Co-created by Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer, St. John's Medical Clinic is taking a brief hiatus after airing its holiday episode, “Ho-Ho-Hollo.” The series will return with Season 1, Episode 7 on Tuesday, January 14 at 8pm ET. The NBC medical sitcom follows “an eclectic team of underfunded but dedicated doctors, nurses and hospital staff who want nothing more than to transform the hospital into an international medical destination.” However, not everyone in the series shares the same approach to care.
Among the group is Bruce, a talented trauma surgeon whose lack of conscience often makes him appear stern. Josh Lawson (Superstore)who plays the character, admits that his attitude puts him at risk of being very bad. It was important for the actor to make it clear that Bruce never intends to hurt others, as his actions come from a place of ignorance rather than cruelty. In addition to Lawson, the show stars David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman, Kaliko Kauahi, Mekki Leeper, Kahyun Kim and Wendi McLendon-Covey.
TelaRant interviews Lawson about the NutRageous Bars joke, Bruce's comedic relationship with Ron, and making sure his character doesn't go too far St. John's Medical Clinic.
Lawson hopes NutRageous bars become a running joke in St. Louis.
“I think NutRageous bars might be your ultimate obsession.”
ScreenRant: Will Bruce ever give Ron all the NutRageous bars he collected? Maybe as a birthday present?
Josh Lawson: No, no. If there's one thing we know about Bruce, it's that he easily becomes hyperfixated on anything, and I think NutRageous bars might be his ultimate obsession. I would suggest to the writers, if we are lucky enough to have additional seasons, to continue this story until the bitter end. I think this NutRageous thing goes on forever.
I love their relationship because I feel like Bruce has a lot of fun with Ron. Have you thought of any other scenarios where you'd like to see the two end up?
Josh Lawson: Oh yeah. I mean, the possibilities are really endless. I think what's great is that David, like Ron, is so beleaguered by Bruce's antics. There is so much going on in the hospital, but I often imagine them in social settings if that happens. I wonder if there's an employee pickleball tournament or something [laughs]. I would love to see Bruce and Ron out of the hospital. I can only imagine that shenanigans would ensue.
Lawson wants to make sure his St. Denis doctor character never intentionally hurts people
“He takes that risk and it’s something we talk about a lot.”
Bruce does all these ridiculous things but still saves lives. Do you think any of your quirks actually make you a better surgeon?
Josh Lawson: Yes. That's a great way to think about it. Actually, maybe his lack of, I mean, empathy for other people, but maybe the ultra self-love that he has. It's possible that this desensitizes you to the emotional side of dealing with patients, which is probably a very helpful thing when you're a surgeon.
It should probably be emotionless when you're saving lives. You just get straight to the point and remember the training and the leg bones connected to the knee bone. That was as far as I got in my medical training. But yeah, that's an interesting thing to consider, and I'd love to explore more about how his lack of conscience, or at least his self-love, enhances his skill as a trauma surgeon.
Speaking of which, this character definitely has the potential to be a bad person, but then you see these glimpses of depth. Do you think his heart is in the right place? How are you seeing Bruce?
Josh Lawson: Look, there were definitely times where I felt like we came very close to the edge of Bruce being evil. I don't think he's bad. And so sometimes we've talked to the writers saying, “I just don't want it to seem like Bruce is deliberately evil.” I think he doesn't have a lot of conscience and a lot of what he does can hurt people, but I don't think it should be his intention to hurt people.
I think he would be shocked to know that people don't like it. This probably gives you a little more freedom so that your intention is not to hurt. In fact, it's just some sort of illusion he has that everyone is thinking about him all the time. It's a really important thing to think about every episode, because you're right. He takes that risk and it's something we talk about a lot.
More from NBC's St. Denis Medical
Created by Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer
Dedicated nurse Alex has just been promoted to nurse supervisor in the emergency department at St. Denis Medical Center in Oregon. She works alongside an eclectic team of underfunded but dedicated doctors, nurses, and hospital staff, including her boss, Joyce, who wants nothing more than to transform the hospital into an international medical destination, and Dr. . Everyone is doing their best not to lose patience in a hospital packed with patients – while taking care of everyone who comes through the door, including each other.
Check out our others St. John's Medical Clinic interviews here:
St. John's Medical Clinic returns to NBC Tuesday, January 14 at 8pm ET.