Maddie Ellis is a weekend editor at TODAY Digital.
On “St. Denis Medical,” David Alan Grier’s gruff Dr. Ron is a perfect foil to Wendi McLendon-Covey’s cartwheeling hospital executive director, Joyce. And according to Grier, their characters go way back.
In the final two episodes of “St. Denis Medical’s” premiere season, Ron and Joyce’s differences were on full display. In Episode 17, the two turned a fundraiser hospital gala into a verbal sparring session, with Joyce eventually seizing the mic to hijack Ron’s hosting gig and make it a roast. Then in Episode 18, Ron seemingly hits his limit after the overly ambitious Joyce promises away all of the hospital's newly acquired funds. But in the last few moments of the season finale, which aired on NBC April 29, Joyce and Ron have a rare moment of understanding. A defeated Joyce seemingly takes a page out of Ron’s book, saying, “St. Denis is never going to be anything more than it already is, and I accept that now.” Ron surprises her by hearing out her long-term vision for the future of St. Denis Medical Center. Joyce reveals her plans for a birthing center — and receives Ron’s approval. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but you know what’s best for this place, so forget about what I want and what everybody else wants. You have a vision. So just go for it,” Ron tells her. Grier tells TODAY.com that for Ron, Season 1 has been a journey of learning what it truly means to be a good doctor. “I think a recurring theme of Ron’s life is this phrase: ‘I’m not going to f--- up like that again,’” Grier says with a laugh. “He’s the oldest doctor there. He’s pretty much seen it all.” That means that while Ron has a plethora of knowledge in the medical space, he also has hard-won knowledge from making mistakes, specifically in his personal life. Over the course of Season 1, it's revealed that Ron has previously gone through a divorce. “He lost his family, he lost his wife — he worked too much,” Grier says of his character, adding that's why he admires the department’s supervising nurse, Alex . “He’s a really good doctor, but I think that is his main goal with Allison’s character: He really admires her as a nurse and her dedication to a patient, but I think it’s taken him all this time to learn that to be your best self as a doctor, you have to have work-home life balance,” he adds. In terms of his relationship with Joyce, Grier their bond also demonstrates that he wasn't always the cynical curmudgeonly emergency department physician viewers know him as. “I don’t know if you’ve ever had this, but there was a girl that sat next to me from third grade all the way up until I graduated from high school,” he says. “She sat next to me because her name was Goodman. My name was Grier. Alphabetically, she always sat next to me.” Grier continues, “So we saw each other in different forms since we were little kids — the cool nerd, the f------ hippie, hip-hop weirdo. I mean, that’s Dr. Ron. So when he looks at Joyce, he sees what you see now, but he’s known her for over 20 years.” As for how their first meeting might have gone? “Listen, they could have hooked up back in ‘87, we don’t know,” he says. Around the time when they might've first met, Grier says Ron was a 'believer' and 'revolutionary.' “He came in like, ‘We’re going to heal the country,’” Grier says. “And day by day, month by month, the bureaucracy of health care has beaten him down.” Dr. Ron’s story is expected to continue with Season 2 of “St. Denis Medical,” which was officially renewed in January. And Grier has a request for the future of the show. “I would like to see a version of the finished documentary at one point,” Grier says, referring to the sitcom’s mockumentary format. However, he adds, his character might not want to. “I think Ron would be stunned,” Grier says of how he imagines his character reacting to the in-show documentary. “He’s stunned to the extent that he’s like, ‘Is that me? Did they hire someone? Because he looks a lot like me, but I know I’m not doing that.’” Catch up on all of “St. Denis Medical” Season 1, including the finale, on Peacock.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
![David Alan Grier's Funeral Owner Is Burying Secrets in 'Elsbeth' Sneak Peek [Exclusive]](https://i.headtopics.com/images/2025/4/10/collider/david-alan-grier-039-s-funeral-owner-is-burying-se-david-alan-grier-039-s-funeral-owner-is-burying-se-5A952A55B16C37B43DDAF3252EA6CAD4.webp?w=640)
David Alan Grier's Funeral Owner Is Burying Secrets in 'Elsbeth' Sneak Peek [Exclusive]Chris McPherson is a Senior Author in News for Collider who focuses on Yellowstone, Bosch, Reacher, box office, blockbuster movies and WWE.
Read more »
'Elsbeth' Season 2 Episode 17 Recap: Ethan Slater Tags In and David Alan Grier Buries a ConspiracyCarrie Preston in Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 17
Read more »
Sharks changes underway: Goalie says Mike Grier told him he won’t be backNHL: Veteran goalie Alexandar Georgiev’s time with the San Jose Sharks is ending
Read more »
Brooke Shields Shares Rare Throwback Photos With Her Lookalike Daughter GrierBrooke Shields is feeling sentimental when it comes to motherhood on the occasion of her youngest daughter's 19th birthday.
Read more »
Brooke Shields Shares Rare Photos of Daughter Grier as Baby for BirthdayJoyann Jeffrey is a trending news reporter based in New York City
Read more »
After lottery, should Mike Grier try to acquire the Islanders’ No. 1 pick for Sharks?The Sharks hold the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft.
Read more »