Netflix is streaming one iconic show for the first time (Image: Getty)
The most iconic medical show of all time is available to watch on Netflix UK for the first time. ER, the long-running drama exalted for its strong writing and star-launching power, was a ’90s juggernaut that only went off air in 2009.
Shows and films regularly drop in and out of rotation on Netflix, but not ER. It’s the first time the show has been put on the streamer in the UK. Now, the entirety of its acclaimed 15 year run has landed on Netflix.
For audiences unfamiliar with the show – and why it’s so famous – ER offered a realistic glimpse into the emergency department of a busy Chicago hospital, and of course, made George Clooney a household name.
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George Clooney became a star from ER (Image: Getty)
ER was created by Michael Crichton, the late author and screenwriter who penned 25 books, including the novel Jurassic Park and its screenplay that resulted in the beloved Steven Spielberg film.
The medical drama is based on Crichton’s experience as a Harvard-trained medical student in a busy emergency room. The screenplay, which had been written decades before the show, was retooled by showrunner John Wells and Spielberg, who directed the show’s legendary first episode.
The rest is history. The show ran for 15 years to much acclaim and now every episode is at your fingertips to revisit — or experience for the first time.
And with 331 episodes, there is plenty to catch up on. The show was a traditional network drama of yore, where TV shows ran like clockwork with over 20 episodes airing year-on-year.
The cast of the first series of ER (Image: Getty)
It was a runaway success. The Television Academy, the organisation behind the Emmy Awards in the US, explained the show’s impact: “For television audiences in 1994, there was life before and life after watching the pilot for ER.”
They note: “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.”
ER is the medical drama of all medical dramas. It may have been three decades since it first wowed TV audiences, but viewers of the show, old and new, haven’t stopped heaping praise on the programme.
Sherry Stringfield as Dr Susan Lewis (Image: Getty)
A newcomer to the show asked fellow Netflix subscribers, “ER just appeared on UK Netflix. Should I give it a try?”
One answered: “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,” replied a second.
“The first 6 seasons of ER are some of the best television ever made,” wrote another.