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St. Denis Medical Star Wendi McLendon-Covey Loves Her "Damaged" Admin Character
After playing a TV mom for 10 seasons on The Goldbergs, Wendi McLendon-Covey loves playing a prickly hospital admin on St. Denis Medical.
If you look at comedian Wendi McLendon-Covey's character resume, there's no pigeon-holing to be found. Over her two-decades-long career in film and television, she's played a truly impressive spectrum of women: from sexed-up Deputy Clementine Johnson on Reno 911! to wholesome suburban helicopter mom Beverly Goldberg on The Goldbergs.
Now on NBC's mockumentary sitcom St. Denis Medical, which shines a comedic light on the nurses and staff at the fictionalized hospital, McLendon-Covey is serving up her very best soul-crushed hospital admin, Joyce. As the trained oncologist-turned-hospital number cruncher at St. Denis Hospital, Joyce has big dreams tempered by pragmatic expectations, which the comedian finds darkly hilarious.
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"She [shifts] into being an administrator, maybe thinking she could change things from the inside. But she's not going to be able to do that. Nobody can. That's a huge undertaking," McLendon-Covey said of Joyce's reality during a recent St. Denis Medical set visit. "But she's there now, and she's looked back on her life and said, 'Oh, wow...30 years. What do I do now?'"
NBC Insider further asked the comedian why Joyce appealed to her so much after so many other iconic characters, and why Joyce's brand of mania is so meaty to play.
Wendi McLendon-Covey was "blubbering at home" before St. Denis Medical came along
Coming off a long-running sitcom can be tough to navigate, especially when audiences really connect with a character. For McLendon-Covey, her hilarious turn as the ultimate clingy '80s mom, Beverly Goldberg in The Goldbergs, was a role she loved but didn't want to repeat once the series finale aired.
"I've been very blessed," McLendon-Covey said of the diversity of characters she's played. "Things have come my way that are diverse and interesting, and I'm not playing the same thing over and over. And I just knew I didn't want to play another mother right away."
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Luckily, the comedian said the pilot script for St. Denis Medical landed on her desk right when she needed it.
"I got this script the same day that The Goldbergs was canceled," she revealed. "I was blubbering at home and checked my messages, and said, 'Oh, here's a script.' So, that was nice for my mental health, but I wasn't sure I was going to do it right at first."
McLendon-Covey said she immediately found Joyce to be funny and interesting, even though she wasn't the main star of the show.
"I cared that she's damaged enough for me to want to play. I like playing the people that aren't necessarily likable but I understood her," she clarified. "I thought I could turn [her] into something if they'll let me."
Wendi McLendon-Covey's character on St. Denis Medical is trapped
For Joyce, McLendon-Covey leaned into the trapped nature of this highly educated woman who is now stuck in a career without much to show for it.
"In a profession like oncology, which is what she was [doing], that takes so much school," she emphasized. "So much of your life is dedicated to these 16-hour days and you can't back out. I'm sure there are people who have experienced such burnout that they've quit, but can [everyone] do that? You're still paying off your student loan, and you find out, 'Oh, wait, this is drudgery. I hate this, but I can't go back now. I'm in it. I'm doing it.'"
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With Joyce, McLendon-Covey gets to play out the relatable, equally funny and tragic scenario of someone who picked the wrong career, and now they're left scrambling to do their best.
"I think a lot of people don't love what they do anymore, and they're just counting the days 'til retirement. But you can't do that, [because] you're running a life-and-death operation. That there's a balancing act — that does make her not [always] a fun lady," she said, laughing.
The new comedy premieres on Tuesday, November 12, at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC, with two back-to-back episodes. It will then continue in its regular Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. timeslot.
You can also catch new episodes of St. Denis Medical streaming the day after they premiere only on Peacock.
