. It is produced by Constant c Productions and
), and has been renewed for the 2007-2008 season, the show's 14th. In May 2006, NBC announced that for the 2006-2007 season, NBC will air 12 original
time slot (Thursday at 10 p.m.) beginning in January. The remaining original
episodes will then be shown in the spring of 2007.
is notable for broadcasting a live episode, "Ambush," in 1997, with the NBC camera crew disguised as a
crew making a documentary film in the hospital. Even more unusual, the actors performed the show again three hours later so that the
airing would be live as well.
Other particularly notable episodes include "Love's Labor Lost" (1995), "Hell and High Water" (1995), "The Long Way Around" (1997), "Random Acts" (1997), "All in the Family" (2000), "The Crossing" (2001), "On the Beach" (2002), "The Lost" (2003), "Freefall" (2003), "Time of Death" (2004), "Alone in a Crowd" (2005), and "Body and Soul" (2006).
.
and then became part of the regular cast.
{| cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0.1|- style="background-color:#E0E0E0"
| CURRENT | | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Goran Višnjić | Dr. Luka KovaÄŤ | 6â€" | 114â€" | | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Maura Tierney | Nurse/Dr. Abby Lockhart | 6â€" | 125â€" | 6 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Mekhi Phifer | Dr. Gregory Pratt | 9â€" | 180â€" | 8 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Parminder Nagra | Med student/Dr. Neela Rasgotra | 10â€" | 204â€" | 10 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Linda Cardellini | Nurse Samantha Taggart | 10â€" | 206â€" | | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Shane West | Dr. Ray Barnett | 11â€" | 224â€" | | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Scott Grimes | Dr. Archie Morris | 12â€" | 246â€" | 10â€"11 | (25 episodes)>- style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | John Stamos | Paramedic/Dr. Tony Gates | 13â€" | 269â€" | 12 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Laura Innes | Dr. Kerry Weaver | 3â€" | 48â€" | 2 | - style="background-color:#E0E0E0" | PAST | | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Anthony Edwards | Dr. Mark Greene | 1â€"8 | 1â€"179 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | George Clooney | Dr. Doug Ross | 1â€"5 | 1â€"106 | 6 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Sherry Stringfield | Dr. Susan Lewis | 1â€"3, 8â€"12 | 1â€"55, 161â€"246 | | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Noah Wyle | Med student/Dr. John Carter | 1â€"11 | 1â€"245 | 12 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Julianna Margulies | Nurse Carol Hathaway | 1â€"6 | 2â€"134 | 1 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Eriq La Salle | Dr. Peter Benton | 1â€"8 | 1â€"167, 172, 178 | | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Gloria Reuben | PA Jeanie Boulet | 2â€"6 | 31â€"119 | 1, 2 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Maria Bello | Dr. Anna Del Amico | 4 | 70â€"91 | 3 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Alex Kingston | Dr. Elizabeth Corday | 4â€"11 | 70â€"227 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Kellie Martin | Med student Lucy Knight | 5â€"6 | 92â€"127 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Paul McCrane | Dr. Robert Romano | 6â€"10 | 114â€"209 | 4, 5 | (29 episodes)>- style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Michael Michele | Dr. Cleo Finch | 6â€"8 | 114â€"167, 178 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Erik Palladino | Dr. Dave Malucci | 6â€"8 | 120â€"161 | 6 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Ming-Na | Med student/Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen | 6â€"11 | 123â€"232 | 1 | - style="background-color:#F9F9F9" | Sharif Atkins | Dr. Michael Gallant | 8â€"10 | 172â€"219 | 8, 11, 12 | (12 episodes)>}Main cast departuresThe show has remained very popular despite the departure of not only its entire original cast, but many of the actors that subsequently joined the series.
The first such departure was that of Sherry Stringfield in 1996, when her character, Dr. Susan Lewis, transferred her residency to Phoenix 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 after having been passed over for one at County.
After playing Dr. Anna Del Amico for just 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 med 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 baby.
Kellie Martin, who played med 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 psych department could come down to 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," when 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, Reece, 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.
In the Season 10 episode "Freefall," Paul McCrane's character, Dr. Robert Romano, was killed 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 we find out that 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 qualified that claim.[http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C88645%7C1%7C,00.html]
Ming-Na left in Season 11 as well (for the second time), when her character, Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen, quit in the episode "Twas the Night" in order to look after her ailing father. In the first season, Chen (then a recurring role and known by her Americanized name) had quit medical school after deciding she was better suited to research than to medical practice.
And finally, Noah Wyle left in the Season 11 finale, "The Show Must Go On," when his character, Dr. John Carter, decided to reunite with his girlfriend Kem Likasu (portrayed by Thandie Newton) in Africa. Wyle was the last of the original cast members to depart, though he made four guest appearances in Season 12 and will also do so in Season 13.Notable guest starsSeveral guest stars have made memorable appearances on the show, including Kirsten Dunst in 1996â€"97 (as a troubled teenager), Ewan McGregor in 1997 (as a convenience store gunman), Rebecca De Mornay in 1999 (as a breast cancer survivor), Ed Asner in 2003 (as a thieving clinician), Cynthia Nixon in 2005 (as a stroke victim), and James Woods in 2006 (as Dr. Nate Lennox, an ALS-stricken biochemistry professor).
Guest stars whose performances garnered them Emmy nominations include Rosemary Clooney in 1995, Alan Alda in 2000 (for playing Dr. Gabriel Lawrence, an aging 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), and Bob Newhart in 2004 (for playing Ben Hollander, an architect losing his sight). Sally Field (playing Maggie Wyczenski, Abby Lockhart's mother) and Ray Liotta (playing a regret-ridden, dying alcoholic) won Emmys in 2001 and 2005, respectively, for their portrayals.Supporting castThe following actors have played supporting roles for three or more seasons:
*Khandi Alexander as Jackie Robbins (1995â€"2001)
*Sam Anderson as Dr. Jack Kayson (1994â€"1995, 1997â€"1999, 2001â€")
*Amy Aquino as Dr. Janet Coburn (1994â€")
*John Aylward as Dr. Donald Anspaugh (1996â€")
*Michael Beach as Al Boulet (1995â€"1997)
*Abraham Benrubi as desk clerk Jerry Markovic (1994â€"1999, 2002â€")
*Michelle Bonilla as EMT Harms (1999â€")
*Conni Marie Brazelton as Nurse Conni Oligario (1994â€"2003)
*David Brisbin as Dr. Alexander Babcock (1998â€"2002)
*Laura CerĂłn as Nurse Chuny Marquez (1995â€")
*Ellen Crawford as Nurse Lydia Wright (1994â€"2003)
*John Cullum as David Greene (1997â€"2000)
*Deezer D. as Nurse Malik McGrath (1994â€")
*Troy Evans as Officer Martin (1994 pilot); as desk clerk Frank Martin (2000â€")
*Sally Field as Maggie Wyczenski (2000â€"2003)
*Yvette Freeman as Nurse Haleh Adams (1994â€")
*Jorja Fox as Dr. Maggie Doyle (1996-1999)
*Mike Genovese as Officer Al Grabarsky(1995â€"1996, 1998â€"2000)
*Erica Gimpel as Adele Newman (1997â€"2003)
*Matthew Glave as Dr. Dale Edson (1996â€"1999, 2001â€"2002)
*Rose Gregorio as Helen Hathaway (1996â€"1999)
*Michael Gross as John "Jack" Carter Jr. (2001â€"2004)
*Christine Harnos as Jennifer "Jenn" Greene (1994â€"1996); as Jennifer "Jenn" Simon (1996â€"1998; 2001â€"2002)
*Lynn A. Henderson as Paramedic Pamela Olbes (1995â€")
*Ed Lauter as Fire Captain Dannaker (1998â€"2002)
*Dinah Lenney as Nurse Shirley (1995â€"2004, 2006-)
*Brian Lester as EMT Dumar (1996â€")
*Louie Liberti as Paramedic Tony Bardelli (2003â€")
*Bellina Logan as Nurse Kit (1996â€"2003; 2005â€")
*William H. Macy as Dr. David Morgenstern (1994â€"1998)
*Lily Mariye as Nurse Lily Jarvik (1994â€")
*Vanessa Marquez as Student nurse Wendy Goldman (1994â€"1997)
*Kristin Minter as desk clerk Miranda "Randi" Fronczak (1995â€"2003)
*Demetrius Navarro as EMT Morales (1998â€")
*CCH Pounder as Dr. Angela Hicks (1994-1998)
*Kyle Richards as Nurse Dori (2000â€")
*Lucy Rodriguez as Nurse Bjerke (1996; 2000â€"2003)
*MontĂ© Russell as Paramedic Dwight Zadro (1995â€")
*Nadia Shazana as Jacy (2001â€"2004)
*Michael B. Silver as Dr. Paul Myers (1995, 1997â€"2000, 2003, 2005)
*Frances Sternhagen as Millicent Carter (1997â€"2003)
*Lisa Vidal as CFD Lt. Sandy Lopez (2001â€"2004)
*Emily Wagner as Paramedic Doris Pickman (1994â€")
*Gedde Watanabe as Nurse Yosh Takata (1997â€"2003)
*Yvonne Zima as Rachel Greene (1994â€"2000)* The pilot episode of ER was filmed in an old, abandoned hospital due to a lack of time and money to build a set. One was soon after built 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" trains.
* 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.
* The show's setting, County General Hospital, is loosely based on the former Cook County Hospital on West Harrison Street in Chicago.
* Julianna Margulies's character, nurse Carol Hathaway, was originally supposed to be in the pilot episode of the series only (she was scripted to commit suicide), but test audiences responded so positively to her that the producers asked Margulies to continue on the show. Carol Hathaway survived her suicide attempt and was written into the series, and Margulies remained a regular cast member for six seasons.
* Maria Bello, playing Dr. Anna Del Amico, was only set to guest star on the last three episodes of Season 3, but the show's producers were so impressed by her they decided to keep her on as a regular.
* John Wells cast Parminder Nagra after being a fan of her hit film Bend It Like Beckham.
* As of the time he left, Noah Wyle had been the longest running character of the series; however, Laura Innes's character, Dr. Kerry Weaver, will become the longest running character if Innes continues on ER through Season 13.
* Quentin Tarantino directed the Season 1 episode "Motherhood."
* Several episodes of ER have been directed by cast members:
** Anthony Edwardsâ€""Take These Broken Wings" (1996), "Of Past Regret and Future Fear" (1998), "Family Matters" (2000), and "Fear of Commitment" (2001)
** Laura Innesâ€""Power" (1999), "Be Still My Heart" (2000), "Sailing Away" (2001), "If I Should Fall From Grace" (2001), "A Hopeless Wound" (2002), "NICU" (2004), "Nobody's Baby" (2005), "The Human Shield" (2005), and "Strange Bedfellows" (2006).
** Paul McCraneâ€""Next of Kin" (2002), "The Student" (2004), "Damaged" (2004), "Ruby Redux" (2005), and "Body and Soul" (2006)
* The Season 8 episode "On the Beach," which follows Mark Greene's last weeks in life, is notable for its use of profanity in an episode of a TV show aired on an American broadcast network. Greene says "shit" after collapsing while trying to get out of bed, realizing that his brain tumor has finally defeated him. The same expletive was muttered by Peter Benton in Season 2, when he sprains his hand punching a man in the parking lot, and in Season 5, when he is the victim of a racist attack, although in both cases it is barely audible and does not appear on subtitles.
* In the Season 1 episode of Friends titled "The One with Two Parts, Part 2," George Clooney and Noah Wyle guest starred as emergency room doctors, although not as their ER characters; Clooney played Dr. Michael Mitchell and Wyle played Dr. Jeffrey Rosen.
* Three cast members from ' have either appeared on or have been recurring cast members of the series: Jorja Fox, George Eads, and Marg Helgenberger. Also, ' cast member Khandi Alexander portrayed a recurring character on ER. Alexander also appeared with ER regular Maura Tierney on the sitcom NewsRadio. However, on ER they never shared any scenes together.
* Warner Brothers, the studio which produces ER for NBC, kept George Clooney's cameo in "Such Sweet Sorrow" a secret from NBC, which promoted the episode as Carol Hathaway's goodbye with no mention of Doug Ross's appearance. In fact, the original episode of "Such Sweet Sorrow" that Warner Brothers sent to NBC ended right after the scene where we see Hathaway on the plane to Seattle. At the eleventh hour, Warner Brothers messengered an "edited" version of the episode to NBC headquarters in New York for broadcast, and NBC had no time to preview it prior to airing it on the east coast. It turned out to be the extended epsiode that included Clooney's cameo. NBC was miffed that it was kept in the dark, as it lost valuable advertisement revenue it could have generated had they aired promos announcing the return of George Clooney. Clooney cited the fans of the show for his reason as to why he agreed to make the cameo (he wanted Hathaway and Ross's characters to get back together, as most fans always had hoped for). Clooney reportedily asked to be paid only scale for the cameo. The portion of the episode involving Clooney was filmed on location at the Perfect Storm movie set which Clooney was filming at the time.
* The music played at the end of the Season 12 episode "There Are No Angels Here" is a song titled "Gua," by Emmanuel Jal, a Christian rapper and former child soldier from the southern Sudan. This re-recorded version of the song is from the album Ceasefire (released in September 2005), a collaboration with the well known northern Sudanese Muslim oud player and singer Abdel Gadir Salim.
* The series exists in the same television universe as Third Watch and, by extension Medical Investigation. Dr. Lewis's storyline in the Season 8 episode "Brothers and Sisters" was part of a crossover between ER and Third Watch, another NBC drama. The storyline began on ER's Thursday broadcast and continued the following Monday on the Third Watch episode "Unleashed."ER won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 1995. In addition, the series has earned 117 Emmy Award nominations, tying the series with Cheers for the most nominations for a single series,[2005-2006 Facts and Figures from the Emmy Awards. Retrieved July 22, 2006.] as well as 23 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.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108757/awards]
The following is a partial list of major awards and nominations received by the show, its cast, and crew.AwardsEmmy Awards
* Outstanding Drama Series (1996)
* Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Seriesâ€"Julianna Margulies (1995)
* Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Drama Seriesâ€"Mimi Leder for episode "Love's Labor Lost" (1995)
Golden Globe Awards
* Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Dramaâ€"Anthony Edwards (1998)
Screen Actors Guild Awards
* Best Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series (1996-99) 4 wins
* Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"Julianna Margulies (1998-99) 2 wins
* Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"Anthony Edwards (1996, 1998) 2 winsNominationsEmmy Awards
* Outstanding Drama Series (1995, 1997-2001) 6 nominations
* Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"Anthony Edwards (1995-98) 4 nominations
* Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"George Clooney (1995-96) 2 nominations
* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Seriesâ€"Julianna Margulies (1997-2000) 4 nominations
* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Seriesâ€"Sherry Stringfield (1995-97) 3 nominations
* Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"Noah Wyle (1995-99) 5 nominations
* Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"Eriq La Salle (1995, 1997-98) 3 nominations
* Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Seriesâ€"Maura Tierney (2001)
* Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Seriesâ€"Laura Innes (1997-98) 2 nominations
* Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Seriesâ€"Gloria Reuben (1997-98) 2 nominations
* Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Seriesâ€"Julianna Margulies (1996)
Golden Globe Awards
* Best TV Series-Drama (1995-2001) 7 nominations
* Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Dramaâ€"Anthony Edwards (1996-97, 1999) 3 nominations
* Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Dramaâ€"Julianna Margulies (1999-2000) 3 nominations
* Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series-Dramaâ€"Sherry Stringfield (1996-97) 2 nominations
* Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a TV Seriesâ€"Noah Wyle (1997-99) 3 nominations
* Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a TV Seriesâ€"Eriq La Salle (1998)
* Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a TV Seriesâ€"Gloria Reuben (1998)
* Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a TV Seriesâ€"Julianna Margulies (1996)
* Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a TV Seriesâ€"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 Seriesâ€"Sally Field (2001)
* Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"Julianna Margulies (1996)
* Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"Anthony Edwards (1997, 1999, 2001) 3 nominations
* Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Seriesâ€"George Clooney (1996-97) 2 nominations| Season | Date of Region 1 DVD Release |
|---|
| The Complete First Season (1994â€"1995) | August 26, 2003 | | The Complete Second Season (1995-1996) | April 27, 2004 | | The Complete Third Season (1996-1997) | April 26, 2005 | | The Complete Fourth Season (1997-1998) | December 20, 2005 | | The Complete Fifth Season (1998â€"1999) | July 11, 2006 [http://whv.warnerbros.com/WHVPORTAL/Portal/product.jsp?OID=14416&s=wbsite] |
The first five seasons of the series have also been released in Canada, Hong Kong, and other markets. In addition, as of May 2006, the first six seasons have been released in the United Kingdom, with the seventh season to be released in September.* ER at Warner Bros. official website (last updated in 2004)
* ER at tv.com
* ER at IMDb
* ER Forums Discussion Board
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