In September of 1994, I was living in a two-story converted carriage house in Manhattan’s West Village with three roommates, dozens of rats, and no discernable climate control. Next door, mysterious men packed boxes and pumped reggae music all day; upstairs was a roof deck where a decade of NYU students had thrown their unwanted textbooks and mattresses, and the graffiti artist boyfriend of a summer subletter had tagged the bricks with "Zulu Nation," ostensibly to protect us from street gangs. One of the living room walls was covered in what appeared to be pressed ham contact paper, and the apartment’s only true bedroom featured a mural of three giant apples under a sky that dripped with blood. I was a sophomore in college. It was the greatest place I’ve ever lived.
On the night of NBC’s Thursday fall premieres, my roommates and I hiked down to a now-defunct electronics chain called Nobody Beats the Wiz! and bought a new television. It had an irresponsibly enormous 14" screen. We plugged it in next to the ham and spread out on the compost-brown shag carpet to watch Mad About You, some crappy new sitcom about a bunch of New Yorkers who hung out in a coffee shop, and Seinfeld, which was then in the prime of its life. We probably used the Dabney Coleman show as a smoke break. And then it was time for the main event: This fancy new medical drama the network had been touting, from the guy who wrote Jurassic Park. I loved that movie.
I don’t remember much about ER‘s first real episode, except that it was bloody, impossibly fast-paced, and I hoped the nice nurse would find her will to live, so she could hook up with the cute doctor. I’d missed the feature-length pilot that Monday — would rent it from Blockbuster a couple years later — but for the last 15 years, I have never let another episode pass me by. ER now ranks up there with "parents" and "baseball" as the major constants in my life, which is either really sad or reassuring, depending on your perspective, I suppose.
So many memories, many involving sobbing alone on my couch: "Love’s Labor Lost." Lucy getting stabbed. Susan Lewis boarding a train. The Israel Kamakawiwo’ole-scored death of Mark Greene. All those emotionally manipulative Christmas episodes. Living vicariously through the complex romantic entanglements of the County General staff, while sobbing alone on a couch. Being mesmerized by Clooney. Helicopters falling from the sky. Swordfights. Tanks. That intolerable Africa storyline. Finding a kindred spirit in Maura Tierney/Abby Lockhart. Embracing Morris. Never embracing Weaver. Wondering if Doris the Paramedic would ever get her due. Wondering if anyone could ever truly live happily ever after.
If I were to list all the ways in which this show impacted the television landscape, we’d be here forever. (Example: I’m pretty sure we’ve got ER commercials to thank for the now-inescapable "Most.Intense.[Insert Subject].EVER" meme.) If I were to list all the ways it impacted my existence — well, we’re just not that close. But I will say that my biggest current regret in this job is that I never found an excuse to visit the set before they pulled the plug.
Your turn, PopWatchers: Where were you when ER premiered? Who were you? What moments from the last 15 years stand out, either because of their inherent quality or the way they intersected with your life? Favorite characters, storylines, cliffhangers? (I vote smallpox.) And what do you plan to do with the hour of free time you’ll have starting next week?
I don’t remember the first episode either but I do remember watching “Love’s Labour Lost” on the couch in our study with my mother. I was a junior in high school. I cried until I couldn’t speak. Then I remember going to school the next day and recounting the entire episode to a friend with the help of another classmate while we walked around the track during gym class. Everyone was talking about it the next day. It was my first “watercooler” TV moment. For the next 6 years E.R. was must see tv for me.
I don’t watch it regularly anymore but if I happen by an episode even if I don’t know what’s going on, I’ll watch the whole thing and most likely cry.
A freshman at the University of New Hampshire, living on the sixth floor of a dormitory… It seems hard to believe that 15 years later I only missed three episodes and that this show is still a part of my life. There are few things left in my life that were around 15 years ago but ER has been that constant. Thursday nights will never be the same and I am grateful to everyone involved for helping to fill Thursdays at 10 for 15 years. It’s been a great run and while I am sad to see it go, I know it will surely go out in style.
yes, I watched the very first episode and have watched every one since then (includes a lot of re-runs on TNT) – will def watch & record tonight’s finale — what will Thursday night be now with no ER? (never watched any of the replacements shows while it was on hiatus) — I vote for the small pox episode and yes of course, Love’s Labor Lost
I was in high school and remember at the end of that first episode, when they bring in the gurney with Carol on it, everyone’s shock and disbelief especially Ross’. I remember them all saying, “It’s Carol!” And then Mark shouting for everyone to get back to work and to just let them do their job. The most heartbreaking part was seeing Ross’ expression and from then on I knew I would love this show. Well, until Mark Greene died and then I quit because it was just too much with the cast changes and I was out of school by then and just too busy on Thursdays to stay home and watch ER. But I’ll never forget those first few seasons and all the emotions they could make you feel. And, these days, could we ever get a bigger, better surprise than Ross greeting Carol on the dock in Washington in Julianna Marguiles’ last episode???
Carter and Benton… at Carter’s intervention when he storms out and Anspaugh says is that it? and Benton says “no” and goes after him, and then later flies down to Atlanta with him… oh! And Susan Lewis leaving on that D@mn train! I cried myself sick…
What do I plan to do with that extra hour? I plan to choke the chicken I think, to Kayden Kross. yummy!
ER has officially been on for half my life. I remember watching it premiere as a 15 year old high school freshman. Not I’m 30 and working on my master’s. Quite a ride.
I always watched the show with my mom, and I remember being upset about going on an overnight school field trip because it meant I had to miss the episode after Lucy and Carter got stabbed. Apparently we weren’t capable of programming a VCR at the time. I never did get to see that episode until a couple of years later. I haven’t seen the past couple of seasons, but I will definitely be tuning in tonight.
I realized, on the drive into work this morning, that I’ve been watching ER for essentially half my life (I’m 34). ER has become a huge part of my life, it’s where I’ve always been Thursday nights at 9. Loved the episodes where Romano lost his arm (gross but cool), the never-ending string of great guest stars (especially Kirsten Dunst & Cynthia Nixon) and the episode where Pratt and Chen went into the river (mainly because a pal of mine did the getting-out-of-the-car stunt). I will miss ER terribly. Three cheers for reruns, though!
I loved Dr. Romano’s unfortunate run-ins with helicoptors. First getting his arm chopped off on the roof, then one falling on him in the loading dock!
I was a fetus when it premiered.
And thanks to TNT, I fell in love with Julianna Margulies.
Third biggest girl crush!
But that show used to have amazing quality… ):
I was 12 years old when ER premiered. I have never let a TV show take over my life like ER did, it dictated my social calendar (don’t phone me during it, call me after to discuss, don’t even think about asking me out on a date on Thursday night!!).
No other show has made me cry, laugh and sometimes plain angry (thought the Doug Ross exit story was weak).
Most importantly ER made me realise I wanted to work in a hospital, and now I do.
I stopped watching ER several years ago, but am now watching again. My most memorable episode ever is “LOVES LABOR LOST”. I remember sobbing uncontrollably for hours after it ended. It was an incredible episode!
I was a freshman in high school and was about to turn 14. I watched it and was hooked from the beginning! Those horrible “Doctors in Africa” episodes almost made me tun off, but I stuck with it. I cried like a baby when Mark died and Carter left. Thinking about Doug at the dock in Seattle for Carol’s farewell still gives me chills! Romano’s accident and eventual death (God I hated him!) I’ll be recording it tonight and watching tomorrow night with my box of tissues!
Ahhh, Jane street. Such a glorious place.