''ER'' is an American
medical drama television series created by novelist and physician
Michael Crichton that aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by
Constant C Productions and
Amblin Television, in association with
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
. ''ER'' follows the inner life of the
emergency room (ER) of Cook County General Hospital (a fictionalized version of the real
Cook County Hospital
The John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (formerly Cook County Hospital) is a public hospital in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Cook County Health and Hospital System, along with Provident Hospital of Cook County and ...
) in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, and various critical issues faced by the department's physicians and staff.
The show is the second longest-running
primetime medical drama in
American television history
Television is one of the major mass media outlets in the United States. , household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, with approximately 114,200,000 American households owning at least one television set as of August 2013. ...
behind ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...
'', and the sixth longest medical drama across the globe (behind the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'' and ''
Holby City,'' ''Grey's Anatomy'',
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's ''
In aller Freundschaft
(''In all friendship'') is a German television soap opera that began airing in 1998 every Tuesday. The series follows the staff of the fictional Sachsenklinik hospital in the city of Leipzig.
The series is produced by Degeto (a subsidiary of ...
'', and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
's ''
Na dobre i na złe
''Na dobre i na złe'' (, ''For better and for worse'') is a Polish television medical drama series, broadcast on TVP2 since 7 November 1999. It is the longest-running weekly primetime drama on Polish television and one of the longest-running m ...
''). It won 23
Primetime Emmy Awards, including the 1996 Outstanding Drama Series award, and received 124 Emmy nominations. ''ER'' won 116 awards in total, including the
Peabody Award, while the cast earned four
Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series. As of 2014, ''ER'' has grossed over in television revenue.
Production
Development
![MichaelCrichton 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/MichaelCrichton_2.jpg)
In 1974, author
Michael Crichton wrote a screenplay based on his own experiences as a
medical student
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
in a busy hospital
emergency room. The screenplay went nowhere and Crichton turned to other topics. In 1990, he published the novel ''
Jurassic Park'', and in 1993 began a collaboration with director
Steven Spielberg on the
film adaptation of the book. Crichton and Spielberg then turned to ''ER'', but decided to
film the story as a two-hour pilot for a television series rather than as a feature film. Spielberg's
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marsha ...
provided
John Wells as the show's executive producer.
The script used to shoot the pilot was virtually unchanged from what Crichton had written in 1974. The only substantive changes made by the producers in 1994 were that the
Susan Lewis
Fictional character Susan Lewis, M.D. is a character from the medical drama series ''ER'', portrayed by American actress Sherry Stringfield.
Having appeared as a primary character since the pilot episode, Stringfield left the show part way thr ...
character became a woman and the Peter Benton character became African-American, and the running time was shortened by about 20 minutes in order for the pilot to air in a two-hour block on network TV. Because of a lack of time and money necessary to build a set, the pilot episode of ''ER'' was filmed in the former
Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles, an old facility that had ceased operating in 1990. A set modeled after
Los Angeles County General Hospital
LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to:
Science and technology
* Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation
* Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers
* Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...
's emergency room was built soon afterward at the
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
studios in
Burbank, California, although the show makes extensive use of location shoots in Chicago, most notably the city's famous
"L" train platforms.
Warren Littlefield
Warren W. Littlefield (born May 11, 1952) is an American television executive.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Littlefield attended Montclair High School and graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, where he was award ...
, running NBC Entertainment at the time, was impressed by the series: "We were intrigued, but we were admittedly a bit spooked in attempting to go back into that territory a few years after ''
St. Elsewhere''."
With Spielberg attached behind the scenes, NBC ordered six episodes. "''ER'' premiered opposite a ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
'' game on ABC and did surprisingly well. Then we moved it to Thursday and it just took off", commented Littlefield.
''ER''s success surprised the networks and critics alike, as
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is an American television writer, producer, and former attorney, known as the creator of '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', '' Picket Fences'', ''Chicago Hope'', ''The Practice'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''Boston Publi ...
's new medical drama ''
Chicago Hope'' was expected to crush the new series.
Crichton remained executive producer until his death in November 2008, although he was still credited as one throughout that entire final season. Wells, the series' other initial executive producer, served as
showrunner for the first three seasons. He was one of the show's most prolific writers and became a regular director in later years.
Lydia Woodward
Lydia Woodward is an American television writer and producer. She has worked as both a writer and producer on the television series '' ER''. She signed a deal with the Warners in 2001.
Positions held
*''Pan Am'' (Co- Executive Producer, Writer)
...
was a part of the first season production team and became an executive producer for the third season. She took over as showrunner for the fourth season while Wells focused on the development of other series, including ''Trinity'', ''
Third Watch
''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 26, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...
'', and ''
The West Wing
''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...
''. She left her executive producer position at the end of the sixth season but continued to write episodes throughout the series' run.
Joe Sachs, who was a writer and producer of the series, believed keeping a commitment to medical accuracy was extremely important: "We'd bend the rules but never break them. A medication that would take 10 minutes to work might take 30 seconds instead. We compressed time. A 12- to 24-hour shift gets pushed into 48 minutes. But we learned that being accurate was important for more reasons than just making real and responsible drama."
Woodward was replaced as showrunner by
Jack Orman. Orman was recruited as a writer-producer for the series in its fourth season after a successful stint working on CBS's ''
JAG''. He was quickly promoted and became an executive producer and showrunner for the series' seventh season. He held these roles for three seasons before leaving the series at the end of the ninth season. Orman was also a frequent writer and directed three episodes of the show.
David Zabel
David Breitel Zabel is an American television producer and writer. He has worked extensively on '' ER'', becoming an executive producer and the series' showrunner. He has won a Humanitas Prize for his writing for ''ER''. He was also the showrunn ...
served as the series' head writer and executive producer in its later seasons. He initially joined the crew for the eighth season and became an executive producer and showrunner for the twelfth season onward. Zabel was the series' most frequent writer, contributing to 41 episodes. He also made his directing debut on the series.
Christopher Chulack was the series' most frequent director and worked as a producer on all 15 seasons. He became an executive producer in the fourth season but occasionally scaled back his involvement in later years to focus on other projects.
Other executive producers include writers
Carol Flint
Carol Flint is an American television producer and writer best known for her work on '' ER'' and ''The West Wing''. She studied at New College of Florida.
Career
Keshia Denise Campbell'Jackson, PhD also known as Carol Flint started her writing ca ...
,
Neal Baer
Neal Baer (born 1955) is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ''Designated Survivor'', '' ER'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.
Biography
Education
Baer w ...
,
R. Scott Gemmill,
Dee Johnson
Dee Johnson is an American television producer and writer. She has worked on the series ''ER (TV series), ER'', ''Melrose Place'', ''Commander in Chief (TV series), Commander in Chief'', ''Southland (TV series), Southland'', ''The Good Wife''
an ...
,
Joe Sachs,
Lisa Zwerling, and
Janine Sherman Barrois
Janine Sherman Barrois is an American television writer, producer, and showrunner. In 2017 she began executive producing and showrunning ''Claws'' on TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluen ...
. Several of these writers and producers had background in healthcare: Joe Sachs was an
emergency physician
An emergency physician (often called an "ER doctor" in the United States) is a physician who works at an emergency department to care for ill patients. The emergency physician is a specialist in advanced cardiac life support (advanced life suppor ...
, while Lisa Zwerling and Neal Baer were both
pediatricians. The series' crew was recognized with awards for writing, directing, producing, film editing, sound editing, casting, and music.
Broadcasting
Following the broadcast of its two-hour pilot movie on September 19, 1994, ''ER'' premiered Thursday, September 22 at 10pm. It remained in the same Thursday time slot for its entire run, capping the
Must See TV
Must See TV is an American advertising slogan that was used by NBC to brand its primetime blocks during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured some of its most popular sitcoms and drama series of ...
primetime block. ''ER'' is NBC's third longest-running drama, after ''
Law & Order'' and ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and the second longest-running American primetime medical drama of all time, behind ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...
''. Starting with season seven, ''ER'' was broadcast in the
1080i
1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the scre ...
HD format, appearing in
letterbox format when presented in standard definition. On April 2, 2008, NBC announced that the series would return for its fifteenth season. The fifteenth season was originally scheduled to run for 19 episodes before retiring with a two-hour series finale to be broadcast on March 12, 2009, but NBC announced in January 2009 that it would extend the show by an additional three episodes to a full 22-episode order as part of a deal to launch a new series by John Wells titled ''Police'', later retitled ''
Southland Southland may refer to:
Places Canada
* Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia
New Zealand
* Southland Region, a region of New Zealand
* Southland County, a former New Zealand county
* Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...
''. ''ER''s final episode aired on April 2, 2009; the two-hour episode was preceded by a one-hour retrospective special. The series finale charged $425,000 per 30-second ad spot, more than three times the season's rate of $135,000.
From season 4 to season 6 ''ER'' cost a record-breaking $13 million per episode.
TNT also paid a record price of $1 million an episode for four years of repeats of the series during that time. The cost of the first three seasons was $2 million per episode and seasons 7 to 9 cost $8 million per episode.
In September 1998,
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
aired syndicated reruns of the series.
Cast and characters
The original starring cast consisted of
Anthony Edwards as Dr.
Mark Greene
Mark Greene, Doctor of Medicine, M.D. is a fictional character from the American medical drama series ''ER (TV series), ER,'' portrayed by actor Anthony Edwards (actor), Anthony Edwards. He first appears in the series' 24 Hours (ER), pilot epi ...
,
George Clooney as Dr.
Doug Ross
Douglas Ross, M.D. is a fictional character from the NBC medical drama series '' ER,'' portrayed by American actor George Clooney. He is a pediatric fellow, employed by the pediatric service, but works in the ER. He is later promoted to a ped ...
,
Sherry Stringfield
Sherry Lea Stringfield (born June 24, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Dr. Susan Lewis on the NBC medical drama '' ER'', a role for which she received three Emmy Award nominations. Stringfield was a member ...
as Dr.
Susan Lewis
Fictional character Susan Lewis, M.D. is a character from the medical drama series ''ER'', portrayed by American actress Sherry Stringfield.
Having appeared as a primary character since the pilot episode, Stringfield left the show part way thr ...
,
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (; born June 4, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as John Carter in the television series '' ER'' (1994–2009), which earned him nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emm ...
as medical student
John Carter, and
Eriq La Salle
Erik Ki La Salle (born July 23, 1962), professionally known as Eriq La Salle, is an American actor, director, writer and producer. La Salle is best known for his performance in the film ''Coming to America'' (1988) and especially as Dr. Pete ...
as Dr.
Peter Benton
Peter Benton, M.D. is a fictional character from the NBC medical drama series '' ER,'' portrayed by actor Eriq La Salle, appearing as a primary character from the pilot episode until part way through the eighth season.
La Salle made two guest ...
.
As the series continued, some key changes were made: Nurse
Carol Hathaway
Carol Hathaway is a fictional character from the NBC medical drama series '' ER,'' portrayed by actress Julianna Margulies. She is the nurse manager in the ER. She regularly appeared throughout the series from the pilot episode to her penultim ...
, played by
Julianna Margulies
Julianna Margulies (; born June 8, 1966) is an American actress. After several small television roles, Margulies achieved wide recognition for her starring role as Carol Hathaway on NBC's long-running medical drama series '' ER'' (1994–2009) ...
, who attempts suicide in the original pilot script, was made into a regular cast member.
Ming-Na Wen
Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film '' Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec ...
debuted in the middle of the first season as medical student
Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen, but did not return for the second season; she returns in season 6 episode 10.
Gloria Reuben
Gloria Elizabeth Reuben is a Canadian-American actress, producer, and singer. She is well-known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the medical drama '' ER'' (1995–1999, 2008), for which she was twice nominated for an Emmy Award, and for portray ...
and
Laura Innes
Laura Elizabeth Innes (born August 16, 1957) is an American actress and television director. She starred as Dr. Kerry Weaver in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' from 1995 to 2007 and reprised her role from 2008 to 2009 in the final season. She also ...
would join the series as Physician Assistant
Jeanie Boulet
Jeanie Boulet is a fictional character from the television series ''ER (TV series), ER''. The role was portrayed by Gloria Reuben who debuted as a recurring character in the first season episode, "Long Day's Journey", aired on January 19, 1995. R ...
and Dr.
Kerry Weaver
Kerry Weaver is a fictional character from the NBC television series '' ER''. The role was portrayed by Laura Innes who debuted as a recurring character in the second season episode "Welcome Back, Carter!", which aired on September 21, 1995. ...
, respectively, by the second season.
In the third season, a series of cast additions and departures began that would see the entire original cast leave over time. Stringfield was the first to exit the series, reportedly upsetting producers who believed she wanted to negotiate for more money, but the actress did not particularly care for "fame."
She would return to the series from 2001 until 2005.
Clooney departed the series in 1999 to pursue a film career, and Margulies exited the following year.
Season eight saw the departure of La Salle and Edwards when Benton left County General and Greene died from a brain tumor.
Wyle left the series after season 11 in order to spend more time with his family, but would return for two multiple-episode appearances in the show's final seasons.
Goran Visnjic
Goran may refer to:
Ethnic groups
*Gorane, or Goran, an ethnic group of northern Africa
*Goran (Kurdish tribe), an ethnic group of the Middle East
*Gorani (ethnic group), an ethnic group of the southeastern Europe
Other uses
*Göran, a Swedis ...
as Dr.
Luka Kovač
Luka Kovač is a fictional character from the NBC television series ER. The role was portrayed by Goran Višnjić from the sixth season episode, "Leave It to Weaver", which aired on September 30, 1999 until the thirteenth season episode, "The ...
,
Maura Tierney
Maura Therese Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on the sitcom '' NewsRadio'' (1995–1999), Abby Lockhart on the medical drama '' ER'' (1999–2009 ...
as Dr.
Abby Lockhart
Abigail Marjorie Lockhart, M.D. (née Wyczenski) is a fictional character from the NBC medical drama series '' ER,'' portrayed by Maura Tierney. Usually referred to as simply Abby, she first appears as a guest star in the first half of the si ...
,
Alex Kingston
Alexandra Elizabeth Kingston (born 11 March 1963) is an English actress. Active from the early 1980s, Kingston became noted for her television work in both Britain and the US in the 1990s, including her regular role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday in ...
as Dr.
Elizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.S. (married name Greene) is a fictional character in the medical drama series '' ER,'' portrayed by British actress Alex Kingston. She first appeared at the beginning of the fourth season and became a lead ch ...
,
Paul McCrane
Paul David McCrane (born January 19, 1961) is an American film, television and theatre actor, as well as a television director and singer. He is known for his portrayal of Montgomery MacNeil in the 1980 film '' Fame'', Frank Berry in the 1984 fil ...
as
Dr. Robert Romano, and
Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Phifer (; born December 29, 1974) is an American actor. He portrayed Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama '' ER'' until 2008 and had a co-starring role opposite actor/rapper Eminem in the 2002 feature film '' 8 Mile''. He was ...
as Dr.
Greg Pratt
Gregory Pratt, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama series '' ER'', portrayed by Mekhi Phifer. He first appears as a recurring character towards the end of the eight season, becoming the main character from the start of the nin ...
all joined the cast as the seasons went on.
In the much later seasons, the show would see the additions of
Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris,
Parminder Nagra as Dr.
Neela Rasgotra,
Shane West as
Dr. Ray Barnett,
Linda Cardellini as nurse
Samantha Taggart
Samantha "Sam" Taggart is a fictional character on the NBC television drama '' ER''. She is played by actress Linda Cardellini. Linda Cardellini's addition into the main cast opening credits was in the fifth episode of season 10.
Precursor
S ...
,
John Stamos as intern
Tony Gates
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...
,
David Lyons as Dr.
Simon Brenner and
Angela Bassett as Dr.
Catherine Banfield.
In addition to the main cast, ''ER'' featured a large number of frequently seen recurring cast members who played key roles such as paramedics, hospital support staff, nurses, and doctors. ''ER'' also featured a sizable roster of well-known guest stars, some making rare television appearances, who typically played patients in single episode appearances or multi-episode arcs.
Episodes
A typical episode centered on the ER, with most scenes set in the hospital or surrounding streets. In addition, most seasons included at least one storyline located completely outside of the ER, often outside of Chicago. Over the span of the series, stories took place in the Democratic Republic of The Congo, France, Iraq and Sudan. One early storyline involved a road trip taken by Dr. Ross and Dr. Greene to California and a season eight episode included a storyline in Hawaii featuring Dr. Greene and Dr. Corday. Beginning in season nine, storylines started to include the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, featuring Dr. Kovac, Dr. Carter, and Dr. Pratt. "We turned some attention on the Congo and on
Darfur when nobody else was. We had a bigger audience than a nightly newscast will ever see, making 25 to 30 million people aware of what was going on in Africa," ''ER'' producer John Wells said. "The show is not about telling people to eat their vegetables, but if we can do that in an entertaining context, then there's nothing better."
The series also focused on sociopolitical issues such as
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
and
AIDS, organ transplants,
mental illness,
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...
,
human trafficking,
euthanasia,
poverty and
gay rights.
Some episodes used creative formats, such as the 1997
"Ambush", which was broadcast live twice, once for the east coast and again three hours later for the west coast,
and 2002's "Hindsight", which ran in reverse time as it followed one character, Dr. Kovac, through the events of a Christmas Eve shift and the Christmas party that preceded it.
Crossover with ''Third Watch''
The episode "Brothers and Sisters" (first broadcast on April 25, 2002) begins a crossover that concludes on the ''
Third Watch
''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 26, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...
'' episode "Unleashed" in which Dr. Lewis enlists the help of Officers Maurice Boscorelli and Faith Yokas to find her sister and niece.
Ratings
U.S. seasonal rankings based on average total viewers per episode of ''ER'' on NBC are tabulated below. Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May
sweeps. All times mentioned in this section were in the Eastern and Pacific time zones. Ratings for seasons 1–2 are listed in households (the percentage of households watching the program), while ratings for seasons 3–15 are listed in viewers.
In its first year, ''ER'' attracted an average of 19 million viewers per episode, becoming the year's second most watched television show, just behind ''
Seinfeld''. In the following two seasons (1995–1997), ''ER'' was the most watched show in North America. For almost five years, ''ER'' battled for the top spot against ''Seinfeld'', but in 1998, ''Seinfeld'' ended and then ''ER'' became number one again. The
series finale attracted 16.4 million viewers. The show's highest rating came during the
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
episode "
Hell and High Water," with 48 million viewers and a 45% market share. It was the highest for a regularly scheduled drama since a May 1985 installment of ''
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'' received a 46. The share represents the percentage of TVs in use tuned in to that show.
Critical reception
![Chicago downtown view from Sears](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Chicago_downtown_view_from_Sears.JPG)
Throughout the series ''ER'' received positive reviews from critics and fans alike. It scored 80 on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, meaning "generally favorable reviews", based on 21 critics.
Marvin Kitman
Marvin Kitman (born November 24, 1929) is an American television critic, humorist, and author. He was a columnist for ''Newsday'' for 35 years and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1982. He is the author of nine books, ...
from ''
Newsday'' said: "It's like ''
M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
Th ...
'' with just the helicopters showing up and no laughs. ''E.R.'' is all trauma; you never get to know enough about the patients or get involved with them. It's just treat, release and move on".
Richard Zoglin from ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' stated that it's "probably the most realistic fictional treatment of the medical profession TV has ever presented".
Critical reactions for ''ER''s first season were very favorable.
Alan Rich
Alan Rich (June 17, 1924 – April 23, 2010) was an American music critic who served on the staff of many newspapers and magazines on both coasts. Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, he first studied medicine at Harvard University before turn ...
, writing for ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', praised the direction and editing of the pilot
[ER Review (''Variety'') – Rich, Alan:]
"ER – Pilot Review"
(from 19 September 1994), accessed on December 31, 2008 while Eric Mink, writing for the
New York ''Daily News'', said that the pilot of ''ER'' "was urban, emergency room chaos and young, committed doctors." However some reviewers felt the episodes following the pilot did not live up to it with Mink commenting that "the great promise of the "E.R." pilot dissolves into the kind of routine, predictable, sloppily detailed medical drama we've seen many times before."
["Deja Vu: 'ER'" (New York ''Daily News'') – Minke, Eric:]
''Chicago Hope looks healthier than 'E.R''
(from 22 September 2008), accessed on December 31, 2008
NBC launched the show at the same time that
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
launched its own medical drama ''
Chicago Hope''; many critics drew comparisons between the two. Eric Mink concluded that ''ER'' may rate more highly in the Nielsens but ''Chicago Hope'' told better stories,
while Rich felt both shows were "riveting, superior TV fare."
''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' wrote in 1996: "Not being able to follow what on earth is going on remains one of the peculiar charms of the breakneck American hospital drama, ''ER''".
In 2002, ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' ranked ''ER'' No. 22 on their list of "TV's Top 50 Shows", making it the second highest ranked medical drama on the list (after ''
St. Elsewhere'' at No. 20). Also, the season 1 episode "
Love's Labor Lost
''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...
" was ranked No. 6 on
''TV Guide''s 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time list having earlier been ranked No. 3. The show placed No. 19 on ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' "New TV Classics" list. British magazine ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' ranked it No. 29 in their list of the "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" and said the best episode was "Hell And High Water" (
Season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
, Episode 7) where "
Doug Ross
Douglas Ross, M.D. is a fictional character from the NBC medical drama series '' ER,'' portrayed by American actor George Clooney. He is a pediatric fellow, employed by the pediatric service, but works in the ER. He is later promoted to a ped ...
(
George Clooney) saves a young boy from drowning during a flood." In 2012, ''ER'' was voted Best TV Drama on ABC's ''20/20'' special episode "
Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time". In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked it No. 9 in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time and No. 29 in its list of the 60 Best Series. In the same year, the
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers:
* The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO
* The Writers Gu ...
ranked ''ER'' No. 27 in its list of the 101 Best Written TV Series Of All Time.
Awards and nominations
The series
Distribution
Home media
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros.
It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...
has released all 15 seasons in R1, R2, and R4.
In the UK (Region 2), The Complete Series boxset was released on October 26, 2009. On September 12, 2016 the series was re-released in three box sets, Seasons 1–5, Seasons 6–10 and Seasons 11–15.
The DVD box sets of ''ER'' are unusual in the fact that they are all in
anamorphic widescreen even though the first six seasons of the show were broadcast in a standard 4:3 format. ''ER'' was shot
protecting for widescreen presentation, allowing the show to be presented in 16:9
open matte
Open matte is a filming technique that involves matting out the top and bottom of the film frame in the movie projector (known as a ''soft matte'') for the widescreen theatrical release and then scanning the film without a matte (at Academy rati ...
(leaving only the title sequence in the 4:3 format). However, as the production of the show was generally conceived with 4:3 presentation in mind, some episodes feature vignetting or unintended objects towards the sides of the frame that would not be visible when presented in the 4:3 format. These episodes also appear in the widescreen format when rerun on
TNT HD,
Pop and streaming services.
In 2018 Hulu struck a deal with Warner Bros Domestic Television Distribution to stream all 15 seasons of the show. The show arrived on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
in January 2022.
Soundtrack
In 1996,
Atlantic Records released an album of music from the first two seasons, featuring
James Newton Howard's theme from the series in its on-air and full versions, selections from the weekly scores composed by Martin Davich (Howard scored the two-hour pilot, Davich scored all the subsequent episodes and wrote a new theme used from 2006–2009 until the final episode, when Howard's original theme returned) and songs used on the series.
# Theme From ''ER'' – James Newton Howard (3:02)
# Dr. Lewis And Renee (from "The Birthday Party") (1:57)
# Canine Blues (from "Make of Two Hearts") (2:27)
# Goodbye Baby Susie (from "Fever of Unknown Origin") (3:11)
# Doug & Carol (from "The Gift") – composed by James Newton Howard and Martin Davich (1:59)
# Healing Hands – Marc Cohn (4:25)
# The Hero (from "Hell And High Water") composed by James Newton Howard and Martin Davich (1:55)
# Carter, See You Next Fall (from "Everything Old Is New Again") (1:28)
# Reasons For Living – Duncan Sheik (4:33)
# Dr. Green and a Mother's Death (from "Love's Labor Lost") (2:48)
# Raul Dies (from "The Healers") (2:20)
# Hell And High Water (from "Hell And High Water") – composed by James Newton Howard and Martin Davich (2:38)
# Hold On (from "Hell And High Water") (2:47)
# Shep Arrives (from "The Healers") (3:37)
# Shattered Glass (from "Hell And High Water") (2:11)
# Theme From ''ER'' – James Newton Howard (1:00)
# It Came Upon A Midnight Clear – Mike Finnegan (2:30)
Other media
* An ''ER'' video game developed by
Legacy Interactive for
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft and oriented towards businesses. It was the direct successor to Windows NT 4.0, and was released to manufacturing on December 15, 1999, and was officiall ...
and
XP was released in 2005.
* In the ''
Mad'' episode "Pokémon Park / WWER", the show was parodied in the style of
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
.
* A recurring sketch called "Toy ER" in the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
comedy series ''
All That
''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Michael Tollin, Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by ...
'' parodies the show, featuring Dr. Malady (Chelsea Brummet), Dr. Botch (
Giovonnie Samuels
Giovonnie Lavette Samuels (born November 13, 1985) is an American actress and voice artist best known for her role as Nia Moseby in ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' and for being a series regular on ''All That'' (where she was replaced by Kiann ...
), and Dr. Sax (
Shane Lyons
Shane Lyons (born February 18, 1988) is an American chef, restaurateur and actor. He and partner Nick Lovvachini opened their New York restaurant in June 2013. Lyons was also a contestant on the 4th season of the Food Network
Food Network ...
) "treating" damaged toys.
* A book about emergency medicine based on the TV series,
The Medicine of ER: An Insider's Guide to the Medical Science Behind America's #1 TV Drama' was published in 1996. Authors Alan Duncan Ross and Harlan Gibbs M.D. have hospital administration and ER experience, respectively, and are called fans of the TV show in the book's credits.
Foreign adaptations
In March 2012,
Warner Bros. International Television
Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
announced that they would sell the format rights to ''ER'' to overseas territories. This allowed foreign countries to produce their own version of the series.
In June 2013, Warner Bros. International Television and
Emotion Production
Emotion Production (full legal name: ''Preduzeće za konsalting, proizvodnju radio i televizijskih programa i usluge reklame i propagande Emotion Production d.o.o. Beograd'') is a Serbian media company with headquarters in Stari Grad, Belgrade. E ...
from
Belgrade,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
, announced a
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
n version of ''ER.'' ''Urgentni Centar'' premiered on October 6, 2014, on
TV Prva. As of 2014 a
Colombian version was planned.
See also
* ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'' – Similar concept but based on a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
fictional hospital's accident & emergency department.
References
External links
* ER's officia
Warner Bros. website* ER's officia
NBC website*
*
{{Authority control
1994 American television series debuts
2009 American television series endings
1990s American medical television series
1990s American workplace drama television series
2000s American medical television series
2000s American workplace drama television series
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Nielsen ratings winners
Peabody Award-winning television programs
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series winners
Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Television series by Amblin Entertainment
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television shows set in Chicago
Works by Michael Crichton