ST. DENIS MEDICAL

ST. DENIS MEDICAL is a witty series streaming on Peacock that follows the day-to-day activities of a hospital. The show is full of awkward and dry humor, panning in on characters to hear their perspectives. It’s entertaining and creative, with a light moral worldview as the staff tries to help patients. However, this is subtle, as humor is the show’s priority.

The first three episodes of season one of ST. DENIS MEDICAL contains some Christian elements, such as forgiveness and mention of the bible, but also features occult elements with mention of astrology, curses, and evil spirits. There is some foul language, nudity, drugs, racism, and smoking. Therefore, MOVIEGUIDE ® recommends caution for older children and sensitive adults.

In episode one, Alex, the nurse, offers a drug addict drug to test to see if he’ll stay clean, which he immediately says he wants. She reprimands him before sending him on his way—scenes of the hospital flash as Alex explains why she became a nurse. One scene shows a nurse rubbing cream on the side of a male patient’s rear end. Another shows a man smoking in the hospital. Then, an elderly man walks naked through the hospital. When Alex tells him his gown is supposed to open to the back, he says, “I didn’t want you to see my tushy.”

Later, Joyce orders a $300,000 mammography machine but changes her mind when the staff is upset that there isn’t money left in the budget to buy new computers. Then, the new nurse, Matt, accidentally stabs himself with an epi-pen meant for a patient. Alex is in a hurry to get home but sees a woman collapse in the hospital parking lot, so he stops to save her life.

In episode two, the doctors talk about organ donation. Matt says it’s gross, and he’s afraid of how it might affect his afterlife experience, but when Serena, whom he likes, speaks positively of it, he decides he wants to be a donor. Meanwhile, Joyce is sad because she learns her marimba teacher has died. Dr. Ron is interested in his younger patient, but she wants to set him up with her grandma. When they meet, he lies about his interests to impress her. When Dr. Bruce tries to help a new patient, the patient says, “Finally, a white explicative doctor.” Later, Joyce plays the marimba in honor of her teacher, whom we learn she had been dating.

In episode three, Matt gives the wrong surgery updates to the wrong families. He walks away and doesn’t correct the mistake. Joyce speaks with a Chaplain who works at the hospital and prays for patients, but Matt realizes much of his biblical advice is off. He discovers the chaplain lied about having his doctorate and fires him, but the hospital rehires him when Joyce forgives him, saying that the chaplain will pay for and attend divinity school.

Dr. Ron also “calls on evil spirits to hex” the hospital to prove they don’t exist after a conversation with some of the nurses. Unlucky events unfold, so everyone grows angry with him. One nurse brings crystals for “protection.” Meanwhile, one patient has a giant cross brought in to pray with before surgery.