St. Denis Medical: The Mockumentary With a Pulse
If you haven’t checked into St. Denis Medical yet, you’re missing one of TV’s most chaotic workplaces — think mockumentary energy with hospital-level stakes. Even more impressive, the series is growing in live 18–49 ratings at a time when most viewers are watching on delay.
Led by Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier, the show blends sharp, fast-paced comedy with a surprisingly heartfelt look at life inside an underfunded Oregon hospital. It’s snarky without being cynical, and NBC clearly sees it as a long-term pillar — especially since it’s thriving without the usual NFL lead-in boost.
Happy’s Place: Reba Still Rules Fridays
Meanwhile, Happy’s Place continues to prove that you should never bet against Reba McEntire. The multi-cam sitcom has become a dependable Friday-night comfort watch, following Reba’s tavern owner as she navigates family surprises and barroom chaos.
Episodes like “The Name Game” have delivered noticeable ratings bumps, showing there’s still a strong audience for classic, feel-good sitcom storytelling — especially when led by a fan-favorite star. With a third season secured, NBC is clearly not ready to close the tab on this bar.
What It Means for Viewers
New episodes of Happy’s Place return February 27, with St. Denis Medical back on March 2 — and now fans can watch knowing these aren’t short “burn-off” runs. They’re core pieces of NBC’s comedy strategy.
The network is leaning hard into the comfort-TV era, pairing St. Denis’s sharp observational humor with the cozy reliability of Happy’s Place to keep both traditional viewers and Peacock subscribers engaged. For comedy fans, it’s a rare win across the board.