The Thousandth St. Denis Medical Ad On Peacock Finally Wore Me Down So I Begrudgingly Watched It

As someone who relies heavily on her Peacock subscription to watch The Office whenever the mood strikes (which is often), I admit that it takes some effort and the right mood for me to stray to some of the other content on the streaming platform. Sure, I'll do a Parks and Recreation binge from time to time, or check in with some of the other shows I love from years past, and as an Office fan, I obviously had to watch The Paper, but starting a totally original series? That takes willpower and a willingness to exit my comfiest comfort zone (which is the sights and sounds of Dunder Mifflin Scranton). Well, Peacock's seemingly endless ads for St. Denis Medical finally got me to take the leap to a new comedy.

After seeing what felt like thousands of clever snippets or Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer's medical comedy in the ads between or during episodes of The Office, I finally caved and watched it. And ok, fine, I love it.

What St. Denis Medical is About

Like The Office, St. Denis Medical is a workplace comedy, except instead of selling paper, these characters are saving lives amidst the challenges, frustrations and occasional chaos of the healthcare system. Sure, St. Denis Medical isn't the first ever medical comedy series, but it certainly does the subgenre justice, and as an Office fan, not only do I appreciate the humor, but I'm also extremely at ease with the mockumentary-style of filming. Given that one of the co-creators of the series (Justin Spitzer) wrote for The Office, before going on to create Superstore (another hilarious workplace comedy), I should’ve known St. Denis Medical would be my cup of tea.

The Cast Is Fantastic

St. Denis Medical's cast is a mix of familiar faces, including Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids, also shoutout Concierge Marie!), Allison Tolman (Fargo), Josh Lawson (House of Lies), Mekki Leeper (House of Lies), and Kaliko Kauahi (Superstore). And David Alan Grier plays Ron, the cranky, Nutrageous-loving physician who's occasionally at odds with Lawson's Bruce. Much like any great workplace comedy, the characters are pretty mismatched around each other, but that's part of what I love about it. While McLendon-Covey's Joyce is being cringy, for example, Tolman's Alex excels at cringing.

It’s Honestly Laugh-Out-Loud Funny, And Its Charm Is Really Growing On Me

I think it was Episode 4 of Season 1 ("Salamat You Too") that really hooked me, as that one had me laughing out loud more than once. And I'm more of a grunt or chuckle kind of TV viewer when it comes to watching comedies. I almost have to be surprised at how funny something is to really let out a laugh, so the fact that this episode got that out of me more than once really stuck out to me.

This is definitely a show where the more you get to know the characters, the funnier the jokes get, especially if you like a bit of dark humor (I mean, it's a comedy set in a hospital). And I think Episode 4 is where it really finds its groove in that respect. What's more, now that I'm more than halfway through Season 1, I'm starting to appreciate the charm of the characters, particularly in the dynamic they have with each other.

Listen, I'm sure that there are only so many times a person can watch The Office from start to finish. And while I don't think I've come anywhere near whatever that amount is, I do recognize the importance of adopting new comedies to add to the mix, especially when it's a newer comedy and still airing new episodes (Season 2 is currently underway on NBC and streaming on Peacock, and according to the 2026 TV schedule, will resume airing new episodes next year).

Plus, we’re still waiting for Season 2 of The Paper, and Season 9 of The Office Superfan episodes to come to Peacock – the Season 8 Superfan episodes came out in 2024, and there’s no word yet on when Season 9 will arrive – so I’m happy to find new characters to love and new jokes to laugh at in other shows while we wait. Did it feel like Peacock was inundating me with ads for St. Denis Medical? Sure. But what they were advertising did turn out to be as funny or funnier than the ads themselves, so I'm not complaining.