ER (TV SERIES)

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'''ER''' is a long-running, Emmy-winning American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. It is produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television Production, Inc.

Contents

Series run

History and production

Episodes

Cast

Main cast

Main cast departures

Notable guest stars

Supporting cast

References to real medical cases

U.S. television ratings

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

DVD releases

References

External links

Series run

''ER'' is NBC's second longest-running drama (after ''Law & Order''), with 13 seasons, making it the longest American primetime medical drama of all time. It has been renewed for a 14th season in March 2007. It premiered on September 19, 1994 and has been shown on Thursday nights at 10:00 throughout its entire run. However www.tvseriesfinale.com has reported that ER will likely end this upcoming season. ^[1]

History and production

The novel ''ER'' was originally slated to be a movie, directed by Steven Spielberg. However, during the early stages of pre-production, Spielberg asked Michael Crichton what his current project was. Crichton said he was working on a novel about dinosaurs and DNA. Spielberg subsequently dropped what he was doing to film this project, which became ''Jurassic Park''. Afterwards, he returned to ''ER'' and helped develop the show, serving as a producer on season one and offering advice (he insisted on Julianna Margulies becoming a regular, for example). It was also through Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment that John Wells was contacted to be the show's executive producer.
Due to a lack of time and money to build a set, the pilot episode of ''ER'' was filmed in the former Linda Vista Community Hospital in Los Angeles, an old facility that ceased operating as a medical center in 1990.^[2] A set modelled after that hospital was built soon after at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California, although the show makes extensive use of location shoots in Chicago, most notably the city's famous "El" train platforms. Location shooting in Chicago has greatly diminished with the advent of better digital composite photography, thus allowing blue screen shots to substitute.
Michael Crichton wrote the script that became the pilot episode of the show in the early 1970s. It was based on some of his experiences working in an ER. By the time the pilot episode was shot and aired in 1994, it had been 20 years since it was written. On his commentary track, included on the first season DVD set, Crichton says that the script used to shoot the pilot was virtually unchanged from what he had written 20 years earlier. Dr. Lewis was written as a male character, and though producers decided Lewis should be a woman, that change didn't require an adjustment of her dialogue. The producers also decided Dr. Benton would be African-American, though he wasn't written that way. The original script had to be shortened by about 20 minutes in order to air in a two-hour block on network TV.

Episodes

Main articles: List of ER episodes

''ER'' has had many memorable episodes, and is particularly notable for broadcasting a live episode, "Ambush," in 1997, with the NBC camera crew disguised as a PBS crew making a documentary film in the hospital. The actors performed the show again three hours later so that the West Coast airing would be live as well. This episode received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic), and won the Emmy for Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series.
Most episodes center on the ER, with almost all scenes at the hospital. There are however often at least one scene showing the goings-on of the ER staff outside the hospital. Also, there is a tradition to feature one or a few episodes each season almost completely out of the ER, for example an episode in which Carol Hathaway is drawn in to a hostage drama in a grocery store, and one in which Mark Greene and Doug Ross go on a road trip to claim the body of Dr Ross' recently deceased father.

Cast

Main cast

The original cast of relatively unknown actors consisted of Anthony Edwards as Dr. Mark Greene, George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross, Sherry Stringfield as Dr. Susan Lewis, Noah Wyle as medical student John Carter, and Eriq La Salle as Dr. Peter Benton. Julianna Margulies guest starred in the pilot as Nurse Carol Hathaway and then became part of the regular cast.

Actor	Role	Appearance as Star		as Guest Star / Supporting Actor
		Season	Episode	Season	Episode
CURRENT (sorted by first appearance)
Goran Visnjic	Dr. Luka Kovac	6—	114—
Maura Tierney	Dr. Abby Lockhart	6—	125—	6	121
Mekhi Phifer	Dr. Gregory Pratt	9—	180—	8	175–177, 179
Parminder Nagra	Dr. Neela Rasgotra	10—	204—	10	202
Scott Grimes	Dr. Archie Morris	12—	246—	10–11	204–245 ''(25 episodes)''
Linda Cardellini	Nurse Samantha Taggart	10—	206—
John Stamos	Dr. Tony Gates	13—	269—	12	252–253
PAST (sorted by last appearance)
Shane West	Dr. Ray Barnett	11—13	224—290
Laura Innes	Dr. Kerry Weaver	3–13	48–280	2	26–29, 31, 34–35, 38, 40, 43–47
Sharif Atkins	Dr. Michael Gallant	8–10	172–219	8, 11, 12	164–266 ''(12 episodes)''
Noah Wyle	Dr. John Carter	1–11	1–245	12	259–260, 264–265
Sherry Stringfield	Dr. Susan Lewis	1–3, 8–12	1–55, 161–246
Ming-Na	Dr. Jing-Mei Chen	6–11	123–232	1	13–17, 19–21
Alex Kingston	Dr. Elizabeth Corday	4–11	70–227
Paul McCrane	Dr. Robert Romano	6–10	114–209	4, 5	74–113 ''(29 episodes)''
Anthony Edwards	Dr. Mark Greene	1–8	1–179
Michael Michele	Dr. Cleo Finch	6–8	114–167, 178
Eriq La Salle	Dr. Peter Benton	1–8	1–167, 172, 178
Erik Palladino	Dr. Dave Malucci	6–8	120–161	6	115–119
Julianna Margulies	Nurse Carol Hathaway	1–6	2–134	1	1
George Clooney	Dr. Doug Ross	1–5	1–106	6	134
Kellie Martin	Med student Lucy Knight	5–6	92–127
Gloria Reuben	PA Jeanie Boulet	2–6	31–119	1, 2	14–17, 20–28
Maria Bello	Dr. Anna Del Amico	4	70–91	3	67–69

Main cast departures

Sherry Stringfield, first departure on the show was in 1996, when her character, 'Dr. Susan Lewis', transferred her residency to Phoenix, Arizona, in the Season 3 episode "Union Station." In 2001, Stringfield returned to the series, reprising her role of Dr. Lewis, in the Season 8 episode "Never Say Never." She departed again in the Season 12 premiere, "Canon City." This second departure was not depicted, but rather mentioned by character Dr. Kerry Weaver four episodes later in "Wake Up," when she explains that Susan accepted a tenure position at a hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, after having been denied tenure at County.
After playing 'Dr. Anna Del Amico' for one season, Maria Bello was simply not a part of the ensemble cast when Season 5 began. Like Susan Lewis's second exit, her character's departure was mentioned but not depicted; in the season premiere, "Day for Knight," Carter explains to new medical student Lucy Knight that the locker she is inheriting used to belong to Anna Del Amico, who is working in a pediatric ER back in Philadelphia, where she has family and a boyfriend.
George Clooney left the show in 1999, in the Season 5 episode "The Storm, Part 2," when his character, 'Dr. Doug Ross', quit before being fired by County for his involvement in a patient's death. Clooney made a brief reappearance in the Season 6 episode "Such Sweet Sorrow" when his character reunited with Carol Hathaway.
Gloria Reuben departed early in Season 6, in the episode "The Peace of Wild Things," when her character, 'PA Jeanie Boulet', decided to become a stay-at-home mom and care for her newly adopted HIV-positive baby.
Kellie Martin, who played medical student 'Lucy Knight', left the series midway through Season 6 in the episode "All In The Family," when her character was killed by a patient suffering from an undiagnosed case of schizophrenia; his psychotic break occurred before a backed-up psychiatry department could arrive in the ER for a consult.
Julianna Margulies left the show at the end of Season 6, in the episode "Such Sweet Sorrow," when her character, 'nurse Carol Hathaway', decided on the spur of the moment to go to Seattle, Washington, and reunite with Doug Ross, her true love and the father of her twin daughters.
Erik Palladino departed early in Season 8, in the same episode that Sherry Stringfield returned in, "Never Say Never," an episode after his character, 'Dr. Dave Malucci', was fired for improper conduct.
Eriq La Salle's character, 'Dr. Peter Benton', departed in the Season 8 episode "I'll Be Home For Christmas" in order to spend more time with his son, Reese, and his girlfriend, former fellow ER doctor Cleo Finch, portrayed by Michael Michele, who also left the show in the same episode.
Anthony Edwards's character, 'Dr. Mark Greene', died of a brain tumor in Season 8's penultimate episode, "On the Beach." Both Eriq La Salle and Michael Michele made brief cameo appearances in that episode when their characters, Peter Benton and Cleo Finch, were shown in attendance at Mark's funeral. Unusually, Anthony Edwards was credited in the following episode "Lockdown".
Paul McCrane's character, 'Dr. Robert Romano', whose arm had been severed just above the elbow by a helicopter's tail rotor in the Season 9 premiere "Chaos Theory," was killed in the Season 10 episode "Freefall" when a helicopter that was taking off from the hospital roof was buffeted by strong winds, causing it to crash on the roof and plummet over the side of the building; it fell into a crowded ambulance bay and landed squarely on Romano.
Sharif Atkins left the series twice; once in the Season 10 episode "Where There's Smoke," when his character, 'Dr. Michael Gallant', revealed that the Army was sending him to Iraq, and more definitively in the Season 12 episode "The Gallant Hero and The Tragic Victor," when he was killed by a roadside bomb while serving a second tour.
Alex Kingston's character, 'Dr. Elizabeth Corday', left the series in the Season 11 episode "Fear" after getting in trouble for performing an illegal organ donation procedure; rather than being summarily fired, County offered her a demotion to a non-tenured position, but she turned it down and opted to return to England instead. In an interview with Britain's ''Radio Times'' magazine, Kingston spoke of being written off the show due to her age, a statement that sparked some controversy. She later withdrew that claim.^[3]
Ming-Na left in Season 11 when her character, 'Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen', quit the ER in the episode "Twas the Night" in order to take care of her ailing father, whom she later mercy killed. This was the second time her character left County General; in Season 1, medical student "Deb" Chen recurred in an eight episode story arc which concluded (apparently not permanently) with her quitting medical school after deciding she was better suited to research than to applied medicine.
Noah Wyle left in the Season 11 finale, "The Show Must Go On." His character, 'Dr. John Carter', had decided to reunite in Africa with his girlfriend Kem Likasu (portrayed by Thandie Newton). During Season 12, Wyle returned as Carter and made guest appearances in four episodes: "Quintessence of Dust," "Darfur," "No Place to Hide," and "There Are No Angels Here."
Laura Innes left midway through Season 13, in the episode "A House Divided," when a reluctant Kovač was forced by budget cuts to fire her character, 'Dr. Kerry Weaver'. After bracing for a battle to keep her position, and in spite of the fact that Kovač realized he must find a way to keep her on staff, Weaver ultimately decided to resign from County and accept a job offer from a television station in Miami, Florida.
Shane West also left at the end of the 13th season after his character, 'Ray Barnett' lost both his legs and returned to Baton Rouge with his mother to recuperate. His character may return during the 14th season. West's final appearance as a main cast member was in "The Honeymoon is Over."
Goran Višnjić is expected to leave the main cast at an indeterminate time during the 14th season. At present, his character, 'Dr. Luka Kovač' is in his native Croatia to be with his ailing father. Despite persistent misinformation on the web, largely circulated by internet message boards and media websites who picked up an erroneous report originally published in TV Guide, Visnjic has not yet left the show or main cast, as confirmed by both Visnjic and ER Executive Producer David Zabel. Visnjic remains listed as main cast in promotional materials for the Fall, 2007 season circulated by NBC during both the May "upfronts" and fall Television Critics Association meeting, as well as on the NBC and NBC Universal Media websites for the show.

Notable guest stars

Memorable appearances on the show have included:

★ Bradley Whitford in 1995 (as the husband of a woman who dies at the hands of Dr. Greene in a complicated emergency delivery and files a malpractice suit)

★ Lucy Liu in 1995 (as an Asian Immigrant whose son suffers from AIDS. She was credited as "Lucy Alexis Liu.")

★ Jorja Fox in 1996-99 as Dr. Maggie Doyle, a gay resident who eventually tried to bring a sexual harassment lawsuit against Dr. Robert Romano.

★ Marg Helgenberger in 1996 as one of Dr. Doug Ross's many flings.

★ George Eads in 1996 as a paramedic.

★ Kirsten Dunst in 1996–97 (as a troubled teenager)

★ Ewan McGregor in 1997 (as a convenience store gunman)

★ Mariska Hargitay as Cynthia Hooper (A desk clerk Dr. Greene dated)

★ John Cullum in a series of 15 episodes between 1997 and 2000 (as Mark Greene's father)

★ Rebecca De Mornay in 1999 (as a breast cancer survivor)

★ Emile Hirsch in 1999 (as a teenage alcoholic)

★ David Krumholtz in 2000 and 2002 (as a schizophrenic who stabs Lucy Knight and Dr. Carter)

★ Zac Efron in 2002 (as an injured teen)

★ Ed Asner in 2003 (as a thieving clinician)

★ Cynthia Nixon in 2005 (as a stroke victim)

★ Kristen Johnston in 2005 as Eve Peyton, a zealous nurse manager.

★ John Leguizamo in 2005 (as Dr. Victor Clemente, a zealous but troubled attending physician)

★ James Woods in 2006 (as an ALS-stricken biochemistry professor)
Most recently, academy award winner Forest Whitaker appeared from 2006–07 (as a patient who files a malpractice suit and takes desperate revenge against Luka Kovač), and Stanley Tucci as the poised but stern Chief of Emergency Medicine Kevin Moretti in 2007.
Guest stars whose performances earned them Emmy nominations include:

★ Rosemary Clooney in 1995 (for playing Alzheimer's patient "Madame X")

★ Alan Alda in 2000 (for playing Dr. Gabe Lawrence, an Alzheimer's-stricken doctor and one-time teacher of Kerry Weaver)

★ Mary McDonnell in 2002 (for playing Eleanor Carter, the mother of Dr. Carter)

★ Don Cheadle in 2003 (for playing Paul Nathan, a medical student with Parkinson's Disease),

★ Bob Newhart in 2004 (for playing Ben Hollander, an architecture model maker losing his sight).

★ Sally Field (for playing Maggie Wyczenski, Abby Lockhart's mother) and Ray Liotta (for playing a regret-ridden, dying alcoholic) won Emmys in 2001 and 2005, respectively, for their portrayals.

Supporting cast

Main articles: List of supporting characters in ER (TV series)

References to real medical cases

Throughout the series run, many mentions of actual medical cases were used. The medical cases were:

★ A dentist in Florida whom had AIDS and transferred it to his patients (referenced by an AIDS clinic doctor in "Let the Games begin")

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of ''ER'' on NBC.
''Note: 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 & Pacific time zones.''

Season	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season	Viewer Rank (#)	Viewers (in millions)
1st	September 19, 1994	May 18, 1995	1994-1995	2[4]	28.9
2nd	September 21, 1995	May 16, 1996	1995-1996	1	32.0
3rd	September 26, 1996	May 15, 1997	1996-1997	1	30.8
4th	September 25, 1997	May 14, 1998	1997-1998	2	30.2
5th	September 24, 1998	May 20, 1999	1998-1999	1[5]	25.4
6th	September 30, 1999	May 18, 2000	1999-2000	4	25.0[6]
7th	October 12, 2000	May 17, 2001	2000-2001	2[7]	22.4
8th	September 27, 2001	May 16, 2002	2001-2002	3[8]	22.1
9th	September 26, 2002	May 15, 2003	2002-2003	4[9]	20.0
10th	September 25, 2003	May 13, 2004	2003-2004	8[10]	19.5
11th	September 23, 2004	May 19, 2005	2004-2005	16[11]	15.5
12th	September 22, 2005	May 18, 2006	2005-2006	30[12]	12.3
13th	September 21, 2006	May 17, 2007	2006-2007	31[13]	11.5[13]
14th	September 27, 2007		2007-2008

Awards and nominations

''ER'' won the George Foster Peabody Award in 1995. In addition, the series has earned 120 Emmy Award nominations, making it the most Emmy Nominated show in history.^[15] as well as 22 Emmy Awards (at least one every year up to and including 2005, except for 2004). It also won the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Television Dramatic Series" every year from 1997 to 2002. Over the years, it has been nominated for and/or won numerous other awards, including Screen Actors Guild Awards, Image Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and Golden Globe Awards, among others.^[16]
The following is a partial list of major awards and nominations received by the show, its cast, and crew.

Awards

'Emmy Awards'

★ Outstanding Drama Series (1996)

★ Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series—Julianna Margulies (1995)

★ Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Drama Series—Mimi Leder for episode "Love's Labor Lost" (1995)

★ Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series—Sally Field (2001)

★ Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series—Ray Liotta (2005)
'Golden Globe Awards'

★ Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Drama—Anthony Edwards (1998)
'Screen Actors Guild Awards'

★ Best Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series (1996-1999) 4 wins

★ Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series—Julianna Margulies (1998-99) 2 wins

★ Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—Anthony Edwards (1996, 1998) 2 wins

Nominations

'Emmy Awards'

★ Outstanding Drama Series (1995, 1997-2001) 6 nominations

★ Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series—Anthony Edwards (1995-98) 4 nominations

★ Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series—George Clooney (1995-96) 2 nominations

★ Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series- Alex Kingston (2002)

★ Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series—Julianna Margulies (1997-2000) 4 nominations

★ Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series—Sherry Stringfield (1995-97) 3 nominations

★ Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series—Noah Wyle (1995-99) 5 nominations

★ Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series—Eriq La Salle (1995, 1997-98) 3 nominations

★ Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series- Paul McCrane (2001)

★ Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series—Maura Tierney (2001)

★ Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series—Laura Innes (1997-98) 2 nominations

★ Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series—Gloria Reuben (1997-98) 2 nominations

★ Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series—Julianna Margulies (1996)

★ Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series-Forest Whitaker (2007)

★ Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series—James Woods (2006)

★ Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series—Red Buttons (2005)

★ Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series—Bob Newhart (2004)

★ Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series—Don Cheadle (2003)

★ Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series—Sally Field (2003)
'Golden Globe Awards'

★ Best TV Series-Drama (1995-2001) 7 nominations

★ Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Drama—Anthony Edwards (1996-97, 1999) 3 nominations

★ Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Drama—George Clooney (1996-98) 3 nominations

★ Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Drama—Julianna Margulies (1999-2000) 3 nominations

★ Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Drama—Sherry Stringfield (1996-97) 2 nominations

★ Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a TV Series—Noah Wyle (1997-99) 3 nominations

★ Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a TV Series—Eriq La Salle (1998)

★ Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a TV Series—Gloria Reuben (1998)

★ Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a TV Series—Julianna Margulies (1996)

★ Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a TV Series—CCH Pounder (1997)
'Screen Actors Guild Awards'

★ Best Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series (1995, 1998, 2000-01) 4 nominations

★ Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series—Sally Field (2001)

★ Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series—Julianna Margulies (1996)

★ Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—Anthony Edwards (1997, 1999, 2001) 3 nominations

★ Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—George Clooney (1996-97) 2 nominations

DVD releases

Season	Date of Region 1 DVD Release	Date of UK Region 2 DVD Release
The Complete First Season (1994-1995)	August 26, 2003	February 23, 2004
The Complete Second Season (1995-1996)	April 27, 2004	July 26, 2004
The Complete Third Season (1996-1997)	April 26, 2005	January 31, 2005
The Complete Fourth Season (1997-1998)	December 20, 2005	May 16, 2005
The Complete Fifth Season (1998-1999)	July 11, 2006	October 24, 2005
The Complete Sixth Season (1999-2000)	December 19, 2006[17]	April 3, 2006
The Complete Seventh Season (2000-2001)	May 15, 2007	September 18, 2006
The Complete Eighth Season (2001-2002)	Not yet released	July 16, 2007[18]
The Complete Ninth Season (2002-2003)	Not yet released	October 29, 2007[19]
The Complete Tenth Season (2003-2004)	Not yet released	Not yet released
The Complete Eleventh Season (2004-2005)	Not yet released	Not yet released
The Complete Twelfth Season (2005-2006)	Not yet released	Not yet released
The Complete Thirteenth Season (2006-2007)	Not yet released	Not yet released

The first six DVD box sets of ''ER'' are unusual in the fact that they are all in anamorphic widescreen even though these episodes were broadcast in a standard 4:3 format. Only the live episode "Ambush" is not in the widescreen format.
The first six seasons of the series have also been released in Hong Kong and other markets.

References

1. [1]
2. http://ludb.clui.org/ex/i/CA6083/#
3. http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C88645%7C1%7C,00.html
4. A Dramatic Achievement (Variety Magazine) – Maynard, Kevin: ''While cast revolves, auds stay involved'' (from Mai 2003), access on October 23, 2006
5. TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket A Final Tally Of The Season's Show (from Nielsen Media Research)
6. Quotenmeter.de: ''US-Jahrescharts 1999/2000'', access on October 23, 2006
7. Outback in Front: CBS Wins Season Mark Armstrong
8. How did your favorite show rate?
9. TV Season Wraps; 'CSI' Rules
10. "Idol" Rules TV Season
11. 2004-05 Final audience and ratings figures
12. 2005-06 primetime wrap
13. Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap
14. Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap
15. 2005-2006 Facts and Figures from the Emmy Awards. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
16. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108757/awards
17. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6278
18. http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/3350001/E_R_Season_8/Product.html
19. http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/3438579/-/Product.html

External links

★ ER's official "Warner Bros. website" (last updated in 2004)

★ ER's official "NBC website"