want to go celebrate and cheer and go have dinner with the whole cast and do a celebration, but nobody was in the mood for that. And it felt like, is this even real? Is this going to happen? So it’s an odd trajectory, but super grateful to have the show. And I know the strikes have been way harder for many other people.

You have been working together for a while, in a different capacity. With Eric running this show—compared to Justin running SUPERSTORE and AMERICAN AUTO—how has your working relationship shifted? 
Ledgin: [Joking.] I’m the miserable one now.
Spitzer: Yeah! [Laughs.]
Ledgin: That’s the main thing.
Spitzer: It’s great. I think we work really well together, and we agree on 95 percent of creative decisions.
Ledgin: I think it’s 90 percent, but that’s one of the things [we disagree on].
Spitzer: Oh, spicy! But I never know how true writers’ teams—where they each have equal say—do it, because, in the end, certainly on SUPERSTORE, because you weren’t co-running it, but on AMERICAN AUTO where you were [the] number two, we could disagree, but in the end, it was going to be what I thought. 

And now, likewise: We’re on the same page most of the time. I’m always honest, and if I would go another way, I’ll say it. But Eric makes the final call. And I think that’s good. I think we both are mature enough to know, we see it, and we have the same goal in mind, and we’ll get there. You’re not gonna fight over everything.
Ledgin: This is part of the 95 percent—I agree with all of that. And I would just add that Justin is just truly fantastic in this whole area. He was as a boss [on SUPERSTORE], and [then] on AMERICAN AUTO, bringing me in to help run it. It was just always so collaborative and awesome. And now, even though it’s like a slightly different dynamic for the choices of this show, he’s just incredibly supportive and awesome. I’m sure it’s a shift to be like, “Oh, you’re deciding that? Okay,” it’s never [an issue]. We’re very open, [with] an honest working relationship. And I think that that’s a lot of it.

A lot of things have changed in the industry in even the past few years. What comfort is there in launching a show together, at NBC (where SUPERSTORE AND AMERICAN AUTO ran), telling it with the same mockumentary format, etc.?
Spitzer: I mean, they have been so supportive, truly, of this. I’ve always had a great working relationship [with NBC], but this show—more than ever—they’re so enthusiastic about it. So that’s on that end. 

It’s great if you can find people you like to work with.
Ledgin: It’s huge. I mean, just from top to bottom, it makes it a lot more fun. You’re just making stuff with people you like, which is kind of the dream. But it’s also just having that familiarity and shared language and history from years of working together: A lot of our crew worked on SUPERSTORE, all the way to people from the studio [and] network that [we’ve] been working with for years. So I’m really grateful about that.

SUPERSTORE very clearly had a will they/won’t they established from the pilot; AMERICAN AUTO had that element in play, too. That isn’t as big a factor here. What led to that decision and will it come into play with any characters later?
Ledgin: This was a big, ongoing discussion that we had in the formation of the pilot and just pitching the show and then going forward. And I think it hit a certain point where it felt like forcing it. It felt like we would be forcing it to just inject it into, especially, one of the more central point-of-view characters. And it became [a question of], “Why are we even having the impulse to do this? Is it because it’s a cookie-cutter thing or because it feels right for this show?” And it ultimately didn’t feel right for certain characters on the show. But what we found was this Matt-Serena dynamic, which was a little bit of discovery during the writing of the pilot, I guess.
Spitzer: I don’t remember when we pitched. It was definitely in the pilot,
Ledgin: It worked in the pilot, the dynamic between those two characters, and those two actors worked. So it’s something that we do track throughout the course of season 1, but it doesn’t feel, nor do I think it needs to feel, like it’s the central part of the story.

Kaliko Kauahi, who was a regular on SUPERSTORE (and guest-starred on AMERICAN AUTO), is a part of your ensemble. What has it been like writing for her here, and developing that character knowing what she can bring to a series?  
Ledgin: The crazy thing is just that she was available. Why is every show not trying to hire her?
Spitzer: I know.
Ledgin: She’s so unique, she’s so good. [To Spitzer.] Is there any easier person you’ve ever worked with?  
Spitzer: No, she’s amazing.
Ledgin: And she nails it every time.
Spitzer: And that character wasn’t even that big a part of the pilot. Maybe she was in the pitch a little bit, but I think upon finding out she was available and casting her, we were more excited to explore that.

Her character, Val, is a little bit isolated from much of the ensemble at points. How much are you working her into the larger group as the season progresses?
Ledgin: Yeah, we kind of considered her—given that we’re in the emergency room, but we keep finding times where we want stories that go outside the emergency room, just within the hospital…it seemed helpful to have a floater, a nurse that can go back and forth to different departments. And Val is a very good candidate; she comes in and out of the ER. 

What we found through the course of season 1 is that, talk about interesting pairings, she works well with just about anyone. So it’s just finding those moments, those pairings, that we want to lean into more. Or how does she fit in more with the rest of the group? And I think we’ve been discovering it more and more as we’ve been going. There’s an episode…about office romances, and it starts with a pair of doctors getting caught in the on-call room together. And Val, you get to hear a little bit more about her in that episode. And she has some very fun scenes with Bruce and Alex and Serena; she’s very well incorporated in that episode. And that’s become the guiding light for that character.
Spitzer: What I love is getting to work with an actor you’ve worked with a lot before, but in a very different role. Sandra was very meek and Val is very not. We had [SUPERSTORE’s] Ben [Feldman] guest on AMERICAN AUTO; he was not playing [his SUPERSTORE character] Jonah, he was playing the opposite. These actors all have so much range, so it’s good for them to do something else and just fun for us to re-envision that person.

Are there any plans to bring in any more of your SUPERSTORE or AMERICAN AUTO regulars? [Editor’s note: SUPERSTORE vet Nico Santos was announced as a guest star two months after this interview was conducted.]
Spitzer: We certainly hope so…We’ve talked about some and some we are still trying to figure out. But, I mean, they are such a talented cast, and we love working with them, so there’s a lot of people we’d like to bring in.
Ledgin: And SUPERSTORE ran for long enough, and had a lot of co-stars and guest stars, that even sometimes we’re looking at an actor for something in an audition, and we look at their IMDb, and we’re like, “Oh, they did a SUPERSTORE.” But we’re hoping for it to be a little more deliberate as we go.
Spitzer: We brought in the cannibal from SUPERSTORE.

It’s mentioned in an early season 1 episode that prisoners frequently come into the hospital. Will there be any kind of regular rotation of patients who pop up? 
Ledgin: There’s actually an episode that deals specifically with a frequent flier patient that comes there a lot of times, just to get out of the cold, get a warm bed. And so there’s an episode that deals specifically with that. 

I think, as we go on, there’s a thing in season 1 of just not wanting it to feel too small, worldview[-wise], where you’re bringing in the same people. But that is the reality of a lot of hospitals in small regional areas. So hopefully we’ll find some of our favorites and find ways to bring them back. Especially those two prisoners [in season 1] are so good, I can’t believe we got both of them. They were so funny and great. And there’s a part of me that’s, like, “Maybe one of their cases gets overturned and they get an internship at the hospital.”

Also, there is a legendary character actor named David Paymer coming on, who is [known to] MR. SATURDAY NIGHT and CITY SLICKERS fans.

Two of the big shows NBC is launching this fall are medical shows. I know they come from different studios, but did they talk with you about any cross-promotional opportunities for this and BRILLIANT MINDS?
Ledgin: Not yet.
Spitzer: The tones are probably different, but it’s a very funny question.

It’s kind of like the 30 ROCK/STUDIO 60 situation.
Spitzer: That’s such a funny idea. I’d be up for it.
Ledgin: Since we’re a mockumentary, does that show exist as a show in the world of our show? Maybe? I’d be up for it. I’m a Zachary Quinto fan.
Spitzer: In THE OFFICE, we used to say Michael’s favorite movie would probably be THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN[, which starred Michael’s portrayer Steve Carell]. 

Speaking of that: Justin, are we going to see you reprise your medical role from THE OFFICE in this show?
Spitzer: I keep trying! I keep saying, “Dude, I’ve played this! Cast me!”
Ledgin: You’re in the show! What do you mean?
Spitzer: Oh.
Ledgin: I had a chance to cut that, the episode was long, but you’re still in there!
Spitzer: I’m background in one episode.

Which episode?
Ledgin: It’s an episode about an online celebrity that comes to perform for the kids in the pediatrics ward. But because the premise of the episode is that some of the workers of the hospital end up doing some sort of talents on stage, there’s room for growth in the role.
Spitzer: Blink and you’ll miss it. This is not gonna be—
Ledgin: Ultimately, he brought it on the day. That’s how you stay in the cut.

Eric, did you ask him to do the show, or…?
Spitzer: It was the director. He was just like, for this talent show thing, “We need someone who can juggle up there. Can anyone juggle?” I was like, “I mean, I can juggle like three balls?” And he said, “Just get up there and do it.” So it’s just background.
Ledgin: He’s saying this like it’s a small thing. My seven-year-old was watching it, I was workshopping the cuts for them, and he was just like, “Phoebe’s dad can juggle?!” [Editor’s note: Spitzer’s daughter is named Phoebe.] And so he’s a big deal in my house: “Why isn’t he doing it all the time?”
Spitzer: Multi-hyphenate!
Ledgin: [Laughs.] That’s how you should be introduced: Writer-producer-juggler.

The series got additional episodes late into your production of the original season 1 order. How did you approach adding those in? Or did you view it as the start of a potential second season?
Ledgin: I would say there’s two answers to that. Creatively, we did not look at it as a season 2. And, in fact, one of the things I love about network comedy—and that we’re trying to accomplish with this show—is that there’s some serialization, you’re watching story arcs happen, but there’s also standalone episodes. You don’t need to rethink the wheel if you’re going to move a couple of pieces around, in terms of an air order. 

So these [extra] episodes are actually going to take place [during the season], not at the end. We shot what will be the finale of the season, and these next five are going to place [earlier in] the course of the season. It may even help us set certain things up a little bit better and make us seem smarter than we actually were. 

But from a workflow standpoint, it is actually a way to treat it as a sort of preview for a season 2. Just saying, ”Okay, we did the first 13, and now we have a second to breathe. How do we want to look at what worked and what didn’t about the process and change that up for the last 5?”

To get into the nitty gritty of that, did you set up things in the finale knowing there would be those extra episodes to play with and lead into it more? Or did you do the finale, look back at the first season, and go, “Oh, we didn’t get to do X, let’s explore this?” 
Ledgin: I think it’s more of a latter. We didn’t know we were getting the last five until pretty close towards the end. And it wasn’t like, “Oh no, we screwed ourselves.” It was very much not that. 

But what it did do, for instance, there’s an episode where we introduce Joyce’s boyfriend. We didn’t really have time to then do anything more with him before we got to the finale, even though we would have if we didn’t have to tell that story in the finale. So [we thought,] “Is there another episode where we could bring back that fantastic actor and find something for him?” And so it gave us opportunities for things like that. 

On the reverse side, [we also had,] “Oh, this dynamic that we found towards the end of the season, we can actually set that up a little bit better. And it would kind of be funnier in that way.” So without getting too into the weeds on specifics, it created more opportunities than problems.
Spitzer: But not like on an intricate plotting level; not that level of serialization. I think in season 1 that’s always a hard thing to do because you want [things] to be a little more interchangeable.
Ledgin: Especially in this day and age, you want people to sit down and turn on the show and get it and laugh and not feel like, “Oh, this is funny because two weeks ago this person was rude to this person.” I want people to be able to just enjoy it.

Is there anything else you want to share about season 1?
Ledgin: I just hope that people watch the show and are able to both see themselves—or people they know—in it, while also having a half-hour to not think about their own lives and the world around them, which I think is increasingly needed.
Spitzer: I think it’s a very warm, optimistic show. It’s a show people will come away feeling hopeful about, and not terribly cynical, which I think is nice.
Ledgin: There is a big hope that specifically people who work in healthcare will be able to see themselves a bit or their environments that they work in reflected here. Especially given the last few years, they deserve a laugh. And they deserve more than just our clapping at night for a few months. That’s a really big hope, especially for the people that were generous enough with their time and their stories to talk about their experiences. I want to do right by those people and show them something that makes that feel real to them.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

ST. DENIS MEDICAL, Series Premiere, Tuesday, November 12, 8/7c, NBC

RELATED:

• ST. DENIS MEDICAL: Watch the First 4 Minutes of the New NBC Comedy
• ST. DENIS MEDICAL: NBC Orders Additional Season 1 Episodes
• ST. DENIS MEDICAL on NBC – First Look
• NBC Sets Fall 2024 Schedule
• NBC Orders ST. DENIS MEDICAL

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page or our Instagram.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.