Superstore reunion is great, but threatens St. Denis' success

St. John's Medical Clinic was a huge hit for NBC, but its overlap with the beloved sitcom Superstore could prematurely retard its growth. Both series were created by Justin Spitzer (with Eric Ledgin co-creating the modern NBC sitcom). But while St. John's Medical ClinicThe cast of characters is talented, some names are familiar to the point of being a double-edged sword. Having multiple recognizable actors for a single role on a different show is risky for the mockumentary about the medical workplace that's still trying to differentiate itself from its contemporaries.

Basically, the small connection makes NBC's newest comedy a compelling show for Superstore fans, but it almost guarantees that St. John's Medical Clinic will never be more than one Superstore replacement. In this sense, the medical comedy will always live in the shadow of its predecessor. As there is not yet a confirmed order for St. John's Medical Clinic season 2, the rest of the pilot season will be instrumental in proving that St. John's Medical Clinic can you hold on no returns for Spitzer's creative debut.

Superstore meetings make it difficult for St. Denis Medical to establish its identity

It's hard to separate the actors from their superstore roles

From a main cast mainstay to a recently highlighted guest star St. John's Medical Clinic did not shy away from using Superstore former students. Some have more defined characters, like Josh Lawson as Bruce St. John's Medical ClinicHe is an arrogant but capable doctor. Val de Kaliko Kauahi is very far from her Superstore character, but that doesn't stop hordes of casual viewers from calling her “Sandra” anyway. Nico Santos played Mateo, one of the most iconic characters in Superstorewhich seemed to completely overshadow his appearance as René in St. John's Medical Cliniceven three years later Superstoreend of the series.

In addition to diminishing the work of these actors, inadvertently ignoring their new roles, an unfair comparison between St. John's Medical Clinic and Superstore takes the wind out of NBC's sails before the ship fully hits the water. Comparing a new show to a full series is incredibly unbalanced, but St. John's Medical Clinic he can't seem to separate himself from Superstore. When viewers pay attention to Val de Kauahi, they tend to water it down to “Sandra turned into Dina.” Its wagons are so tied that the show's critics claim St. John's Medical Clinic something is missing that you did Superstore great specifically.

What St. Denis Medical can do to solve your superstore problem

If St. John's Medical Clinic has any chance of standing out from the actors' previous triumphs, the series needs to focus on the individuality of its new characters. The issue of audiences recognizing actors from previous roles is not exclusive to Superstore, St. John's Medical Clinic comparatively failed to combat this demographic. People remembered Matt (Mekki Leeper) as Jury dutyis Noah and only saw Beverly Goldberg when Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) appeared on screen. However, Michael-Scott, director of the adjacent Joyce hospital and Matt's rookie role were quickly cemented as new, well-rounded characters. Unfortunately, most Superstore alumni have not yet received this development.

Bruce is the closest St. John's Medical Clinic came to diverge Superstorebut your character has the same function as your Superstore counterpart, Tate: a narcissist the public loves to dislike. St. John's Medical Clinic spent a lot of time showing us how dedicated Alex is or how outdated Ron thinks; Even though they are secondary characters, it's time for Val to show different sides of herself, to break Bruce's selfish facade and for Rene to have more screen time. St. John's Medical Clinic is a sitcom that deserves more love, but it starts by showing love to its characters.

St. John's Medical Clinic continues Tuesday at 8 ET on NBC.