Parents' Guide to St. Denis Medical

With a premise custom-made for dramedy, this comedy also has heritage: co-creators Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin worked writers' rooms from The Office to Superstore, so they're single-camera-savvy. Perhaps that's why St. Denis Medical feels lived-in, as if you've met these characters and encountered these situations before. On one hand, that makes it easy to settle in with this gentle comedy staffed by crack comic actors who care about their jobs. On the other hand, no one could accuse St. Denis Medical of being fresh or innovative. That said, St. Denis still goes down easy, a throwback to an era when whole-family-friendly comedies were the norm, not an exception. There's no death, there's no gore, there are no anti-heroes or betrayals or cliff-hangers. Instead, the staff of St. Denis struggles gamely with their scarce resources, tries to do the best by its patients, and never misses a moment to hang around the nurse's station joshing with each other.

Unlike other hospital shows, this is not one in which hero doctors save the day at the last possible moment; instead, we spend our time with overworked nurses and hospital staff who do their best to give the care their patients deserve, while dealing with relatable personal crises. As overly burdened charge nurse Alex, Allison Tolman is wonderful, by turns long-suffering and ready to take charge. As Alex's officious boss, Wendi McLendon-Covey is a great foil, puncturing Alex's illusions at a furious rate. David Alan Grier's veteran doc Ron is the final leg in a solid comedy triumvirate, holding down his patients' needs in the most world-weary of ways. No, St. Denis Medical isn't innovative, fresh, or challenging, but it's as comfortable as hospital-grip socks, and just as easy to slip into.