The show has remained popular despite the departure of its entire original cast. The first such departure was that of Sherry Stringfield in 1996 as her character Susan Lewis transferred her residency to Phoenix in the third season episode 'Union Station'. She reprised her role in 2001 in the eighth season episode 'Never Say Never', before departing again in the twelfth season premiere, 'Canon City' in 2005, to take up tenancy in Iowa, having been refused it at County. Her departure was not explained until the episode 'The Human Shield', and was mentioned again in the episode 'No Place To Hide'. George Clooney left the show in 1999, in the fifth season episode, 'The Storm, Part 2', when his character Doug Ross left before being fired by County for his involvement in a patient's death. Others who have left include Anthony Edwards whose character Mark Greene, died of a brain tumour in Hawaii, in the eighth season episode, 'On The Beach', after promising to save his daughter Rachel from herself, Eriq La Salle who left in the eighth season episode 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' in order to spend more time with his son, Reece, and his partner, Cleo Finch (who had also left the show earlier in the eighth season). Both would return for Mark Greene's funeral in the eighth season episode 'On the Beach', which disappointingly Carol Hathaway and Doug Ross did not, despite being two of the original cast members and, along with Susan Lewis, two of Mark's best friends. Julianna Margulies left in the sixth season episode 'Such Sweet Sorrow', when her character Carol Hathaway and her twin daughters, Kate and Tess, reunited with Doug Ross in Seattle after a year apart. Alex Kingston did not have her contract renewed and left the series in the eleventh season episode, 'Fear', after she was offered a demoted position at County having performed an unauthorised operation on a patient, and Ming-Na who left in the eleventh season also to look after her ailing father, following her mother's death. Noah Wyle left in the eleventh season finale, 'The Show Must Go On', the last original cast member to depart (though he has made subsequent guest appearances in the twelfth season).
The show has been renewed on NBC through the 2007-2008 (14th) season; it is that network's second longest running drama, after Law & Order. However, on May 15, 2006, NBC announced that for the 2006-2007 season, it would run 13 episodes through December, then the show would go on hiatus with remaining episodes to be tentatively shown in May-June of 2007; this to allow one of NBC's "midseasons replacement" shows to air in the time slot from January-April or May. This will mark the first time since early in the series that a show other than ER is regularly in the Thursday 10pm time slot.
As of May 2006, the first six seasons of the series have been released on DVD in the United Kingdom, the seventh season to be released in September. The first five have also been released in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, and other markets.
ER is notable for broadcasting a live episode, "Ambush," in 1997, with the NBC camera crew disguised as a PBS crew making a documentary film in the hospital. Even more unusual, the actors performed the show again three hours later so that the West Coast airing would be live as well.
Other notable episodes include "Blizzard" (1994), "Love's Labor Lost" (1995), "Hell and High Water" (1995), "Random Acts" (1997), "Exodus" (1998), "All in the Family" (2000), "On the Beach" (2002), "Kisangani" and "The Lost" (2003), "Freefall" (2003), "Time of Death" (2004), "Two Ships" (2005), "Body and Soul" (2006), "Quintessence of Dust" (2006), "The Gallant Hero and the Tragic Victor" (2006) and "Twenty One Guns" (2006).
The pilot episode of ER was filmed in an old, abandoned hospital due to a lack of time and money to build a set. A set based on the hospital was eventually built.
The show's setting, County General Hospital, is loosely based on Cook County General on West Harrison Street in Chicago.
The show is produced at Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, Calif., although it makes extensive use of location shoots in Chicago, most notably the city's famous el trains.
The episode "On the Beach," which follows Mark Greene's last days in life, is notable for its use of profanity in an episode of a TV show aired on an American broadcast network. Greene says "shit" after collapsing while trying to get out of bed, realizing that his brain tumor has finally defeated him. The same expletive was muttered by Peter Benton in Season 2 (when he sprains his hand punching a man in the parking lot) and Season 5 (when he is the victim of a racist attack), although in both cases it is barely audible and does not appear on subtitles.
Several episodes of ER were directed by cast members:
Anthony Edwards - "Take These Broken Wings" (1996), "Of Past Regret and Future Fear" (1998), "Family Matters" (2000), and "Fear of Commitment" (2001)
Laura Innes - "Power" (1999), "Be Still My Heart" (2000), "Sailing Away" (2001), "If I Should Fall From Grace" (2001), "A Hopeless Wound" (2002), "NICU" (2004), "Nobody's Baby" (2005), and "The Human Shield" (2005)
Paul McCrane - "Next of Kin" (2002), "The Student" (2004), "Damaged" (2004), "Ruby Redux" (2005), and "Body and Soul" (2006)
Julianna Margulies was originally only supposed to be in the pilot episode of the series, but due to audiences responses, she was brought back and remained a regular for six seasons.
Noah Wyle was the longest lasting cast member on the series, being a regular on the series from Seasons 1 through 11. Sherry Stringfield was also an original cast member, who left during Season 3, but later on returned during Season 8. She abruptly departed the series in Season 12, appearing in only one episode.
Kellie Martin, who played intern, Lucy Knight, reportedly left the series during Season 6 due to a "lack of interesting character development." [2]
Maria Bello guest starred on the last 3 episodes of Season 3, but the show's producers were so impressed by her, they decided to keep her on as a regular.
Goran Višnjić is only contracted to be on ER through Season 13, but has not ruled out the possibility of returning.
Noah Wyle is also set to guest star in four episodes of Season 12 and in another four episodes for Season 13; no episode contracts have been extended beyond that.
Sherry Stringfield and Maria Bello are the only two regular cast members whose exits from the series were mentioned but not shown; this occurred with Stringfield when she left the show for a second time during season 12.
Alex Kingston first stated that she was fired from ER due to her age, but later recanted those claims.[3]
Four major characters died during the series: Lucy Knight (who was stabbed by a patient), Mark Greene (who succumbed to a brain tumor), Robert Romano (who was crushed by a crashing helicopter), and Michael Gallant (whose truck was destroyed by an roadside bomb in Iraq).
As of the end of season 12, the position of longest time served on the show will be a tie between Noah Wyle and Laura Innes. If Laura continues into Season 13, by the end of that season she will have served longest on the show.
According to NBC.com, the show won the George Foster Peabody Award, as well as 115 nominations and 23 Emmy Awards.[4]
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ER (1994) 
ER (1994) [TV series]
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"Emergency Room" (1994) 
