St. Denis Medical is preparing for an explosive season finale — and that starts with a shocking kiss.
During the Monday, March 30, penultimate episode of the hit NBC sitcom, Matt (Mekki Leeper) and Serena (Kahyun Kim) took their relationship to the next level, which they exclusively told Us Weekly came with some “pressure” after offscreen interest from viewers.
“I was so nervous. Us, the writers and everybody that works on the show has been very careful to make this a believable and satisfying arc,” Leeper and Kim said about working to make a fictional “relationship they root for” on the show.
The costars were thrilled to have each other to lean on.
“He’s such a gracious scene partner, Also doing something intimate like building a story line and [luckily] we already have a friendship. Suilding that together, it takes a lot of trust,” Kim noted. “Especially with intimacy, I have so much trust in him.”
Leeper agreed with Kim, adding, “They are tough scenes to get right. It’s nice when you’re performing with somebody who is your friend.”
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, 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.”
“Like a real relationship, you got to get to know each other,” Leeper exclusively told Us in November 2025. “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.”
Leeper 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.
