David Alan Grier knows “St. Denis Medical” isn’t “The Pitt.”
Sure, the NBC mockumentary show (Mondays, 8 p.m. ET/PT) takes place in a hectic emergency room with a backlog of injured, ailing and angry patients, but unlike the Noah Wyle
-led HBO series, “St. Denis Medical” invites laughter on the medical floor. (The Season 3 opener, titled “He Ain’t Noah Wyle,” even makes a friendly jab at the medical drama.)“The feedback we've gotten from a lot of healthcare workers is celebrating that part,” Grier, 70, tells USA TODAY. “They hold your life in their hands a lot of times, but they're still dads and moms, and somebody's breaking up, somebody has a crush. So, they're human beings going for that comedy at the same time.”
In Grier’s decades-long career,
he’s commanded side-splitting impersonations from a flamboyant commentator “In Living Color”to the cowardly lion in “The Wiz Live!” He’s played boisterous preachers at least three times – in shows like “Martin” and films like “The Color Purple” and “They Cloned Tyrone." Even as the cynical veteran doctor in “St. Denis Medical, Grier nails satirical one-liners.
In Season 3, Grier's Ron returns to the hospital after having heart surgery. The premiere episode also held additional significance for Grier: he got to reunite with his "In Living Color" costar Damon Wayans, who guest starred as stand-in Dr. Highland.
In an interview with USA TODAY, Grier talks about reuniting with Wayans, turning down a "Saturday Night Live" gig and brainstorming "In Living Color's" predominantly Black writers' rooms.
Question: What was it like working alongside Damon Wayans in the St. Denis Medical" Season 3 premiere? How did this come to fruition?
David Alan Grier: Eric Legend, he's the showrunner, he calls me, he says, "Look, we have a couple ideas." He was picking my brain to be like, “Would you work with Damon?” I was like, “No. The last time I saw him, he slapped me. We hate each other.” No, no. I was like, “Yeah, man, that would be great.” It was just funny that he was being delicate, like, “Are you guys cool?” It's like, “Yeah, the band broke up, but we still do solo albums together.” I hadn't seen Damon in a while, and we reunited on screen and started hanging out and talking and everything. So it's been a double pleasure.
When we think about “In Living Color” and sketch comedy, what are some things that you miss about being in an all-Black writers' room?
On "St. Denis," there is a Black female writer. That's just one person. There's an Asian person here; a Hispanic person there. When you have a whole Black room, it's totally different. It's funny you bring that up because I remember [the "In Living Color" creator] Keenen [Ivory Wayans] would tell us, "You better enjoy this," because it's not always going to be like this, and he was right, so I miss that. It's a different understanding. There's so much that you can communicate without talking about it … But on the other hand, I've never had a situation on "St. Denis" where I've had to call the showrunner and say, "Look here, man, you can't be talking about this," which is also a joy.
You hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 1995 and 1997. How do you feel about the long-running sketch comedy show today?
I haven't watched "SNL" that much. They're in a state of transition. A lot of the people I really liked are leaving, and you got a whole new crop in. So it's going to take me a moment. I would always love to host it again. At one point, they actually asked me to join the cast, but it was after “In Living Color,” so I felt like, "Man, I just left the R&B band, now you gonna put me back in another R&B band?" So I was exhausted at that point. I wanted to do a show like the Black "Seinfeld." Me and my Black friends doing Black stuff, and that's what I was trying to develop. I really was moving beyond "In Living Color.” But I've always loved "Saturday Night Live," and I hope they continue to thrive.
Can you see an “In Living Color” reboot happening today?
No, because the world has changed. There was no social media. Think about this: when “Living Color” was on the air, you could send a fax. I don't know if you've tried to send a fax lately. We thought that was state of the art, but it was like, “Wait, wait! It's still coming in.” Now, social media is like, "I hate you. Goodbye." Boom! The whole world sees it. You could send a fax. You could write a letter, or you could call the network. I just feel like the goalposts have moved, people's sensitivity. We barely got away with it when we did it.
You play Ron on "St. Denis Medical." In what ways, do you identify with your character?
Ron is a broken man. He goes home to an empty apartment. He don't have no romance, no nothing, no garden. If he had a garden, all the plants are drooping and dead. Ron needs to go to a strip club. He needs to do something. Go to the Super Bowl. Get out. He is a blerd; a Black nerd. But I know people like that. I hope I'm not like that.
You play him well.
Want to know the best part of the show is?
Tell me.
It is 13 minutes from my front door to the lot. And I still manage to be late! But let me tell you something: My daughter is in college; it's her first year. When they came to me three seasons ago, three years ago, I remember I came home, and I put it out there. I met with my team, my manager, my agent. I [said I] want a show that's in town because I want to be close to my daughter in her last year of high school. I want an intelligent, well-written show, and I want something funny. And a day later, I got the script. Sometimes you just got to put it out there.
The interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'St. Denis Medical' star on standing apart from 'The Pitt,' Damon Wayans reunion
