As a devoted fan of the iconic show “ER”, I find myself reminiscing about the golden days of medical drama that the series brought to our screens. From Dr. Greg Pratt’s tragic yet dramatic departure, masterfully portrayed by Mekhi Phifer, to George Clooney’s charismatic performance as Dr. Doug Ross, the show left an indelible mark on television history.
331 episodes, 124 Emmy nominations, a staggering 49 million viewers, and the iconic presence of none other than George Clooney.
30 years back, ER premiered on NBC, offering a peek into the daily lives of emergency room physicians at County General Hospital in Chicago. This medical series played a significant role in kick-starting the careers of George Clooney, Eric McCormack (Noah Wyle), and Julianna Margulies, and it ran for an impressive 15 seasons, earning its place as the second longest running medical drama on television.
On September 19, 1994, the television series ER, featuring actors like Anthony Edwards (known for Top Gun), Sherry Stringfield, and Eriq La Salle, debuted. At that time, many in the industry predicted that CBS’ Chicago Hope, another medical procedural, would be victorious in this competition. However, as history has shown, ER proved to be a surprising contender.
Despite initial doubts, “ER” eventually ascended to become television’s top-rated show, boasting nearly 50 million viewers at one point. Over its extended run, spanning more than 300 episodes and concluding in 2009, notable actors such as Maura Tierney, John Stamos, Linda Cardellini, and Goran Visnjic joined the expansive cast.
In the early days when ER was initially aired, George Clooney expressed his excitement over his newly gained fame during an interview with TopMob News.
This is exciting, can you believe it?” exclaimed the Oscar winner, overflowing with enthusiasm. “For years, maybe even your entire career, you work hard to get a spot on a show like this that captures people’s attention. They feature you in magazines like Newsweek and more. It’s a fulfillment of a lifelong dream, it’s enjoyable for us, if you know what I mean. It’s tiring due to the extended hours on this show, which can be exhausting – especially when they ask us to do a photo shoot after that. But remember, be careful what you wish for? We’re really enjoying ourselves; it’s a blast.
After completing five seasons, Clooney occasionally came back for more episodes, frequently expressing warm sentiments about his time there. Notably, he even pleaded to secure a role initially.
That’s just one secrets executive producer and showrunner John Wells and several of the series’ stars have revealed over the years, with others including squashed storylines, on-set pranks and ER‘s most devastating deaths.
No need to page us for all the details. Keep reading for more ER shockers in honor of the 30th anniversary.
Originally planned as a movie back in 1974, “ER” was meant to be directed by Steven Spielberg from a script written by Michael Crichton. It was envisioned as a realistic portrayal of events within an emergency room over a 24-hour period, inspired by Crichton’s time as a medical student in Boston. Regrettably, the project did not materialize at that time and remained dormant for nearly 20 years until NBC showed interest in developing it into a television series.
2. Initially, Carol wasn’t meant to appear in episodes past the pilot, as the initial script had Margulies’ character perishing. However, due to positive feedback from test audiences towards the nurse, a revised line was incorporated to clarify how she managed to survive her suicide attempt.
3. However, Margulies later disclosed that it was Clooney who played a crucial role in preserving her career by persuading her to remain on ER and decline a CBS sitcom offer. The Good Wife actress elaborated, “Clooney unexpectedly phoned me, took a risk for me, and urged, ‘I heard your character did well in tests…If I were you, I wouldn’t accept another job because I believe they’re going to resurrect your character.’
4. At first, the medical drama didn’t receive positive feedback during its initial screening at NBC, causing some worry among executives due to its high levels of gore and medical terminology. Kevin Reilly, who was the VP of development at NBC then, recalled in EW, “When the lights went up, the response wasn’t very favorable.” Executives were worried that it had too much action and too many characters for viewers to manage. However, they turned out to be mistaken, as Wells explained, “All those things that caused concern ended up becoming the defining features of the series.
5. It might be surprising to know that in 1995, even at the age of 33, George Clooney reportedly insisted on trying out for the show, as stated by Wells. According to him, “On our second day in the office, George arrived and wouldn’t depart until I agreed to let him audition.” Wells added that once George got hold of the script, he was like a relentless dog with a prized bone.
6. In the early stages of the series, a potential romance between me, or Benton, and Dr. Corday, played by Alex Kingston, was put on hold. This was due to my apprehension about the impact our interracial relationship might have, considering my past romantic entanglements with women of color had been portrayed.
The actor expressed that it feels a little disrespectful when only negative aspects are portrayed, given his background as an African American man. In actuality, people from all races engage in romantic moments, annoying each other, laughing, and doing various everyday activities.
7. There were numerous practical jokes on the film set, with Edwards frequently stating that the cast was “constantly chuckling.” A popular prank involved spreading Vaseline on phones prior to a colleague’s scene requiring its use, and his most delightful trick was played on a visiting actress.
He stated, “After she delivered, and while we were nurturing a doll that resembled an infant, we took care of the extraterrestrial baby instead. I’d never heard anyone shout as loudly as she did upon seeing this green child.
8. The single plot development that Wyle strongly objected to during his 254-episode run (a record)? A romantic scene involving Carter and Lucy, his student, where Wyle expressed concerns to EW, stating, “I had such a massive issue with it. The initial script depicted us having sex in one of the examination rooms, with someone unexpectedly walking in on us. I had significant reservations about it.” He felt the character was more like a sister figure to him, prompting Wells to rewrite the script, resulting in only a single kiss between them, despite fan speculation about their romantic relationship.
9. Reflecting on the past, Wyle acknowledged that he wasn’t always the friendliest co-star towards Kellie when she joined the show during season five. He confessed to Entertainment Weekly, “I carry a lot of regret in this regard. I wasn’t always kind to Kellie. Our show worked incredibly hard to maintain the top spot over those five seasons, and whenever someone new arrived, including Kellie, it felt like they needed to prove themselves.
During season six, the series ER left many Americans in shock when they brutally wrote off Lucy’s character. A schizophrenic patient ended up slitting her throat and then proceeding to stab Carter, who miraculously survived the attack. John Wells summoned me to his office, where we discussed their plans to make a significant impact with Lucy’s departure from the show. At 21 or 22 years old, I found it hard not to take the scene of being stabbed and leaving the show personally. I was undeniably rattled. And so were the approximately 30 million viewers who tuned in to witness this dramatic turn of events.
11. David Krumholtz portrayed the character who was held accountable for a tragic act that claimed one of America’s beloved figures, and he continues to grapple with the repercussions even today. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he admitted, “I still receive messages on Twitter from people who haven’t entirely pardoned me for my actions.
12. For several seasons, Laura Innes portrayed a character with a fake hip. However, due to her own developing back issues stemming from playing this role over a decade, the writers decided that Dr. Weaver needed hip surgery in season 11. She admitted that her actual back was suffering, explaining, “The bottom of my spine is starting to curve on one side because I’ve been lifting my hip for ten years.
13. Following the completion of his five-year commitment, Clooney, already an established film actor, parted ways with the series amicably. At one point, Wells remarked that the actor’s decision to stay on the show cost him “tens of millions of dollars in potential earnings.
14. During Margulies’ last episode in the subsequent season, Clooney unexpectedly reappeared. This event was so clandestine that the network itself was unaware of it. As George Wells explained to Entertainment Weekly, “The scene wasn’t included in any scripts. NBC had no idea about it. I edited the film two or three days before it aired, and we inserted [the scene] late at night when everyone was asleep.” The network only learned about Clooney’s appearance when the episode aired on the east coast. (Regrettably for them, they missed out on potential advertising revenue because of this secret.)
Following its broadcast, Clooney expressed his excitement by saying, “Everyone went absolutely crazy over the notion that we managed to pull it off.” In order to achieve this, Warner Bros. arranged for a private jet to transport Clooney and a handful of crew members to Seattle. Everyone involved in the project agreed to sign pledges.
15. In season 11, the final original cast member, Wyle, departed the series following the birth of his son, Owen. He shared with THR, “I felt I couldn’t be present for 80 hours a week and miss this, so I quit.” However, he made a comeback for six episodes during the 15th and final season, stating, “It was fantastic. What an amazing sense of closure. To not be on that show while it was still airing was unbearable.
16. Although they didn’t portray their ER characters, George Clooney and Eric Wyle played doctors in an episode of Friends from its first season, which also premiered that year on NBC. In this episode, their characters went on a double date with Monica (played by Courteney Cox) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston).
17. After joining the series in its sixth season as Dr. Abby Lockhart and eventually winning over fans to become the show’s primary female character, Maura Tierney departed at the start of the final season, stating during an interview, “I want them to kill me…but they won’t. They refused to kill off Abby.” The writers didn’t and years later, Tierney expressed gratitude for this decision, saying she was content with how Abby’s storyline concluded: “I got to go out with a flourish,” she told The A.V. Club.
18. After facing multiple seasons of decreasing ratings, the medical drama ER experienced a temporary revival when John Stamos joined as a regular cast member in season 13, portraying Dr. Tony Gates. This actor from Full House, during an interview with Extra, shared that he made the decision to join the show full-time following an unexpected encounter with Clooney. “I’ve rarely spoken about this,” Stamos said, “I was at lunch and he wasn’t even there, but we were seated nearby, and he suggested, ‘You should go and do ER.'” He further explained that it was Clooney who encouraged him to join the ER series. In later interviews, Stamos referred to his time on ER as his “favorite job ever.
19. ER, unexpectedly, emerged as a valuable resource for health-related information, as per a 2002 study by Kaiser Family Foundation, which found that one-third of viewers reported that the show had influenced their healthcare decisions and boosted their understanding of medical conditions and terminology following episodes centered on these topics. In a 2001 survey, approximately 20% of doctors acknowledged that patients had utilized ER as a point of reference during consultations.
For eight seasons, I graced the screen as Dr. Greg Pratt on that beloved show, and then, in an unexpected twist at the start of our final chapter, my character met a tragic end. This move left fans stunned, and even now, Mekhi Phifer, who brought me to life, continues to encounter people expressing their sorrow over my demise. Interestingly enough, I was one of those involved in planning this dramatic farewell, sitting down with the producers before our final season began to discuss how best to make it impactful. As 8 Mile‘s star, I shared with The A.V. Club that I preferred a memorable exit for my character, expressing, “I’d rather him go out with a bang.
21. Following his role in the movie “From Dusk Til Dawn”, Quentin Tarantino took charge of an episode during the first season of “ER”. It’s said that he earned $30,000 for this task, a mere two months after he was awarded the Oscar for penning “Pulp Fiction”.
22. At a certain point, “ER” was known for being among the priciest TV series to produce, with each episode costing approximately $13 million. However, it was also one of the most popular shows, reaching its zenith in 1998 when it drew an audience of 47.8 million viewers.
Following the release of ER’s 15-season catalog on streaming platforms in 2018, TopMob News discovered that approximately 35,000 viewers completed all episodes within about two months. This equates to a total of 240 hours of television watched, with viewers typically tuning in to watch around five episodes daily. Furthermore, it was found that 90% of these viewers started from the initial season and the average age of those streaming ER during its first week online was 27 years old.
24. Is there any possibility of a comeback? George Clooney didn’t rule it out when asked about it at a press event in 2019, responding with a wink, “Do you think that would be a good idea? I’d play a patient now!” The fact that Grey’s Anatomy recently surpassed ER to become the longest-running medical drama on television could potentially tempt him, as Clooney humorously suggested, “That needs to end. We need to go back and do some more!
25. You might ponder the likelihood and think it’s not very promising. Wells wasn’t exactly reassuring when he said to Deadline, “We produced an immense number of ER episodes, 331 in total. That’s a huge amount of time, so I can’t envision that we would, but if someone came up with a truly intriguing concept for how to approach it, we could potentially.
Read More
- DOP PREDICTION. DOP cryptocurrency
- LDO PREDICTION. LDO cryptocurrency
- EUR PKR PREDICTION
- T PREDICTION. T cryptocurrency
- INDEX PREDICTION. INDEX cryptocurrency
- ONG PREDICTION. ONG cryptocurrency
- SABAI PREDICTION. SABAI cryptocurrency
- CORE PREDICTION. CORE cryptocurrency
- THE PREDICTION. THE cryptocurrency
- SEI PREDICTION. SEI cryptocurrency
2024-09-19 22:50