The Goldbergs has been a comedy mainstay for ABC for a decade now, but the sitcom is slated to wrap with its current tenth season. In the case of one star, the end of The Goldbergs doesn’t necessarily mean leaving primetime for very long. Wendi McLendon-Covey, who has played Beverly Goldberg from the beginning of the series, has landed a new TV project that could bring her back to network television… although not her longtime home at ABC.
The cancellation of The Goldbergs (which could be good news for fans of Abbott Elementary) was announced back in February, marking the end of ABC’s longest-running current comedy and second longest-running current scripted show, coming in behind medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. While Wendi McLendon-Covey has been portraying Beverly Goldberg since back in 2013, she’s set to star in a pilot that would take her to NBC.
The actress has been cast in the pilot for a new sitcom, called St. Denis Medical. According to Deadline, the show would be a mockumentary set in an Oregon hospital seriously lacking in funds and staff. Wendi McLendon-Covey will play the oncological surgeon-turned-executive director of the hospital with dreams of the future that she has yet to achieve. The doctors and nurses at this particular hospital are dedicated to treating their patients, in the face of major challenges.
Honestly, if not for the confirmation that St. Denis Medical is a comedy and the casting of veteran comedic actress Wendi McLendon-Covey (best known on TV prior to The Goldbergs for her work on Reno 911!), the new show might sound more like a medical drama than a mockumentary. It won’t be the actress’ first project in the mockumentary format, however, as Reno 911! was produced in that style as well.
St. Denis Medical is only in the pilot stage at this point, so there’s no guarantee that Wendi McLendon-Covey will make a triumphant return to primetime shortly after the end of her current show. That said, the pilot is being written by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin, who have notable sitcom credits on Superstore and American Auto already, so the project should have some strong writing behind it. Another Superstore alum will direct the pilot: Venom director Ruben Fleischer.
At the time of writing, Wendi McLendon-Covey hasn’t released a statement about her new project, but a quick caption on Instagram says a lot:
So excited to be a part of this! 😍😍😍😍😍
While it’s much too soon to say whether or not St. Denis Medical will receive a series order for NBC, fans aren’t losing Wendi McLendon-Covey as Beverly Goldberg just yet. The Goldbergs Season 10 returned in the 2023 TV premiere schedule on January 11, and continues telling stories in the wake of Jeff Garlin’s departure as the Goldberg patriarch.
The sitcom established that Murray died off-screen between Seasons 9 and 10, which isn’t the first time that the Goldberg family has dealt with tragedy. In the wake of George Segal’s death, The Goldbergs said an emotional goodbye to his character in the premiere of Season 9. It seems safe to say that the show still has some emotional storylines to go along with the laughs in the remaining episodes of Season 10.
So, while waiting for news of whether Wendi McLendon-Covey will star in an NBC series after the end of her time on ABC, keep tuning in to new episodes of The Goldbergs on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET. You can also revisit earlier seasons of the series streaming with a Hulu subscription