ER

ER in its present, 2003 form is a schizophrenic mess. For every one intelligent, caring episode comes four or five exercises in downbeat, melodramatic soap opera which sap all the energy out of the show's still-present technical mastery. This four-disc set is a welcome flashback to the show's humble beginnings, when it wasn't supposed to be the most heart-pounding show on television, and succeeded on will, not on hype.

The central characters in the first season are Chief Resident Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards), ER Residents Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) and pediatrician Doug Ross (George Clooney), Head Nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Marguiles), Surgical Resident Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq la Salle) and his protégé, third-year med student John Carter (Noah Wyle, the only actor to remain on the show through the entire run). They brought a fresh edge to the oft-repeated world of medical drama, helped greatly by the first television show, in my estimation, to ever put actual intelligence into the presentation. On ER, the cameras move, the people move, the consistent hustle and bustle of an actual environment is palpable, and not simply a setpiece. It's interesting to note that although the show was never broadcast in widescreen until 2001, in the middle of it's seventh season, these first episodes are all presented in the wider format. At first it might seem like hubris, but most of them fit the frame very well, with shots composed and staged for the wider picture - it's not `cinematic' just for its own sake.

Standout episodes from the season include the exposition-heavy `Pilot' which still found time for drama; `Blizzard' which was a tour-de-force of film, editing, and cutting edge medical realism; `Hit & Run' & `Sleepless in Chicago' which dealt with the heavy burden of juggling personal & professional medical care, as well as Carter's development as a doctor; and `Love's Labor Lost', an absolute masterpiece from every angle: drama, directing, scripting, staging, scoring, every cosmic tumbler clicked into place for this episode centered around Greene's tragic triumph in the case of a pregnancy gone bad.

The show took a few (deserved) knocks for being shamelessly convenient in its storylines and ignoring the realities of daily hospital structure in favor of sensationalism. This is exaggerated a little, but still a valid point; rarely an episode goes by without something in the line of an unexpected pregnancy, a suicide attempt, a violent skirmish between doctor and patient, or (in one outrageous case) a 12-year old gang member brining his Glock into a trauma room to try and finish another 12-year old off. Still, the show displayed remarkable resilience in almost always rising to become greater than the sum of its parts. Naturally, that ability has waned and virtually disappeared, but these episodes are no less enjoyable as a result of that.

Some TV shows have a structure such that you can tell almost from the beginning how long the show has to live. As much as I loved "Scrubs", that show was built around a few core characters, and once their stories were played out, that was pretty much be the end of that show. "Cheers" basically had a double length of life due to the fact it was actually two shows instead of one - the first 5 seasons with Diane and the last 6 seasons with Rebecca as the female lead. "ER" is different. It has a large cast of constantly revolving characters, and the story lines will always be there as long as there is controversy in medicine to merge with the personal drama. Early in ER's history, things were different. George Clooney's character, Doug Ross, was really the star of the show, although they did spread the stories around so that there was quite a bit of focus on the other characters too. This was a successful formula, but once Clooney became a star and a heartthrob he quickly tired of television and longed for the big screen. Thus, starting in season four, he is absent more and more as he goes off to make action films and the show began to look like it was going to suffer from "Welcome Back Kotter" syndrome, where John Travolta's success on the silver screen killed that show. After Clooney actually did formally exit stage left, the show changed the formula to its current one of spreading the action around with nobody in particular having the spotlight. I guess my point with all of this is, this is how ER managed to go on a total of 15 seasons, with even one extremely unlikeable character being written in as interesting, even if that one character in particular came to an end worthy of Wiley Coyote.

Highly recommended.

It's a one time experience, when you decide to binge watch the series, like I did years ago. And was not able to since, because the show's too long and monotonous sometimes. But I had a great time discovering episodes and storylines, that inspired shows like Grey's Anatomy. It was the first of a long series of medical dramas. And to me, none was able to top that. The writing was good, the acting was believable and the characters were all very realistic and relatable to some extent. It sometimes leaned dangerously towards over the top drama, and other soap opera characteristics. Especially near the end of its run. But even that was done in a skillful way. I personally prefer the middle part of the series. And think the most popular aspects of it, like Clooney's rise into stardom. And some of the famous couples, are very overrated. Only the good thing about this show, is how it never dwells on details, and always shows an overview of each situations and day to day life at the ER. Even when it went for a more focused and cinematic approach, it never lost sight of the essential. It's one of those iconic 90s series, that remains of its time, yet relevant decades later. As far as medical dramas go, it's the one that changed TV the most, and should be acknowledged for that.

In the UK we have the home grown medical dramas Casualty and its sister show Holby City. Putting these against ER is like comparing two Ladas to a Rolls Royce. The Brit shows look leaden, and have far too many hammy and wooden actors.

ER has set a very high standard of modern TV drama for 10 years. True, there have been the occasional duff episodes, but the urgency of the drama, combined with what looks like hand held camera work usually delivers punchy tension filled drama, with first rate performances.

Another contributor mentioned the only serious rival to ER, Chicago Hope, a show that was cheeky enough to have a character say "I was hoping to watch ER tonight", and had a hilarious scene which culminated in the death of a heart transplant patient! Unfortunately, that show suffered with the loss of Mandy Patinkin, and began taking itself too seriously. ER may have lost most of its mainstays, especially Anthony Edwards, but it still is a far better option than any other medical drama. I realise however, that it may struggle once Noah Wyle leaves.

I first started watching when I was 14, it was 2002 and season 8. I had been going through a lot at home and this was the first show I'd watched that actually inspired me. The characters weren't perfect and often had complicated personal lives but they were realistic.

This show inspired me so much that I decided I wanted to work in an emergency department and that's exactly what I did. I'm now a nurse. This show is pretty realistic as far as the medicine goes, although I think every medical show is slightly unrealistic as to make it entertaining.

I have seen a lot of reviews that say that the earlier seasons are the best but I'd have to disagree as I think season 7-9 are the best but I thoroughly enjoy the entire show. Even the episodes that aren't the best are still amazing in comparison to newer shows.

I also am a fan of other medical shows such as Chicago Hope, greys anatomy and code black however they do not compare to ER. It is a classic and still translates well even 10 years after it finished.

Definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it. I think I've watched it at least 5 times from start to finish by now and it still hasn't gotten old and me being a nurse hasn't ruined it like it has a few other shows.