McLendon-Covey, Grier, Tolman enjoying flawed 'St. Denis' roles

Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier and Allison Tollman said their characters' flaws on St. Denis Medical, premiering Tuesday at 8 p.m EST on NBC, are fun to portray.

In the medical comedy, Tolman plays nurse Alex, Grier, doctor Ron and McLendon-Covey, administrator Joyce.

"Flawed, damaged, those are the best [characters]," Grier told UPI in an interview in Los Angeles. "Who wants to be [expletive] perfect?"

St. Denis Medical is explicit about the challenges that face health care providers under the modern medical system. Joyce must make difficult financial decisions, and in one episode has to return expensive medical equipment.

"Trying to right a wrong is ripe for comedy," McLendon-Covey said. "That's all she does all day long is try to push this hospital uphill."

The show and its characters are also sensitive to patients coming in and needing care. The jokes are not at the patients' expense, but helping them can be a farcical struggle.

"That's what makes things funny: People getting frustrated, people not understanding each other," McLendon-Covey said. "You want your medical professionals to be perfect at all times, but that is unrealistic."

Alex overextends herself by trying to save everyone, from her patients to her colleagues. Ron tries to tell her not to stay past her shift, but Alex can't help it when she sees someone in need.

"My mother wants to save everybody and she's a lot like Alex," Tolman said. "I don't think I've told her because she'll be like, 'What does that mean? I thought you said that character was high strung?'"

Tolman clarified that Alex is like her mother "in the best ways."

Ron has grown a bit more cynical than Alex in his years on the job. Grier said Ron still relishes helping people, but he shows it less because health insurance claims, spread-thin staff and general miscommunication make it even more challenging.

"I think that is our drug," Grier said of the doctor and nurse characters. "You really don't know what's coming through. We love when we're all pushing the patient through yelling and screaming things."

McLendon-Covey comes to St. Denis Medical after 10 seasons on The Goldbergs. On the family comedy, she played nurturing mother Beverly Goldberg, based on creator Adam F. Goldberg's real mother.

Joyce is a drastic change of pace, a businesswoman who can't nurture despite running a hospital.

"She's just as professional as they come and work is her life," McLendon Covey said. "Although she tries to put a nice sheen on anything, she's miserable and she's barely hanging on to her sanity by her fingernails but that's a fun person to play, I'm sorry."

Joyce also boasts McLendon-Covey's real hair. She wore a wig for Beverly Goldberg's '80s hair.

"My character is very no nonsense," she said. "She wears her hair up all the time in a nice helmeted coif."

All of the characters in St. Denis use humor to cope with the hardships hospitals face. Likewise, all three actors said they can relate to using humor to cope with difficult situations.

"Self-deprecating humor is my favorite kind," Tolman said. "That's why you want to make a comedy about something hard like the healthcare system is, because that is how we cope with hard things. That is how we find common ground."

Grier agreed and added that St. Denis Medical highlights the insecurities of the characters more than idealized medical dramas like E/R.

"We're all broken teacups, all of our characters," Grier said. "There's no George Clooney on our show."

The medical comedy does require accuracy in its depictions of hospital procedures. Medical advisers taught the cast basic procedures.

"I know how to draw blood," Tolman said. "I know how to hook up an IV."

Grier received compliments on his suturing. He admitted he practiced with yarn.

"What I was picturing is how my grandmother taught me to darn," Grier said.