I watched every episode of ER- Here are some observations

Disclaimer: This will contain spoilers about the 90's/00's NBC show ER. I mean…duh.

On a lark, and out of sheer pandemic boredom, I decided to watch the entire NBC series, ER, which originally aired from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009. My original plan was to just watch the first 3 seasons, but after I got hooked, I decided I was in for the long haul.

I figure 22 Emmy wins has to be worth a few hours of my time, right? Just so I wouldn’t feel like this was a total waste of time, I decided to share some of my observations here. I kind of brush over seasons 1–7. Skip ahead to season 8, if amusing details are your thing.

Now, let me start by saying I was pretty familiar with the series. I had watched it off and on since its inception, and I knew about some of the major storylines. However, I wasn’t as in tune with some of the more intimate details of the characters, so here we are.

By the way, this isn’t going to be a comprehensive write-up of the entire series. For that, check out the ER wiki. This is just meant to be an amusing write-up about the moments that made an impression on me.

The show takes place in Chicago at County General Hospital- a teaching hospital that sees a variation of every type of patient imaginable from gunshot and car accident victims to people with TB, cancer, and STDs.

The main characters in the first few seasons are Dr. Mark Greene, Dr. Doug Ross, Dr. Susan Lewis, medical student John Carter, Dr. Peter Benton. More characters are added and subtracted as the series progresses, but these are the main players we’re working with for the first few years.

It’s obvious that, in the first few seasons, Greene and Carter are the lead characters- the former an almost seasoned “seen it all” doctor and the latter a “wet behind the ears” newbie.

It should also be noted that the ER of the ’90s and the ER of the ’00s are two different shows, completely- a fact that becomes glaringly obvious when the show is binged.

The only similarity is that ER continues to be set at County, and includes our beloved (and underappreciated) nurses- Chuny, Haleh, and Lily and the long-suffering Dr. Anspaugh.