St. Denis Medical is coming back with a major change for Mekki Leeper‘s fan-favorite character Matt.
In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip from the Monday, January 5, episode of the hit NBC sitcom, Matt causes a stir in the hospital when he clocks in for his shift in glasses.
“Hey, could you guys note on Jacob’s chart that he has body autonomy? I don’t know if that’s genetic or what,” he tells the nurses, who are more focused on his appearance.
The group gossips about Matt after he leaves with the compliments ranging from “cute professor” to “boy Velma.” Serena (Kahyun Kim), however, isn’t as impressed.
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“He said he slept in his contacts,” she says. “I don’t know about snack, right? I mean, it’s just eyewear.”
Bruce (Josh Lawson) also joins in on the praise, adding, “Holy moly. Have you guys seen Matt’s glasses?” He then tries to convince nurse Holly to make a move on Matt — despite Serena’s resistance.
“Holly’s life sucks, OK? This could be huge for her,” he says while the others encourage Holly to “get that farm boy D” during their upcoming work happy hour.
St. Denis Medical, which premiered in 2024, follows overworked doctors and nurses trying their best to care for patients at an underfunded Oregon hospital. In addition to Leeper, 31, Kim, 36, and Lawson, AGE, the mockumentary stars Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman and Kaliko Kauahi.
As soon the series debuted, viewers picked up on the chemistry between Matt and Serena. Creator Eric Ledgin didn’t rule out a potential romance between the characters — but hinted to Us that it would take time.
“There’s definitely at least a one-sided will-they-or-won’t-they happening,” he teased to Us in November 2024. “So I can tell you it’ll definitely be a slow burn of something that we will track over time.”
When season 2 premiered, a brief time jump revealed that Matt and Serena were working in different parts of the hospital. Serena requested the change to help Matt get over his feelings for her — until she realized Matt asked for the same thing.
Matt then told Serena he was able to move on from her, signaling that Serena was more aware of her feelings for Matt than the other way around.
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“Like a real relationship, you got to get to know each other,” Leeper exclusively told Us in November. “There’s some stop and start there.”
Leeper also teased Matt’s state of mind. “He doesn’t want to be too desperate and wants to kind of play it cool. Sometimes that means you have to step back for a season,” he explained. “I like that they’re not a classic sitcom-like romance.”
He continued: “They’re both really weird in their own right. If they weren’t dating, it would be just two interesting characters. I think it’s cool that we get to be weirdos together.”
Kim, meanwhile, hinted that there would be more surprises as the season plays out.
“A lot of things happen in season 2,” she added. “A lot of ups and downs, so it definitely continues to grow and mold into something. It’s very exciting.”
St. Denis Medical airs on NBC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Peacock.
