ER's Swan Song...?

Over the past 13 years, audiences have been shocked, amazed and often dumbfounded by the various plots created by the ER writing staff. Who could forget the heartbreaking death of Dr. Mark Green, played by Anthony Edwards? How about the reuniting of Doug Ross, played by George Clooney, and Carol Hathaway, played by Julianna Murgulies? Probably the most shocking event to ever occur on the show was the death of Robert Romano, played by Paul McCrane. Thanksgiving Day of season ten found Romano's life coming to a violent end, after he was crushed to death by a helicopter which plummeted to the ground from the hospital's roof. Purely ironic that something like this would happen to Romano, seeing that the season before he lost his arm in a helicopter accident on the roof, as he helped evacuate a patient.

Thirteen years is a long time to be on the air. Not many shows make it that far, and it has been becoming rather apparent in the last few years that ER is losing a lot of the luster it had in the earlier years. The past few seasons have had the writers resort to "sweeps" month tragedies to try and keep the audience's attention. Many renowned actors and actresses have also made appearances to help keep the show alive, including Ray Liotta, Sally Field, Danny Glover, Rosemary Clooney and many more. Many times the show has had some stiff competition. Within the past year or two, ER has come up against the ever popular Grey's Anatomy on ABC. As with Grey's Anatomy, it would seem that ER has had to dive head first into the personal lives of the doctors and nurses in order to keep up with popular trends. In the early days, when ER was able to shine through, the show concentrated heavily on the medical practices and trauma room scenes to gain the ratings. However, in keeping with the changing times, ER has had to resort to the everyday drama going on within the halls.

Last season found County General dealing with many changes and departures. Kerry Weaver, played by Laura Innes, packed her bags, changed her profession to TV news reporter and moved to Miami, Florida. Ray Barnett, played by Shane West, lost both his legs in a car accident and moved to Baton Rouge to heal with the help of his mother, although it is rumored that he will return as a guest star for a few episodes. Luka Kovac, played by Goran Visnjic, has to cut short his honeymoon with wife Abby Lockhart, played by Maura Tierney, to return to Croatia to care for his sick father. Neela Rasgotra, played by Parminder Nagra, has survived the death of her husband in Iraq, been romanced by two men who work with her in the ER, and in the thirteenth season finale, she attends an anti-war rally and is trampled in the crowd. Season 14 will find her fighting for her life in the first episode.

After all the drama which has occurred within the past 13 seasons, what is left for ER? What can the writers possibly do that hasn't already been done? With the growing decline of audiences in the past couple seasons, rumors of the fourteenth season being ER's last have rapidly spread throughout various online sources and entertainment magazines. Rumors have also developed which involve the show trying to woo back fan favorites such as Gloria Rueben, Eriq LaSalle, William H. Macy, Danny Glover, Sally Field and even George Clooney. So far it has been confirmed that fan favorite John Carter, played by Noah Wyle, will return to the show and will actually be seen checking on the center he started in his son's memory and in the ER. With Carter returning to the show for a few episodes, could his wife Kem, played by Thandie Newton, be far behind?

Season 14 will be filled with a few new faces. The Devil Wears Prada alumni Stanley Tucci returns to ER as the new Chief of Staff, Kevin Moretti, and the staff is not taking kindly to his way of management. A 20-something intern will be introduced, who is very calm, positive and open. A "Doogie Howser" type intern will appear on the staff, along with an older female doctor. Neela will have her hands full, once she recovers, will her wild child cousin. Tony Gates, played by John Stamos, will be getting a new love interest, now that his tryst with Neela has ended.

So much uncertainty surrounds this upcoming new season. The writers, staff and cast all seem to differ on the opinions of the fate of the show. Maura Tierney (Abby Lockhart) is rumored to be leaving after this season, but it is not known if her departure will be written, since every indication seems to point to this being the show's last season. Could it be that she will follow her husband Luka to Croatia with son Joe, and she will help Luka care for his father? Greg Pratt, played by Mekki Phifer, is leaving the show before the season ends, but not before the show digs deeper into his personal life and involves him in one last storyline involving his father, played by Danny Glover. Hope Busbey, played by Busy Phillips, is leaving the show by the new season's second episode, but not before she ends her relationship with Archie Morris, played by Scott Grimes. Hope will ride off into the sunset following a Christian mission to South America.

With all the casting rumors and attempts to woo back departed actors and actresses, audiences are left to wonder if the "swan song" is being played for ER. Although the writers and staff claim there is no series finale written, all their actions and rumored actions as of late seem to point to the fact that the writing may be on the wall...and ER is fading into the archives of TV shows' past...