Howie Mandel St Elsewhere

In October 2018, NBC is celebrating the 40th anniversary of “St. Elsewhere,” the sitcom that launched the career of Howard Mandel. To celebrate the milestone, Mandel sat down with PEOPLE to discuss the role he played on the show. The actor, who was first known for his role in the 1981 comedy Gas, said that St. Elsewhere was the perfect vehicle to launch his career.

The show was co-created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey. It was originally pitched to NBC as a spin-off of Hill Street Blues, set in a hospital. NBC picked up the show and it became a critically acclaimed hit. The show’s cast included Norman Lloyd, who tried to adopt an Austrian accent for the show. Other cast members included Josef Sommer, who played the resident physician Wayne Fiscus, and David Paymer, who played Dr. Donald Westphall.

During its eight-year run, St. Elsewhere followed the staff of a run-down teaching hospital in Boston. The show featured a number of future stars, including Howie Mandel. The show’s characters are full of quirks and a unique sense of humor.