“It’s some of the best TV of all time, period.”
The most legendary medical drama ever to grace our screens is now available on Netflix UK for the first time. ER, the star-making timeless series renowned for its compelling storytelling, was a ’90s powerhouse that only concluded in 2009.
Whilst shows and films frequently flit in and out of Netflix’s catalogue, ER is making its debut on the streaming platform in the UK. Now, fans can binge-watch the entirety of its critically acclaimed 15-year run.
For those unfamiliar with the show — and its claim to fame — ER provided a realistic look into the emergency department of a bustling Chicago hospital, and notably catapulted George Clooney to stardom.
ER was the brainchild of Michael Crichton, the late author and screenwriter responsible for 25 books, including the novel Jurassic Park and its screenplay that became the much-loved Steven Spielberg movie.
The medical drama drew from Crichton’s own experiences as a Harvard-trained medical student in a busy emergency room. The script, penned decades prior to the show’s inception, was revamped by showrunner John Wells and Spielberg, who directed the show’s iconic first episode.
Viewers were riveted by the action-packed episodes and the dynamic of the original cast members (George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle, Noah Wyle, Anthony Edwards and Sherry Stringfield). And the rest is history.
The show enjoyed a successful run from 1994 to 2009, earning widespread praise, and now every single episode is ready and waiting for you to rediscover — or delve into for the very first time.
And with a whopping 331 episodes, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. The show harks back to the golden age of network dramas, when TV series churned out over 20 episodes year after year like clockwork.
The Television Academy, the body responsible for the Emmy Awards, summed up the programme’s influence: “For television audiences in 1994, there was life before and life after watching the pilot for ER.”
They added: “ER would go on to become not just one of TV’s biggest hits, but the standard by which all subsequent medical dramas would be measured. Because ER proved to be more than just capturing traumatic, life-and-death stakes through the thrilling lens of a Steadicam. ER was a show about relatable medical professionals who made the tough sacrifices every day so we didn’t have to.”
It was an immediate and enduring hit. As Collider put it: “The cast changed many times over its 15 seasons, but you know what? ER was still pretty good, with one of the best final seasons of all time: The entire original cast, including Clooney, all came back!”
Whilst three decades have passed since it first captivated television viewers, fans both longstanding and fresh continue showering the series with acclaim.
“ER was hardly the first primetime medical drama to hit the airwaves, and it certainly wasn’t the last, either,” as per IGN’s list of the best TV shows of all time, which ranked it as number 80. “But over time the show has become the gold standard by which all others are judged.”
On Reddit, a newcomer recently asked fellow Netflix users, “ER just appeared on UK Netflix. Should I give it a try?”
One responded: “Critically acclaimed tv show that really propelled many actors into stardom and had a deep run? The one was that was a ratings hit? The one that influenced all the tv shows you said you liked? No, no you should not.”
“I’ve got a penchant for a medical drama but there’s only so much cheese I can stomach outside of a sitcom but ER is low on the cheese, tight on the drama and solid acting throughout,” a second person replied.
“The first 6 seasons of ER are some of the best television ever made,” another viewer commented.
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