Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for St. Denis Medical episode 9, “You Got to Have a Plan.”
The hospital setting ofSt. Denis Medicalallows the show to approach darker themes with humor and grace, unlike some of its sitcom competitors.St. Denis Medical’s cast of charactersare just as funny as any sitcom lineup on television, but the show’s setting provides the series with a few unique tonal challenges. While earlier workplace sitcoms likeThe Office,Parks and Recreation, andSuperstoretook place in fairly ordinary workplaces,St. Denis Medicalis set in the hectic world of the titular hospital.
Theseason 2 renewal ofSt. Denis Medicalproves that the series is a hit, as do its solid ratings and its critical success. However, this doesn’t mean that the sitcom is playing things safe. Like the similarly acclaimedAbbott Elementary,St. Denis Medicaltook a big creative risk by utilizing the once-popular mockumentary format. This style was embraced throughout the 2000s and 2010s by shows likeThe OfficeandModern Family, but fell out of favor in the mid-2010s thanks to flops likeThe Comedians,the muppets., andZach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous.
St. Denis Medical Episode 9 Brilliantly Uses The Concept Of Death To Fit Its Comedy
The Sub-genre Is Uniquely Well Suited To The Morbid Theme
The risky creative choices ofSt. Denis Medicaldon’t end with the show’s mockumentary style.St. Denis Medical’s status as a medical showis another brave choice, as this means the topics of death and disease are always close to the surface. It isn’t hard for comedy shows to mock these serious topics, but it is tough for any show to approach jokes about death with tact, grace, and good taste. Fortunately, the setting ofSt. Denis Medicalmakes the topic of death easier to address, as evidenced by the events of episode 9, “You Got to Have a Plan.”
This episode proves that the hospital setting ofSt. Denis Medicalmakes joking about death and dying easier for the series.
Most of the gags in “You Got to Have a Plan” mock death and mortality in one way or another. Whether it is Ron and Alex arguing over who gets stuck with the thankless job of being Joyce’s executor, Bruce’s overblown, obsessive fear of mortality, or a bickering family at a deathbed, this episode proves that the hospital setting ofSt. Denis Medicalmakes joking about death and dying easier for the series. As the elderly patient’s poignant death proves, the sitcom doesn’t disrespect these heavy themes by touching on their lighter side.
St. Denis Medical Episode 9 Proves It Can Make Dark Topics Funny
Earlier Medical Sitcoms Like MASH and Scrubs Blended Comedy and Tragedy
Naturally, it is pretty impossible to avoid pathos in a hospital setting.St. Denis Medical’s hospital setting gives the sitcom an edge over its competitorsas the workplace comedy’s moments of sadness feel earned, rather than maudlin attempts at cheap drama.St. Denis Medical’s mockumentary styleowes a creative debt to earlier ensemble workplace comedies likeAbbot ElementaryandThe Office. However, its jokes about death to belong to another, older tradition.
Classic shows likeMASHand later, more experimental workplace comedies likeScrubsused their hospital settings to make life-or-death stakes commonplace within these otherwise fun sitcoms. Both shows frequently featured character deaths, but this never stopped them from feeling like fun, zany shows populated by colorful characters.St. Denis Medicalkeeps this tradition alive, as evidenced by episodes like “You Got to Have a Plan.”
