ER Needs to E.N.D

Many moons ago, NBC and Michael Crichton, a man best known for his dinosaur books, began the saga of a bunch of ER doctors in a fictional public Chicago hospital. That series, with the economic little title, ER. and the gory realistic trauma room visuals, quickly became the most talked-about series of the year. 

For almost a decade, ER was the number one drama on network TV. Even when most of it’s original cast members left, the show went on, keeping fans interest with new characters and storylines that continue to keep the pulses pounding. But now, sadly, even those second-shift players are not enough to keep the show from being overkill, redundant, and old. It’s time to say goodbye to ER.

ER first won fans with it’s frenetic energy. The incoming wounded, the unexpected trauma, the blood and guts. It also won fans with it’s likable cast. Anthony Edwards as beleaguered but stalwart Mark Greene led playboy doc Doug Ross (George Clooney) his star-crossed girlfriend nurse Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), tough and intense Peter Benton (Eriq LaSalle), competent Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) who had ongoing family problems, and of course, med student John Carter (Noah Wyle). 

The cast, and a fleet of supporting, recurring players like William H Macy and CCH Pounder hit the ground running. It may be hard for fans to remember when the big unfulfilled romance was Greene’s love for Lewis, but that’s where the show started.

In the next years, ER cast changes have often given us characters as good as the original set. New editions like Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), Robert Romano (Paul McCrane) and Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) were among the new faces that fit right in. As Clooney left, Goran Visnjic showed up as Luka Kovac, whose good to bad to good arc was as interesting as Ross’. Hathaway left, but not before Maura Tierney joined the cast as Abby Lockhart, maybe the truest female lead character the show has had.