Five Reasons Why ER is the Best TV Show of the 90s

When "ER" ended its legendary 15 season run in 2009, many critics and fans said it was more like a limp across the finish line than a triumphant ending - the show was a shell of its former self; no longer relevant, no longer "Must See TV." Indeed, "ER" was a slam-dunk right out of the gate. It premiered on NBC on September 19, 1994, taking up residence alongside future ratings juggernauts "Friends" and "Seinfeld."

Another medical drama set in Chicago premiered the same night in the same time slot; "Chicago Hope" was the odds-on favorite to win the medical show-showdown. It was much more traditional, the brainchild of TV wunderkind, David E. Kelly. "ER" was sloppy, jittery, fast-paced and wholly unconventional. "ER" walloped "Chicago Hope" in the ratings, forcing the latter to move to another night ("ER" would remain in its 10 p.m. ET Thursday slot for its entire run, almost unheard of for TV dramas). "ER" became the No. 1 show in America, won a slew of awards and would define "water cooler" television for the 90's. It changed the standard against which all future medical dramas would be judged.

In many ways, "ER" was a victim of its own success. Because it was so popular, NBC kept renewing the show for multiple seasons at a time, while subsequently failing to adequately develop new dramas to eventually take its place. "ER" probably did stay at the party too long, but what a party it was. Here are five reasons why "ER" is the best TV show of the 90's.

1. Drama, Drama, Drama

While this is a bad thing on a reality show, on "ER" it was a good thing. The drama was kept at a fever pitch and many episodes were like hour-long roller coaster rides. We became attached to the patients who either came in with a simple problem and didn't survive, or the ones whose lives hung in the balance and they miraculously pulled through. The classic "Love's Labor Lost" showed Dr. Greene's (Anthony Edwards) misdiagnosis of a pregnant woman's fatal condition and uncovered a heartbreaking portrait of how doctors aren't gods, but merely people. Other standout episodes that left viewers shaken and raw include the bookend episodes "Be Still My Heart" and "All in the Family," when Carter (Noah Wyle) and med student Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) are stabbed by a crazed patient and the ER feverishly attempts to save them and "Random Acts," when Greene is savagely and mysteriously beaten in the men's restroom. Nobody did searing drama better than "ER."

2. Clooney

Hard to believe that the guy whose previous television credits included George the Handyman on "Facts of Life" and Booker the supervisor on "Roseanne" would turn out to be the No. 1 reason women tuned in to "ER" week after week. George Clooney's character, Dr. Doug Ross, was a womanizing pediatrician who left a trail of broken hearts in his wake with not much more than a rakish grin and kiss on the cheek as he snuck out in the middle of the night. It would have been very easy to despise Doug Ross; after all, his shabby treatment of former lover, beloved Nurse Carol Hathaway, drove her to attempt suicide, he had a son he'd never even met and thought nothing of bedding his estranged father's ex-girlfriend. Still, women, love a bad boy and George Clooney infused Doug with such charm and impishness, it was hard to hold to a grudge. After all, he was unfailingly dedicated to his young patients, loved his mother and he had an entertaining bromance with Dr. Greene. Even Nurse Hathaway forgave him, eventually bearing him twin girls and picking up stakes to follow him across the country to Seattle. Many women would have done the same.

3. Dr. Greene

If George Clooney was the hunk, Anthony Edwards was the heart. The loss of Dr. Greene was one from which the ER (show and hospital staff) never recovered. Dr. Greene's quiet confidence and calm presence made him highly respected in the ER and the one residents and interns sought out for sound advice. Weaver may have run the ER, but Greene was the glue that held it together. We were stunned when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Watching Anthony Edward's last season on "ER" caused a permanent lump in your throat, because you knew the show would never be the same. "On The Beach," Greene's swan song, remains one of the most painful episodes in "ER's" history. I bawl every time a healthy Greene walks through the empty ER to the strains of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version of "Over the Rainbow." Though Anthony Edwards would return during ER's final season to film a flashback episode with Angela Bassett's character, Dr. Cate Banfield, it wasn't the same. Some things are better left alone.

4. The Special Guest Star

"Special Guest Stars" are intended to make a huge splash and "ER" was no exception. However, much like a voice role on "The Simpsons" holds a certain cache, so did a special guest starring role on "ER." Everyone wanted a piece of the ER pie (Quentin Tarantino, fresh off his "Pulp Fiction" success, even directed the Season One episode, "Motherhood") and it became a stop for many of Hollywood's elite including Rosemary Clooney (George Clooney's aunt), Red Buttons and Mickey Rooney. Among the stars who popped up in early memorable roles included Mariska Hargitay, Ewan McGregor and Shia LaBeouf. Two of the show's most memorable guest stars were Sally Field and Ray Liotta, both of whom won Emmy's for their turns. Sally Field starred as Abby's (Maura Tierney) bipolar mother, Maggie, whose character shed light on Abby's own troubled demeanor. Ray Liotta portrayed an alcoholic whose number was up in "Time of Death." His agonizing death played out in real time as the ER could do nothing more than to make him comfortable as he drew his last breath. Whether their appearances where for one episode or five, ER made very special use out of their very special guest stars.

5. The New Guard

While the "ER" of 2009 looked mighty different from the "ER" of 1994, the ever-changing cast did open up new storyline possibilities and allowed the show to reinvent itself several times over. Were it not for George Clooney's departure, we never would have had Goran Visnjic, the tall drink of water who before ER, was perhaps best known to American audiences as Madonna's love interest in her music video, "The Power of Goodbye." No, he was no Clooney, but Visnjic ably filled the hunk quotient for almost ten seasons. Abby Lockhart took over the reins from Carol Hathaway, eventually becoming a doctor. Along the way we were introduced to Greg Pratt, Archie Morris, Tony Gates and Neela Rasgotra. While they may not have been the old guard, their characters along with a myriad of memorable guest stars in later seasons, kept us invested in ER year after year.

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108757/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ER_episodes#Season_1:_1994.E2.80.931995

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000123/