TV Review - Why ER Needs to Call it Quits

What ever happened to the ER of old, with the interaction of Carter, Dr. Peter Benton, and Dr. Doug Ross? The scripts of ER today are composites of the groundbreaking scripts of the show's early years. The proven formula of an overloaded ER, doctors with complicated personal lives, and the threat of legal action or a big disaster just doesn't work anymore.

While it is true that the new cast of ER includes some great actors, and occasionally there are interesting plots (think of the shows surrounding the death of one of the doctors in Iraq), it is time to end the show. In the early days, the trauma scenes were much better, there wasn't as much focus on the personal lives, and the scenes that did focus on the personal lives of the doctors were much better. They were a little less like a soap opera than those of today's ER.

There are some very good reasons why the show is still on the air; there is still a large audience. However, for a series to last as long as ER, which has even topped the 11 year M*A*S*H* run, there needs to be a conscious commitment to continue to have a relevant message. It isn't enough to say the same things over and over again, just with a slightly different angle. Quite honestly, ER does not have that quality, where as M*A*S*H* worked hard to develop that quality in its later seasons.

The biggest reason to pull the plug on ER is that the series really doesn't have much to say anymore. In the early days, there wasn't much like it on TV. Today, there is a whole new generation of shows such as House and Bones that are much better, which have things to say. If nothing else, ER should be pulled to make the way for new, innovative shows.