St. Denis Medical, the new workplace comedy from the house of NBC, recently aired its third episode, titled, Weird Stuff You Can’t Explain, which ended on a somber note as the episode offered a tribute to the late Phil Shea, the legendary property master, who passed away last December.
Airing on November 19, 2024, Weird Stuff You Can’t Explain ended with the words,
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“IN LOVING MEMORY”
along with a picture of a smiling Phil flashing on screen.
Those unfamiliar with the name Phil Shea, he was a prop master in a number of hit NBC comedies including Superstore, The Office, and American Auto. The tribute at the end of St. Denis Medical’s third episode was done by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin who had previously worked with Phil on The Office (2005-2013), Superstore (2015-2022), and American Auto (2021-2023).
St. Denis Medical is a medical sitcom following the mockumentary format that follows the lives of the nurses and doctors of a certain fictional Oregon hospital. The show stars Allison Tolman, David Alan Grier, Kaliko Kauahi, Mekki Leeper among others.
Let us now explore Phil Shea and his works and legacy in detail.
Everything you need to know about Phil Shea
A legendary Hollywood prop master, Phil Shea was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 7, 1961. His career took off in 1995 as he landed himself a job on the sets of In the House. As per IMDB, 24 credits of Shea include shows like The Mindy Project, License to Wed, Raising Dad, Entourage, American Dreams, Californication, The Newsroom, Trophy Wife, Mr. Robinson etc.
It was only natural that after working with Phil on multiple projects including classic shows like The Office, Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin would want to honor their former colleague on their first new show post Shea’s demise.
Shea’s obituary mentioned,
“Almost every single object utilized in The Office series was bought or made by Phil and had his creativity, passion, and distinct touch. Phil’s unwavering commitment to professional excellence was unparalleled. He gave full-hearted effort with laser-focused precision to everything he did.”
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey’s Office Ladies podcast also repeatedly mentioned Shea’s name. Of all the works that Shea did, he is best remembered for all the nine seasons of The Office. It was him who helped nail Kevin’s famous chili spill scene and took iconic photos of Angela’s cat.
Jim’s perfect cold opens were also to the credit of Shea. He made sure to do everything he could to make The Office what it is today and that included obtaining 30 watermelons and a creepy fake baby.
John Krasinski, who played Jim in The Office also revealed in the podcast that three-four years after the show had ended, Shea had sent him a box, which contained Jim’s nameplate, his bag, and Pam’s teapot. This shows not only the craftsmanship of Shea, but also how amazing he was as a person.
His obituary also mentioned,
“He often worked off the clock to ensure the best outcome of each show. He lived and breathed the industry and those he worked with were family to him. He often worked off the clock to ensure the best outcome of each show. He lived and breathed the industry and those he worked with were family to him.”
After Phil passed away at the age of 62, he was buried next to his wife, Rachel Elizabeth Smith, in Arizona. Phil is survived by David, his brother and his nephews and grand nephews.
St. Denis Medical can be streamed on NBC as new episodes drop every Tuesday.
Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more updates on shows!
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