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ER is an 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.

Series run

ER is NBC's second longest-running drama (after Law & Order), and, with 14 seasons, is the longest-running American primetime medical drama of all time.. ER premiered on September 19, 1994 and has been aired on Thursday nights at 10:00 for its entire run. Before the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike it was widely speculated that the fourteenth season of ER would be its last. However producer John Wells has indicated he plans to negotiate a fifteenth season with NBC, given only 13 scripts of the 22 ordered are complete, which potentially ends the season with several incomplete stories. On November 28, NBC announced it would air a new mid-season replacement series in ER's timeslot, Lipstick Jungle, when ER runs out of original episodes due to the Writer's Strike.

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. A set modelled after Los Angeles County General Hospital's emergency room 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 "L" train platforms.

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.

ER is unique in that the series was filmed in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen from the start, even though it did not air in widescreen until the seventh season when it began appearing in the 1080i HD format where NBC was being broadcast digitally. Since the beginning of the seventh season, it has appeared in letterbox format when in standard definition. As a result, every DVD box set shows the widescreen versions of the episodes, even the first six seasons that were not originally broadcast in widescreen. The episodes also appear in 1080i widescreen when rerun on TNT HD, though the first six seasons still show in fullscreen on the normal TNT network. Only the live episode "Ambush" at the beginning of the fourth season, and the opening credits for the first six seasons, are in standard 4:3 aspect.

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 is, 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 into 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 Mark Greene, George Clooney as Doug Ross, Sherry Stringfield as Susan Lewis, Noah Wyle as John Carter, and Eriq La Salle as Peter Benton. Julianna Margulies guest starred in the pilot as Carol Hathaway and then became part of the regular cast.

Main cast departures

Sherry Stringfield's first departure on the show was in 1996, when her character, 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 Kerry Weave 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 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, 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, Jeanie Boulet, decided to become a stay-at-home mom and care for her newly adopted HIV-positive baby. She returned in season 14 for one episode with her HIV positive child.

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, 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, Dave Malucci, was fired for improper conduct.

Eriq La Salle's character, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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.

Ming-Na left in Season 11 when her character, Jing-Mei Chen, quit the ER in the episode "Twas the Night" in order to take care of her ailing father, whom she later euthanized. 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, 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." He is reported to make further guest appearances in season 14 by David Zabel who claims "He'll be in Chicago in the ER, interacting with all our people," and not running around in Africa. His return is so that his character can check out the Joshua-Carter centre.

Laura Innes left midway through Season 13, in the episode "A House Divided," when a reluctant Luka Kovač was forced by budget cuts to fire her character, 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, Luka Kovač is in his native Croatia to be with his father, who required surgery for cancer followed by an extended recuperation. As the new season opened, the character remained active through dialogue and discussion of the status of his stay in Croatia. Višnjić returned to the role briefly in the fifth episode of the season, and appeared in a few more episodes as well. Luka's father had recently passed away and now he's back in Croatia for the funeral. Višnjić did not appear on the January 3, 2008 episode, and no mention of his return has been brought up.

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.
• Sanford Meisner as Joseph Klein, a terminally ill patient inadvertently given a reprieve by Carter. (1995)
• 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)
• Lea Salonga in 2001 "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (as Amparo, the mother of a young boy who fell while putting up Christmas lights. She has lymphoma, but requests that the doctors not tell her family, who are all in the waiting room as well.)
• Jared Padalecki in 2001 (as a car crash survivor named Paul Harris)
• Zac Efron in 2002 (as an injured teen named Bobby Neville)
• Ed Asner in 2003 (as a thieving clinician)
• Thandie Newton as Dr. Carter's love interest and mother of his stillborn son.
• 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)
• Shia LaBeouf in 2000 as Darnel Smith, a kid with muscular dystrophy

Guest stars whose performances won them Emmys are:

• Sally Field in 2001 for playing Maggie Wyczenski, Abby Lockhart's mother
• Ray Liotta in 2005, for playing a regret-ridden, dying alcoholic Charlie Metcalf

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)
• James Cromwell in 2001 as an ailing Roman Catholic Bishop who takes an interest in Luka, and coaxes a confession from Luka before dying
• 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).
• Forest Whitaker in 2007 (for playing Curtis Ames a patient filing a lawsuit against Luka Kovač.)

Supporting cast

U.S. television ratings

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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.

Awards and nominations

ER won the George Foster Peabody Award in 1995. In addition, the series has earned 123 Emmy Award nominations, making it the most Emmy-nominated show in history. 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 1995 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.

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—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

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. All "Previously on ER" segments are removed from each episode. The DVD's are boxes containing 4 discs (either 4 (seasons 1 and 2), with episodes on both sides of the disc, the fourth disc containing all special features) or 6 discs ((seasons 3-up), special features and episodes on one side of each disc only).

The first six seasons of the series have also been released in Hong Kong and other markets. Other Region 2 markets have different release dates. In Germany, Season 9 was released on 7 September 2007. Similarly, Season 10 will be released to the German market on 7 December 2007. amazon.de

Other media

• Soundtrack - Various compositions from season 1 and 2 episodes by James Newton Howard.
• Game - A video game, where the player takes control of a character in the series and treats patients.

References

2. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-erpossible15thseason,0,4594680.story?track=rss
3. http://ludb.clui.org/ex/i/CA6083/#
4. http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C88645%7C1%7C,00.html
5. ^ A Dramatic Achievement (Variety Magazine) – Maynard, Kevin: While cast revolves, auds stay involved (from Mai 2003), access on October 23, 2006
6. ^ "TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket A Final Tally Of The Season's Show (from Nielsen Media Research)". Entertainment Weekly. June 4, 1999.
7. Quotenmeter.de: US-Jahrescharts 1999/2000, access on October 23, 2006
8. ^ Armstrong, Mark (May 25, 2001). "Outback in Front: CBS Wins Season". E! Online.
9. ^ "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002.
10. ^ Ryan, Joal (May 22, 2003). "TV Season Wraps; 'CSI' Rules". E! Online. Retrieved 2006-09-16.
11. ^ Ryan, Joal (May 27, 2004). ""Idol" Rules TV Season". E! Online. Retrieved 2006-10-14.
12. ^ "2004-05 Final audience and ratings figures". Hollywood Reporter. May 27, 2005.
13. ^ "2005-06 primetime wrap". Hollywood Reporter. May 26, 2006.
14. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap". May 25 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
15. http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/progcal/dispDNR.aspx?id=010308_08
16. http://www.abcmedianet.com/web/progcal/dispDNR.aspx?id=010308_08
17. 2005-2006 Facts and Figures from the Emmy Awards. Retrieved July 22, 2006.
18. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108757/awards
19. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6278
20. TV Shows on DVD press release
21. Play.com Release
22. http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/3438579/-/Product.html

See also

• House (TV series)‎
• Grey's Anatomy

External links

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

• ER
• 1994 television series debuts
• 1990s American television series
• 2000s American television series
• Television series by Warner Bros. Television
• Medical television series
• NBC network shows
• Nielsen Ratings winners
• Peabody Award winners
• Drama television series
• Screenplays by Michael Crichton
• Television shows set in Chicago