‘St. Denis Medical’ Creator Breaks Down That Season 2 Premiere Confrontation and Welcoming Ariana Madix
Note: This story contains spoilers from “St. Denis Medical” Season 2, Episodes 1-2.
“St. Denis Medical” scrubbed back in for more hospital laughs with its Season 2 premiere, including a serious heart-to-heart between two core characters.
Episode 1, titled “Aloha, Everyone,” caught up with the doctors and nurses at the titular Oregon hospital following some time away, as Alex (Allison Tolman) returned from vacation. Serena (Kahyun Kim) learned that Matt (Mekki Leeper) had requested to be assigned a different shift from her — a reveal that left her peeved.
After finding out about his crush on her in the Season 1 finale, it didn’t take long for Serena to confront Matt about his decision. Matt shared that he had asked Alex to assign him to other shifts so that the distance would help him get over his feelings for the fellow nurse. Serena understood where he was coming from and the pair moved forward with their friendship — even if Serena now also has conflicting feelings.
“When you hear that someone is over you, something feels wrong about that. No one likes to be told ‘I’m over you,’ even if you didn’t want the person to have a crush on you in the first place,” series creator Eric Ledgin told TheWrap. “What you’ll see in the coming episodes is the two of them looking at each other in a slightly different light. Knowing what they know now has changed things, but it hasn’t necessarily made things disappear. We’ll certainly be tracking that storyline throughout the season.”
The premiere also caught up with Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) as she oversees the renovation of St. Denis’ new maternity wing — which she kicked off after securing a huge charitable donation. Ledgin teased that the road to materializing Joyce’s dream will be hilariously difficult, but failure is not on the table.
The second episode also brought some seriousness to the hospital, after Dr. Bruce (Josh Lawson) arrived to work with a swollen eye, which Alex assumed meant he had been targeted by a disgruntled patient. After calling the local press to do a story and highlight the nationwide issue of growing violence against medical professionals, Bruce finally reveals he was actually attacked by a goose on his way to work — leaving the doctors feeling more than a little embarrassed.
“One of our writers, Hunter Toro, did a disclaimer that people often do like ‘OK, this might be really stupid … but what if it was a goose?’” Ledgin recalled. “That was one of those laughs that we all fell in love with.”
“St. Denis Medical” will also welcome some big names in entertainment during Season 2 as guest stars, including NBA star Draymond Green, Olympic legend Adam Rippon and “Love Island USA” host Ariana Madix.
Ledgin admitted he was nervous to welcome non-actors like Green into the ensemble, praising his comedic timing in an upcoming episode. Madix, who also starred on “Chicago” on Broadway along with her star-making appearing on “Vanderpump Rules,” will make her guest star debut in the first half of Season 2.
“Ariana’s just a pro. She is an actor who happens to also be successful as a host,” Ledgin said. “She’s fantastic and she’s coming back for a couple more this season past that first one. I might not be allowed to tell you that, but I just did.”
“St. Denis Medical” airs Mondays on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
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