Why You Need to Watch ‘ER’ After Finishing ‘The Pitt’

The Pitt just wrapped its second season, leaving a hole in viewers’ hearts and schedules.

Looking for something to watch now that your favorite medical drama is over? We suggest checking out ER.

Are ER and The Pitt Similar?

Both shows are set in busy city hospital emergency rooms and don’t shy away from the intense, often emotional, events that unfold with patients and staff. Like The Pitt, ER offers a realistic mix of inspiring moments and tragic situations.

Is ER As Realistic as The Pitt?

ER was shown on regular TV, but despite being free of nudity and strong language, it was just as captivating as The Pitt. Both shows were known for their realistic portrayals.

What makes ER so gripping is its realistic, fast-paced style. While an episode might cover hours or even days, the story always moves forward to a clear resolution.

Should You Watch ER if You Like The Pitt?

If you’re enjoying the medical drama of The Pitt, then ER is the show that really started it all. ER was incredibly popular, drawing over 30 million viewers each Thursday night at its height.

Lots of people love the show ER, and if you haven’t seen it yet, here are 13 reasons why you should start watching tonight.

13 Reasons to Watch ER After You Finish The Pitt

The Thing The Pitt Is Doing? ER Invented That

Premiering on NBC in 1994, ER essentially defined the modern medical drama. The creators of The Pitt studied successful shows like ER, learning from producer John Wells and actor Noah Wyle, who became a star on the series.

Experience Noah Wyle in His Baby Era

Before playing the kind and dedicated Dr. Michael Robinavitch on The Pitt, Noah Wyle first became popular for his role as the enthusiastic young doctor, John Carter, on ER.

The Chaos-to-Crying Ratio Is Basically Identical

One moment, you’ll be thrilled, and the next, you might be a little emotionally wrecked – that’s just how impactful ER is. (But it’s a good kind of heartbreak, we promise!)

ER Was Ahead of Its Time

Similar to The Pitt, ER didn’t shy away from tackling difficult issues within the healthcare system, like biases based on gender and race, patients making choices due to false information, and the AIDS crisis when it was most severe. The show didn’t lecture viewers, but instead presented a realistic look at healthcare workers who approached their jobs with deep compassion.

The Show Pacing Will Make Your Heart Skip a Beat

That’s not atrial fibrillation—it’s just your heart racing after watching that fast-paced medical drama full of relationships and high-stakes work.

ER Has a Deep Baddie Roster

Do you love Dana from The Pitt? The strong female characters on ER – like Dr. Kerry Weaver, Nurse Carol Hathaway, Jeanie Boulet, Nurse Sam Taggart, and Dr. Elizabeth Corday – are some of the earliest examples of complex, sometimes difficult, women in medical dramas.

The Internet Has Been Sleeping on How Fine Eriq La Salle Is

Dr. Peter Benton from ER is incredibly talented and strikingly handsome. He’s driven, passionate, and, let’s be honest, unfairly good-looking. He deserves all the praise – go watch the show now!

Its Celebrity Cameo Game Is on Lock

The TV show ER was famous for bringing in big names – Alan Alda, Rosemary Clooney, Mickey Rooney, and more – and giving them substantial roles, not just quick cameos. It wasn’t just a trip down memory lane with established stars, either. ER also gave early career boosts to actors who would become household names, like Zac Efron, Jessica Chastain, Dakota Fanning, Eva Mendes, and Ewan McGregor. If you’re starting to watch the show, keep an eye out for these future stars making appearances at Cook County Hospital!

Prime George Clooney

So, that’s the explanation. Doug Ross is a pediatrician, but he’s also quite the charmer – a bit of a troublemaker, honestly, but he pulls it off well. And if you’re a fan of George Clooney, good news! Ocean’s 14 is in the works, bringing back the original cast.

The Cast Will Make You Pick a Fave (Then Later Regret It)

Even though it looks like a hospital, trust no one – your safety isn’t guaranteed. Each season will challenge who you trust and the decisions you’ve made.

Anthony Edwards Will Make You Feel Things

Dr. Mark Greene is the heart of the show ER. You’ll quickly connect with this caring doctor, who is also realistically portrayed with his own struggles as a father and a person.

You Already Cleared Your Schedule for Trauma TV

You might as well fully embrace it and start watching another captivating medical drama right now.

There Are Over 300 Episodes of ER Waiting For You

There are exactly 331 episodes available. That means you can binge-watch the entire series without waiting each week for a new episode! Start streaming ER now on HBO Max – you’ll thank us later.

10 Actors Who Hated How Their Own TV Shows Ended

Bonnie Bartlett, St. Elsewhere

The finale of St. Elsewhere is famously considered one of the worst in television history, and actress Bonnie Bartlett, who played Ellen Craig on the show, felt that disappointment strongly. Bartlett was particularly unhappy with the ending’s twist – that the entire series had been a dream – revealed through a snow globe. She told Entertainment Weekly during a cast reunion that the writers intentionally created an ending that would prevent any future revivals, and she thought it was a ‘terrible ending!’

Gillian Anderson, The X-Files

When Fox announced the return of The X-Files in 2016, fans were thrilled. However, the revival only lasted two seasons, and the final episode of the eleventh season felt like a second series finale, leaving most viewers disappointed – including Gillian Anderson, who had played Dana Scully for all eleven seasons.

Both fans and critics strongly disliked the final episode, “My Struggle IV,” pointing out that it largely repeated storylines from earlier seasons. Recurring plot points, like Scully losing her son, the death of the Cigarette Smoking Man, and even Scully becoming pregnant again, frustrated many. After the episode aired and fans voiced their complaints online, Anderson responded with a gif of Scully looking defeated, captioned with “Boy oh boy do I ever hear you.”

Scott Bakula, Star Trek: Enterprise

The final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise wasn’t just poorly received, it felt like a disservice to the show and its star, Scott Bakula. Bakula, who played Captain Jonathan Archer, was disappointed that the series ended with an episode that essentially felt like a small, self-contained story within Star Trek: The Next Generation. His crew only appeared as holograms, serving a plot centered around TNG‘s Commander Riker. Enterprise struggled to gain a strong following, and the finale cemented its place as one of the less popular Star Trek series. The showrunner, Brannon Braga, later admitted that filming that episode was the only time Scott Bakula had ever been unkind to him.

James Gandolfini, The Sopranos

James Gandolfini, the actor who played Tony Soprano, was just as baffled by the show’s famous ending as many viewers were. In the final scene, Tony is in a diner with his family, anxiously watching for trouble. The tension builds as he looks up when the diner door chimes, but the screen suddenly goes black. Gandolfini initially reacted with confusion, saying, “What the f—?” after everything his character had been through. However, after thinking it over, he grew to appreciate the ambiguous ending. And after nearly 20 years, most fans agree with him.

Penn Badgley, Gossip Girl

A major part of what made Gossip Girl so popular was the mystery of who “G.G.” really was, so when the show finally revealed the answer, many fans were let down. Even Penn Badgley, who played Dan Humphrey, wasn’t happy with the twist, and discussed it with his co-star Chace Crawford in an interview with Variety. Crawford pointed out that the reveal didn’t quite fit with Dan’s character, and Badgley agreed. Over the years, those involved with the show haven’t been able to decide if Dan was always intended to be the secret antagonist, or if the decision was made later after fans started guessing correctly about the original choice.

Michael C Hall, Dexter

Michael C. Hall was very unhappy with how the original Dexter series ended, so much so that he helped bring the show back not once, but twice, to give it a better conclusion. The initial finale involved Dexter killing his sister, Debra, after she was left brain-dead, and then faking his own death to become a lumberjack in Oregon, escaping consequences for his past crimes. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Hall admitted that many viewers, including himself, felt the ending was unsatisfying and wondered what happened to Dexter after that.

Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries

As a big fan of The Vampire Diaries, I was happy with how things wrapped up for most of the characters in the finale. But it’s interesting to hear that Ian Somerhalder actually wished for a different ending! He and Paul Wesley recently told Access Hollywood they both thought their characters, the vampire brothers, should have died. They felt it would have been a more fitting conclusion, allowing the human characters, like Elena, to finally move on and rebuild their lives. Apparently, Ian really pushed for that ending, but ultimately, it didn’t happen, and he jokingly admitted he ‘lost that battle’.

Everyone, Game of Thrones

Besides the finale of St. Elsewhere, the ending of Game of Thrones is probably the most disliked series finale in recent history, disappointing both fans and the actors who starred in it. A now-famous video from the table read of the final scenes perfectly captures the reaction: the entire cast sat silently, looking devastated, while Kit Harington, who hadn’t seen the script yet, was visibly shocked to learn his character, Jon Snow, would kill Daenerys Targaryen. Since then, several cast members have shared their thoughts on the ending. Harington later admitted there were “mistakes made,” Lena Headey said she felt “gutted,” Isaac Hempstead-Wright initially thought it was a prank, and Emilia Clarke was so upset when she read the final scenes that she went for a long walk and didn’t return for five hours, even getting blisters on her feet.

Alexis Bledel, Gilmore Girls

When Netflix revived Gilmore Girls in 2020, it offered a chance to finally deliver the ending creator Amy Sherman-Palladino had originally intended. Sherman-Palladino left the show before its initial conclusion, keeping her planned final four words a secret. Fans eagerly anticipated the revival, hoping to learn how she’d always envisioned the series ending. However, many were disappointed with the result: the final moments revealed Rory Gilmore is pregnant. Alexis Bledel, who played Rory, admitted she’d hoped for a more positive ending for her character after all her accomplishments, and found the reveal difficult to accept. Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai, strongly disagreed with the choice, calling it an inappropriate cliffhanger for a finale.

Sarah Hyland, Modern Family

Sarah Hyland, known for her role on Modern Family, wasn’t in many episodes during the show’s last season. Although fans saw her character, Haley Dunphy, become a mother of twins in the finale, Hyland wished for a different outcome. She told Cosmopolitan she’d hoped to see Haley pursue her career ambitions, perhaps becoming a successful stylist or fashion entrepreneur, while also being a mom. Hyland felt it would have been inspiring to show a character like Haley excelling in both her career and family life.

2026-04-16 22:59