‘The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy’ Review – Funny, Strange, and Surprisingly Emotional

Take a dash of Parks and Recreation, a hint of Grey’s Anatomy, a smattering of raunchy humor, and a whole lot of over-the-top sci-fi cheese, and you’ve got The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. Created by Cirocco Dunlap, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy follows a group of doctors at one of the Galaxy’s best hospitals as they navigate the ins and outs of surgeries, alien parasites, and interoffice romance. On the whole, it’s exactly as wild as you might expect; full of vulgar jokes, inventive sci-fi plotlines, and a whole host of soap opera-worthy twists and turns. It’s the kind of show that’s best viewed gradually, week-to-week, rather than all at once. A real throwback; the kind of cartoon you’d expect to find on the likes of Comedy Central and Adult Swim – in the best way possible.

An Out-of-This-World Workplace Comedy

Meet Dr. Sleech (Stephanie Hsu) and Dr. Klak (Keke Palmer), two surgeons at a space hospital in the 14,000s. Though their jobs may initially seem out of this world, these surgeons face things any doctor might be familiar with. Horrific accidents, STIs, panic attacks – you name it. Though, of course, there are also brain-eating worms, illegal time loops, and sentient exploding organisms. Everything changes, however, when Sleech and Klak encounter an anxiety-eating worm with the potential to cure anxiety as we know it – or destroy the very fabric of the universe. As any scientist will tell you, though, all great breakthroughs come with a certain risk; a risk that Doctors Sleech and Klak are more than willing to take. The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy takes everything you love about workplace comedies and gives them a fresh coat of out-of-this-world chaos.

You’d be forgiven for looking at the trailer and expecting another Rick and Morty or Family Guy. And, to be fair, there’s certainly a lot of both of those shows in the humor, randomness, and over-the-top gags. But underneath all of that lies a very familiar workplace comedy. At its heart, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy feels a lot more like Parks and Recreation or Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It’s a show about this group of coworkers doing their best to survive amidst a cavalcade of work-related shenanigans. The only difference here is that those shenanigans come straight out of the wildest sci-fi book you’ve ever read. Each episode forces these characters into new, inventive, and over-the-top situations. The show’s swings don’t always land, but they’re always entertainingly audacious.

Grounded By a Surprisingly Deep Emotional Core

Underneath all of the chaos and campy sci-fi plotlines, though, lies a surprisingly deep emotional core. At its heart, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy tells a very human story. It’s a story about overcoming anxiety, learning to trust yourself and those you work with, and finding the humanity inside everyone. Led by dynamic performances from Hsu and Palmer, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy ends up feeling like a crossover between Grey’s Anatomy and the later, more character-driven seasons of Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Sleech and Klak take center stage, with the show revolving around them.

In a way, they’re polar opposites of each other. Klak’s anxiety proves debilitating at times while Sleech’s unrelenting confidence gets her into one troublesome affair after another. But the women balance each other out, like any good partnership. The series largely follows their respective character arcs – their interpersonal relationships and their research into the anxiety worm. And without Hsu and Palmer, the show simply wouldn’t work. Their humor, pathos, and electric chemistry are what holds all of this chaos together. Without their relationship, the show’s more extreme tendencies would overwhelm everything else. But watching these two women work together and seeing their friendship play out in such a grounded, realistic way while being surrounded by such extraterrestrial chaos, that’s what makes the show so enjoyable.

A Galaxy’s Worth of Guest Stars

And for as cool as the series’ overarching narrative is, it’s the character interactions that really shine the brightest. Sleech’s tender relationship with the bird-like Dr. Plowp (Kieran Culkin) gives some of the earlier episodes a lot of sweetness while giving audiences a chance to dig into Sleech’s neuroses. Meanwhile, Sam Smith frequently steals the show as Klak’s will-they/won’t-they love interest, Dr. Azel. And that’s not even mentioning the rest of the ensemble – led by the likes of Natasha Lyonne, Maya Rudolph, and Bowen Yang. Regardless of how big the role, every single actor brings their A-Game here, giving their characters such a lived-in reality that makes it easy to spend time with them. Put simply, come to The Second Best Hosptial in the Galaxy for the over-the-top plotlines but stay for the grounded character interactions.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy feels like an animated mashup between Grey’s Anatomy and Parks and Recreation. It’s outrageously silly, packed to the brim with genuinely inventive sci-fi ideas, filled with breathtaking animation, and led by absolutely electric performances from its cast. But underneath all of that rests a shockingly human story about overcoming your personal demons and learning to trust those around you. The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy may not make for a great binge-watch, but if you spread it out like the animated procedural it wants to be, you’re in for quite a treat – especially if you’re a big fan of workplace comedies.

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy premieres February 23rd on Prime Video.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIYiHP4mdLU]