It's really hard to recall now, but there was a time when ER wasn't just the best show on TV, it was arguably the best show in TV history. Perhaps no show out there better encapsulates what happens when you don't end your show at the top of your game. ER was astoundingly good for it's first three seasons, really good
for two more, and then watchable for about two more. About the third year of Anthony Edwards dying (has any character been dying for so long....EVER?) I said my goodbyes and checked out of the ER. As I said in my Soap review, what happens when you stay past your prime is that you begin to erode the good memories and quality that you established while you were on the top. I don't know if ER as a whole can be considered among the best shows in TV history any more. I can say this. The first season is flawless. ER changed the television drama forever. It's premiere was like nothing ever seen before. It was fast, it was visceral, it sucked you into County General's ER like you were sitting on the gurney as it raced down the hall. The cast was amazing, and going back and watching it now, you will recognize a bunch of familiar faces in the background and in minor roles that have gone on to great things. Despite how his character arc ended, Anthony Edwards should have won an Emmy for the first year, if nothing else for "Love's Labor Lost", still the best episode of any TV series I've ever seen. George Clooney was fresh and we weren't sick of his head-bobbing and smiling acting style yet. Noah Wyle, Juliana Margulies, Sherry Springfield, Eriq La Salle, all stellar. From the pilot to the finale, ER Season One was a revolution in dramatic storytelling. That it hasn't maintained its quality throughout the years, shouldn't take away from the beginning. Just do what I do and decide that shows have ended when they should've. MASH ended when Radar left. Soap ended sometime before Jody's baby got kidnapped by Kung Fu carnies. Law & Order ended before Elisabeth Rohm was cast as the cardboard ADA. ER ended when Dr. Ross and Carol got together. See, all very simple. Makes for better memories.
February 28, 2006
