St. Elsewhere

This is a wonderfully scripted, well-acted drama which takes place in the fictional Saint Eligius hospital in Boston. The ensemble cast is perfect, with stellar performances by William Daniels, Ed Flanders, and Norman Lloyd as the long-practicing doctors who hold the hospital together. The series follows the physicians, residents, and staff through their personal and professional lives, with just enough humor and pathos to keep it all interesting. Especially notable is the two-part episode dealing with the 50th anniversary of Saint Eligius. The flashback sequences really tie to the current stories, help fill in blanks and make you understand more fully certain characters' actions and quirks. I highly recommend this series. It is currently being shown on Bravo (cable network). Look for it!

From my first attraction to its offbeat name, St. Elsewhere grabbed me like no other show I've ever seen! The characters were more real than most of the people I know! Many other quality shows have followed in its wake, but none quite seem to touch St E !!!

Named for St. Eligius (patron saint of the downtrodden), this fictitious hospital is staffed by a unique group of ultimately good people who really do want to help the sick and injured. The storyline contains many threads and themes and allows the viewer a uniquely compassionate and often humorous look at human foible seeping through attempted altruism, sometimes with better results than others.

A number of renowned actors either graced this show with appearances, while more regulars' careers were advanced through being on this show. All in all, well worth catching on syndication, wish I had a DVD library of all of the episodes!!!

After watching St. Elsewhere on Bravo, I realized that it is truly a superior show even now. It took chances that nobody else is willing to take. It is even more multi-ethnic than most dramas today. It makes ER and other medical shows look like they written by first graders. Even after all these years, St. Elsewhere has aged like fine wine. It is fresher now than ever before. Too bad, it struggled in its day. What a shame. It is truly one of the finest dramas on television today even in syndication. ER could learn a lot from watching St. Elsewhere. Too bad, ER's stars are ruining their own show. Maybe if William Daniels joined the cast, I would start watching it again. St. Elsewhere is one of the finest hours on television. Even now, it will blow you away. I miss the chemistry among it's characters and it's controversial but yet compassionate way of handling some situations. I still think Christina Pickles should be recognized with an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) because it would boost the show's genius and brilliance all around the world. I dislike the fact that she will be more remembered for her role as Ross and Monica's mother on Friends than her days on St. Elsewhere as Nurse Rosenthal, a British woman with a love for Jewish men. Anyway, it was a show that just gets better in time. It's classic television and every medical show should watch and take notes.

Prior to this show,shows set in hospitals tended to have a "Cahracter first" element to them(i.e. "Ben Casey,M.D.,"Dr.Kildare","Marcus Welby M.D.","Trapper John M.D.")or else had a sort of generic quality of efficiency and heroism(think "Emergency!" of even the soap opera "General Hospital")attached. This show,a stubborn NBC offering okay-ed by legendary head of programming Brandon TArtikoff that managed to stay on the Wednsday at 10 EST/9 CST for the entirety or near entirety of its five year run.

Featuring a collection of renowned veteran actors(Ed Flanders,Norman Lloyd and William DAniels),durable vet character actors(Ed Begley Jr.,Stephen Furst,Christina Pickles,France Nguyen,Alfre Woodward and Bonnie BArtlett)and an eclectic blend of young up-and-comers(Denzel Washington,Mark HArmon,David Morse,Stephen Furst and Howie MAndel. Yes,THAT Howie Mandel),this show would tackle all sorts of once-ignored and taboo subjects such as AIDS,Autism,abortion,rape and The right to die. The show's later seasons would reflect the ratings-challenged series' standing,and would ultimately create a more surreal,less grounded storyline follow-through that would create a conclusion that would NOT sit well with many loyal viewers,among them myself, Still,this show's production,writing and acting would be the ground-layer(word I just made up!)for such dramas as "ER","House" and "Grey's ANatomy". It's tempting to say that a show that's over a quarter-century old and has been off the air for just over twenty years would now be quaint,but I have a funny feeling that many(if not all)of the plot lines and story arcs of this show would carry fair weight now as well. Since it was never that popular in syndication,I would suggest one request to buy this from your friendly Borders or Barnes and Noble or have your local vid store or library rent it out. A lasting legacy of not only smart television but a model of "little shows that could",due to the loyal,stubborn following of dedicated viewers.

There were very few shows that could provide stirring, insightful, sometimes disturbing drama week after week, but "St. Elsewhere" always did. A superlative cast made it entirely believable: Ed Flanders was terrific as Dr. Westphall, as was William Daniels as Dr. Craig. I still miss the insults that Craig threw at Dr. Ehrlich (Ed Begley, Jr.)

I found the show so believable that I wondered if there was a real St. Eligius Hospital in Boston. I think everyone should see it.