ER vs Grey's Anatomy

I have to say that for years, I was a die-hard ER fan. I loved the drama, the people, the medical emergencies, you name it. Last year something changed. I got tired of the dreary atmosphere. Then along came Grey's Anatomy. I never watched it when it first came out but had heard how good it was from friends and family. One night I flipped over to a few minutes left of a show and it looked good so I recorded it on my DVR. After that show, they had a montage of the whole season so I got to catch up some and from that point, I was hooked. I immediately got the first season on DVD, in fact, that was a Valentine's Day present last year. It's all I wanted for the holiday. I devoured that DVD and was immediately smitten. At that point, I was still plowing through ER although I have to say that if I missed an episode, I didn't mind so much. Finally, this season I stopped watching altogether.

What makes me like Grey's Anatomy more? I'd have to start with the atmosphere. ER is dreary and dark and Grey's Anatomy has brightness and even in a town like Seattle, there's sunshine and warmth. I understand that one is an emergency room and one is a teaching hospital but I like color, I like music, and I like when there's happiness; something ER has seemed to forget.

Take the music for instance. Sometimes Grey's Anatomy plays it constantly but it doesn't seem to take away from things. One of the most powerful episodes had a bomb that was destined to go off and with that; they played the song, Just Breathe by Anna Nalick. To me, that set the mood they were trying to achieve. Sometimes the music is happy and sometimes it sets a somber mood but it always seems to achieve what they set out for it to do. Even the scenes at the doctors' homes are bright and sunny. I felt like for years that the people in ER lived in depressing apartments and homes.

Don't get me wrong, ER has had some of the best drama in TV history but its time has come and things just aren't as good anymore. I remember when ER's season finales or start of a season always had these awesome shows. Anyone remember the helicopter that cut off Dr Romano's arm? Now that was real TV. This week (or last week, depending on when this is published) Grey's Anatomy has an "event" where there is a ferry accident. It's similar to what ER used to have. I miss that, but I think I've found a new home in Seattle Grace.