How St. Denis Medical Brings Authenticity to Diverse Stories
Happy AANHPI Heritage Month!
St. Denis Medical has been cracking up audiences ever since its premiere thanks to its signature combination of wacky hospital antics and heartfelt character moments. And those include storylines that touch on the many rich cultures represented in the cast. One episode in particular centered on Filipino-American nurses speaking to each other in Tagalog, prompting speculation that they were gossiping about their coworkers, a situation not uncommon in real workplaces around the country.
"The authenticity comes from the writers room," says Kaliko Kauahi, who plays nurse Val Kauahi, who is Hawaiian. Kauahi may be familiar to NBC viewers from her role as the deadpan sales associate Sandra on Superstore, another sitcom that featured a diverse array of characters. "Any idea will have to be looked at from different points of view," she explains, which leads to comedy that's both specific and relatable. You don't need to speak another language to understand the feeling of being misunderstood.
Kahyun Kim, who plays nurse Serena, is originally from South Korea and trained at Juilliard. While talking about St. Denis' cultural specificity and authenticity, she said, "It's really nice to bring that part of myself because it's not entirely just who I am, but it's also a part of who I am."
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St. Denis Medical comes back for Season 2 soon
The series will return to NBC in the fall. NBC Insider spoke to the cast about where they hope their characters go next season, and they all had promising ideas. Mekki Leeper wants to explore nurse Matt's crush on Serena. “The Matt and Serena of it all is a little secretive to talk about, so who knows? But I can tell you this, Matt is learning stuff, man,” said Leeper. “In Season 2, he is gonna know how to do, I don’t know three things, maybe four. I look forward to it.”
Kauahi added, “I hope Val gets to continue delivering sass and keeping it super real in the ER.” She previously said, "It's just been interesting to see how she relates to all the other people in the family. She really is a pro and has been around a long time. She respects anybody who does their job well."
RELATED: St. Denis Medical's Kaliko Kauahi Loves Her Enigmatic Character Nurse Val
St. Denis Medical Season 1 episodes are available on Peacock.
