Kaliko Kauahi Talks St. Denis Medical Season 1 [Interview]

NBC workplace sitcom St. Denis Medical is still in its inaugural season and has already earned its ranking as one of the most iconic medical shows on TV. While it isn’t quite a drama like Grey’s Anatomy, the mockumentary style gets tons of laughs like Scrubs.  

Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer created the series, which is set in an underfunded Oregon hospital. St. Denis Medical Season 1 follows the lives of doctors and nurses struggling to work under the pressure of tight funds and eccentric patients. 

I recently spoke with Kaliko Kauahi, who previously starred in Superstore and Raven’s Home, about her new role as Val on St. Denis Medical.

Having worked with Ledgin and Spitzer before, Kauahi was very excited to take on the role of Val: a no-nonsense nurse administrator who has been at the hospital for a long time.

She was thrilled “to play a character so different from a previous character that [she] had played with them.”

The actress played Sandra, a shy and quirky sales associate with a notorious dark side, on Superstore for six seasons. Val is more straightforward and confident, earning respect from her coworkers in a way that would intimidate Sandra.

When it comes to Val, Kauahi said, “I do relate to her. She’s sort of a truth-teller. She is the anchor sometimes in a really crazy environment with zany characters, and I love that about her.” 

St. Denis Medical is a show that relies heavily on the ensemble cast and supporting characters. The dynamic between characters is unique and often leads to hilarious antics throughout each episode. 

“Honestly, everyone on this show is so great,” Kauahi shared. “I’ve had a lot of scenes with Josh Lawson, who plays Bruce.” St. Denis Medical recently explored an interesting dynamic between the two when Bruce tried to get Val to disclose her nonexistent sexual feelings for him on a workplace form.

With the show’s workplace setting ripe with potential pairings, Kauahi hopes to get more opportunities to pair Val with other characters as well. 

“I’d love to see a little more with Wendi [McLendon-Covey] because she’s just the best, and she’s so great at what she does,” Kauahi said. “Also, Allison [Tolman]. We’ve touched on the fact that they’ve obviously known each other a while, but I think there’s more to discover there.” 

In addition to its endearing characters, St. Denis Medical has many memorable, funny beats throughout its first season.

For instance, at one point, Val was required to get an enormous cross into the hospital for a patient who refused to undergo surgery without it.

“I read that I had to carry a big cross through an episode. But when you see this enormous cross in real life, even though it wasn’t real wood, just the idea of having to play that for an entire episode was one that I’ll remember for sure.”

Another one of Kauahi’s favorite episodes is St. Denis Medical Season 1 Episode 4, “Salamat You Too,” which features guest star and fellow Superstore alumni Nico Santos.

“You get to see the Filipino nurses because that’s a reality! You don’t go to a hospital and not see a whole group of Filipino nurses,” she said. “So that peek into that world and that culture, I hope people enjoyed it. We loved doing it.” 

Even though St. Denis Medical is a comedy, it also has plenty of genuine, human moments. 

“I think if you play to the truth of any story, any scene, or any character, the funny will reveal itself,” Kauahi said. “[The characters] love what they do and that they’re trying to be helpful, but this is their nine to five.” 

A lot of that authenticity stems from the characters’ work at the hospital. “Working in an ER and being in this environment, even though it’s on a television show, there’s a lot of high stakes.”

While the show has experts who consult on the experiences of working in healthcare, Kauahi prepared for her role by talking with family and friends in the healthcare industry. 

“That’s really sort of how I dove into it, by asking them about what it’s like,” Kauahi explained. “But mostly [I asked] about the relationships that they have with each other… because I feel like that’s really what we’re showing in our show.” 

Before Season 1 of St. Denis Medical finished airing, NBC announced it had renewed the show for Season 2. 

“The first season is a lot of discovering each others’ [characters] and your own character,” Kauahi said. With the confirmation of Season 2, she expressed enthusiasm about what future episodes have in store for Val: “I think we can get to know her more on a personal note and peel back the onion on what she’s like as a person.”

As for the rest of Season 1, Kauahi teased that the finale will “be a really fun one.” 

“It’s a big episode,” Kauahi confirmed. “Lots of fun guests come through. You gotta tune in.”

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St. Denis Medical airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

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