What a long, wild gurney ride it's been!
NBC's celebrated medical drama, ER, ends its 15-season, 332-episode run tonight with a two-hour finale (preceded by a one-hour clip-trip down Memory Lane).
To give you some sense of what an eternity that is in broadcast terms, some of ER's coevals from the Class of '94 include Party of Five, Friends, Touched by an Angel, and My So-Called Life.
There are many reasons for ER's longevity. The series had legs . . . and arms, internal organs, sucking chest wounds, and every other injury and ailment imaginable.
ER blazed an unprecedentedly realistic depiction of the visceral, pressurized practice of emergency medicine at a big city hospital. (Prolific fiction writer Michael Crichton, who passed away in November, created the show, based on his own experiences as a doctor-in-training.)
It was set at a crazily amped-up pace with stunningly uninterrupted tracking shots following the frantic staff through the corridors of Chicago's County General Hospital.
At the same time, ER provided a satisfying look at the characters' personal and romantic lives in the hours they were able to snatch from the whirlwind that was their profession. All of this was lightly seasoned with a piquant sense of humor.
Another factor in the show's long run was its knack for transfusing fresh blood. Unlike any other drama in TV history (with Law & Order as its only competition), ER was able to replace departing cast members over and over with intriguing new additions.
ER's original stars - George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies, Eriq LaSalle, Noah Wyle, and Sherry Stringfield - undoubtedly made the show a ratings monster. The series landed in the Nielsen Top 10 throughout its first 10 years, usually finishing first or second. For three consecutive seasons (1995-98), ER attracted more than 30 million viewers each week.
A remarkable roster of actors has scrubbed in over the years. A partial list includes Maura Tierney, Goran Visnjic, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Glenne Headly, a pre-CSI Jorja Fox, Michael Michele, Amy Aquino, Paul McCrane, Alex Kingston, Laura Innes, John Stamos, and, this season, Angela Bassett.
Of course, the reason that doctors, lawyers and cops have always been staples of network fare is their capacity for generating stories. They all come into contact with a wide range of humanity, often in dramatic circumstances.
But ER is the only TV franchise for which the phrase "guest stars" actually applies. The series is legendary for the caliber of its dayplayers including Hal Holbrook, James Woods, Ray Liotta, Susan Sarandon, Piper Laurie, Red Buttons, Bob Newhart, Lou Gossett Jr., Julie Delpy, even teen heartthrob Zac Efron.
The final entrants in that category tonight are Ernest Borgnine and Alexis (Gilmore Girls) Bledel.
Other actors have made unforgettable impressions in recurring roles, particularly Sally Field, Alan Alda, and Forest Whitaker.
Along the way, ER loosened the sitcom's choke hold on prime time and ushered in TV's Golden Age of drama.
It also made a movie star of Clooney, who until ER was perhaps best known as a fix-it man on The Facts of Life.
The classic episode "Hell and High Water" in the second season showcased Clooney's heroic potential as his Dr. Ross struggled to rescue a boy from a flooding storm drain. Within days of its airing, Clooney was approached to play the Caped Crusader in Batman & Robin.
Still, all but the most diehard fans would agree that ER overstayed its welcome. The show probably started to come off the rails in the ninth season with a pretentious and superfluous story line that sent Drs. Kovac and Carter (Visnjic and Wyle) to the Congo.
Increasingly, the series known for its hyperrealism came to rely on outrageously ginned-up catastrophes: a poisonous snake loose in the hospital, a run-amok Zamboni driver, helicopter crashes, and in one memorable episode, a tank rampaging through the streets of Chicago. This season opened with the always popular exploding ambulance.
For whatever reason, viewers began to check out against medical advice. In the 2005-06 season, ER dropped out of the Nielsen Top 25 for the first time. Last season it finished 53d among all series. It had enjoyed a slight uptick to 49 so far this season, attributable to the highly promoted returns of departed cast favorites such as Clooney, Margulies, LaSalle, Wyle, and Edwards. (In the latter's case it had to take the form of flashbacks, since his character, the long-suffering Dr. Greene, died six years ago.)
Tonight, we put aside that long decline to celebrate the singular glory that for so long was ER.
Because in a few hours, when Dr. Carter opens his free clinic for Chicago's underprivileged, there's a good chance the beloved old guard will turn out in force to congratulate him.
At least a fan can hope. Or what's a trauma unit for?
Longest-Running Dramas in Prime Time
Name of Show Episodes Years Aired
Gunsmoke 635 (1955-1975)
Lassie 588 (1954-1973)
Death Valley Days 453 (1952-1970)
Law & Order 433 (1990-present)
Bonanza 430 (1959-1973)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents 361 (1955-1965)
Dallas 357 (1978-1991)
Knots Landing 344 (1979-1993)
ER 332 (1994-present)
Beverly Hills, 90210 298 (1990-2000)
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