ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant C Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ER follows the inner life of the emergency room (ER) of Cook County General Hospital (a fictionalized version of the real Cook County Hospital) in Chicago, and various critical issues faced by the department's physicians and staff.
Not to be confused with the sitcom E/R.ER
- Anthony Edwards
- George Clooney
- Sherry Stringfield
- Noah Wyle
- Julianna Margulies
- Eriq La Salle
- Gloria Reuben
- Laura Innes
- Maria Bello
- Alex Kingston
- Kellie Martin
- Paul McCrane
- Goran Visnjic
- Michael Michele
- Erik Palladino
- Maura Tierney
- Ming-Na Wen
- Sharif Atkins
- Mekhi Phifer
- Parminder Nagra
- Linda Cardellini
- Shane West
- Scott Grimes
- John Stamos
- David Lyons
- Angela Bassett
- James Newton Howard (1994-2006; 2009)
- Martin Davich (2006–2009)
Martin Davich
United States
English
15
331 (list of episodes)
- John Wells
- Christopher Chulack
- Michael Crichton
- Jack Orman
- Lydia Woodward
- Carol Flint
- David Zabel
45 minutes
September 19, 1994 –
April 2, 2009
The show is the second longest-running primetime medical drama in American television history behind Grey's Anatomy. It won 23 Primetime Emmy Awards, including the 1996 Outstanding Drama Series award, and received 124 Emmy nominations. ER won 116 awards in total, including the Peabody Award, while the cast earned four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series.[1] As of 2014, ER had grossed over $3 billion in television revenue.[2]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In 1974, author Michael Crichton wrote a screenplay then entitled "ED" (for emergency department) based on his own experiences as a medical student in a busy hospital emergency room.[3] Producers were not interested in the screenplay, and Crichton turned to other topics. In 1990, he published the novel Jurassic Park, and in 1993 began a collaboration with director Steven Spielberg on the film adaptation of the book.[4]
After its release, Crichton and Spielberg then turned to what was now known as ER, but Spielberg decided to film the story as a two-hour pilot for a television series rather than as a feature film after considering the potential for various stories to be told in the setting.[5] He passed the script on to a team at his production company, Amblin Entertainment. Anthony Thomopoulos, then head of Amblin's television division, got in touch with then CEO of Warner. Bros Television, Les Moonves, about the idea for the series and to send the script. Spielberg's Amblin Television provided John Wells as the show's executive producer.
Warner Bros. pitched ER to NBC, alongside Crichton, Spielberg and Wells. Warren Littlefield, head of NBC Entertainment at the time, liked the project, but there was much debate and controversy among other executives at the network, who were dubious about the nature of the series. NBC offered a chance to make a two-hour made-for-TV movie from the script, which was rejected. They then tried to get the show greenlit at rival networks before returning to NBC, who this time around ordered a pilot.
Distribution[edit]
Home media[edit]
Warner Home Video has released all 15 seasons in Region 1, Region 2, and Region 4.
In the United Kingdom (Region 2), The Complete Series boxset was released on October 26, 2009.[72] On September 12, 2016, the series was re-released in three box sets, Seasons 1–5,[73] Seasons 6–10[74] and Seasons 11–15.[75]