45 Fun Facts About ER

Which best-selling author created ER, based on a script he had written in 1974?

Michael Crichton, a Harvard-trained doctor, wrote the ER pilot script in 1974 drawing on his own training; it sat unproduced for twenty years before NBC picked it up.

Which director's company, Amblin Television, co-produced ER after steering it toward TV?

Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television co-produced ER with Crichton's Constant c Productions and Warner Bros. Television; Spielberg had read the script while working with Crichton on Jurassic Park.

ER premiered on NBC on 19 September of which year?

ER premiered on NBC on 19 September 1994 with a two-hour pilot and ran for fifteen seasons, ending on 2 April 2009.

Which ER character was played by William H. Macy?

William H. Macy played Dr. David Morgenstern, the surgeon heading County's emergency department in the early seasons, who tells Greene in the pilot, 'You set the tone.'

ER is set in the emergency room of which fictional Chicago hospital?

ER is set at County General Hospital, a fictional public hospital in Chicago; the series finale ended on a wide shot of its exterior as a mass-casualty call arrives.

Which actor played Dr. Mark Greene, the lead of ER's first eight seasons?

Anthony Edwards played Dr. Mark Greene, the steady centre of the show's first eight seasons, and left in 2002 when Greene died of a brain tumour.

George Clooney's character Doug Ross was a doctor in which specialty?

Doug Ross was County's paediatrics specialist, a paediatric emergency fellow and later attending whose devotion to child patients repeatedly put him at odds with administrators.

At the end of which year of the show did George Clooney depart as a regular?

Clooney left at the end of the fifth season in the 1999 two-parter 'The Storm', then made an uncredited cameo in the season 6 finale 'Such Sweet Sorrow'.

Julianna Margulies played which nurse?

Julianna Margulies played nurse Carol Hathaway, whose pilot-episode overdose was meant to be fatal until test audiences objected; she and Clooney returned together in 2009's 'Old Times'.

Noah Wyle's John Carter starts the series as what?

John Carter arrives in the pilot as a third-year medical student assigned to a demanding surgical resident; Noah Wyle's 254 episodes are the most of any ER cast member.

Which patient stabbed Carter and medical student Lucy Knight on Valentine's Day in season six?

Paul Sobriki, a schizophrenic patient, stabbed Carter and Lucy in 'Be Still My Heart'; Lucy died of a pulmonary embolism in 'All in the Family', and Carter later fought a painkiller addiction.

Which actress played the ill-fated medical student Lucy Knight?

Kellie Martin, formerly of Life Goes On, played medical student Lucy Knight from season 5 until the character's death in February 2000.

Which country did Carter travel to for humanitarian work, where he met Kem Likasu?

Carter joined a relief mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, first seen in 'Kisangani', and met Kem Likasu there; in season 15 he returned to County needing a kidney transplant.

The live season-four premiere was framed as what?

Thomas Schlamme directed with 11 cameras; the episode also introduced Alex Kingston as surgeon Elizabeth Corday.

Which five-Emmy season 1 episode sees Greene lose a mother during an emergency delivery?

'Love's Labor Lost' (March 1995) follows Greene's failed management of a routine delivery that kills the mother; Lance Gentile won the writing Emmy and Mimi Leder the directing Emmy.

What condition did Greene miss in the pregnant patient in the Emmy-winning season 1 delivery episode?

Greene treated Jodi O'Brien for a urinary tract infection and missed her pre-eclampsia; she seized with eclampsia, and an emergency caesarean could not save her.

How did surgeon Robert Romano lose his arm in the season 9 premiere?

In 'Chaos Theory' Romano's left arm was severed by the tail rotor of a helicopter on the hospital roof; a season later in 'Freefall' a falling helicopter killed him.

Which actor played the abrasive Dr. Robert Romano?

Paul McCrane, earlier seen in Fame and RoboCop, played Dr. Robert 'Rocket' Romano from 1997 until the character's death by falling helicopter in 2003.

Eriq La Salle played which ambitious surgeon who left the show in season 8?

Benton left to spend more time with his son Reese and returned for the finale.

Which Croatian actor played Dr. Luka Kovac, whose family was killed in the Balkan war?

Goran Visnjic, born in Sibenik, Croatia, played Luka Kovac from 1999 to 2008; Kovac had lost his wife and children in the Croatian War of Independence.

How does Mekhi Phifer's Dr. Greg Pratt die in the season 15 premiere?

Angela Bassett joined the same season as new ER chief Cate Banfield.

Laura Innes played which crutch-using ER chief who appeared from season 2 to season 13?

Laura Innes played Dr. Kerry Weaver, the limping, crutch-using administrator who rose to chief of staff; Innes also directed several episodes and returned for the finale.

Gloria Reuben's physician assistant Jeanie Boulet dealt with which storyline before leaving in season 6?

The show was praised for its handling of HIV at a time when few dramas touched it.

Which Full House star joined ER in its later seasons as paramedic-turned-doctor Tony Gates?

John Stamos, Uncle Jesse on Full House, joined ER in 2005 as paramedic Tony Gates, who became an intern and then a resident at County.

How many Primetime Emmy nominations did ER receive over its fifteen seasons?

ER earned 124 Primetime Emmy nominations across its run, winning 23 of them, and received a Peabody Award in 1995.

Which ER doctor was played by Ming-Na Wen?

Ming-Na Wen played Dr. Jing-Mei 'Deb' Chen, first as a medical student in season 1 and again as a resident and attending from season 6 to season 11.

Which actor played desk clerk Jerry Markovic?

Abraham Benrubi played Jerry Markovic, the hulking ER desk clerk, in the early seasons and again from season 8 to the 2009 finale; Troy Evans played fellow clerk Frank Martin.

What was the title of ER's two-hour series finale on 2 April 2009?

'And in the End...', written by John Wells and directed by Rod Holcomb, takes its title from the Beatles' 'The End' and reunites Carter with Benton, Weaver and Susan Lewis.

Which Hollywood veteran earned an Emmy nomination for playing a dying woman's husband in the ER finale?

Ernest Borgnine, then 92, played Paul Manning, who sits with his dying wife in the finale; the role brought him a Guest Actor Emmy nomination in 2009.

Which fellow John Wells series crossed over with ER in a 2002 storyline about Susan Lewis's missing niece?

The story began in ER's 'Brothers & Sisters' and finished in Third Watch's 'Unleashed'.

What was the title of ER's two-hour pilot episode?

It shares its name with Crichton's original 1974 script and drew 23.8 million viewers.

Which ER doctor was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq?

Dr. Michael Gallant, played by Sharif Atkins, was serving as an Army doctor in Iraq when a roadside bomb killed him in season 12, shortly after marrying Neela.

Which actress played nurse Sam Taggart in ER's later seasons?

Linda Cardellini, Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, played nurse Samantha 'Sam' Taggart from season 10 (2003) through the 2009 finale.

Which Bend It Like Beckham actress played Dr. Neela Rasgotra?

Parminder Nagra, Jess in Bend It Like Beckham, played Neela Rasgotra from 2003 to 2009, arriving as a medical student and becoming a surgical resident.

Roughly how many viewers watched ER's series finale in April 2009?

The finale drew about 16.4 million viewers, ER's biggest audience in years; a one-hour retrospective aired first, and ratings climbed as the two hours went on.

Which Oscar-winning actress played Abby Lockhart's bipolar mother Maggie?

Sally Field played Maggie Wyczenski, Abby's bipolar mother, first in season 7; the role won Field a Guest Actress Emmy in 2001.

Which actress played nurse-turned-doctor Abby Lockhart from season 6 to season 15?

Maura Tierney played Abby Lockhart from 1999 to 2008, an obstetrics nurse who worked the ER and returned to medical school to become a doctor; she married Luka Kovac and had son Joe.

Which streaming service struck a 2018 deal to carry all 15 seasons of ER?

Hulu picked up all 15 seasons of ER in January 2018, the show's first streaming home; it moved to HBO Max in January 2022.

Which CBS medical drama launched the same season as ER and was constantly compared to it?

One Daily News critic conceded ER would win the Nielsens but argued the rival told better stories. Both were set in the same city.

Which actor played the slacker-turned-attending Dr. Archie Morris in ER's later seasons?

Scott Grimes, later the voice of Steve Smith on American Dad!, played Archie Morris from 2003, an intern who matured into a respected attending by the finale.

ER's two-hour pilot aired opposite which ABC programme before the show moved to Thursdays?

NBC had ordered only six episodes and was nervous about medical drama after St. Elsewhere. It then sat at 10pm Thursday for its entire run.

Which original cast member was first to quit, reportedly because she disliked the fame?

Sherry Stringfield quit in 1996, early in season 3, saying she wanted a normal life away from the fame; producers suspected a pay play, and she returned as Susan Lewis from 2001 to 2005.

What happened to Dr. Ray Barnett in the season 13 finale, 'The Honeymoon Is Over'?

Shane West's character went home to Baton Rouge to recover, and returned for three season 15 episodes to reunite with Neela.

When Abby and Luka left County General in season 15, which city were they headed to?

She tried to slip out quietly, but the staff made sure she knew she would be missed. Luka had earlier gone home to Croatia to nurse his father.

'Urgentni centar', a 246-episode licensed remake of ER, was made in which country?

'Urgentni centar' was Serbia's licensed adaptation of ER, broadcast from 2014 with Serbian actors recreating County General's cases; the title means 'Emergency Center'.