The 10/10 Medical Drama Masterpiece From Start to Finish

There’s one medical drama that is as wonderful at the end as it is at the beginning, and that’s ER. The NBC drama balanced a huge group of characters throughout its 15 seasons, and while Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) is the focal point, everyone’s personal and work lives are fleshed out properly.

The first and last episodes of ER are both incredible, but rather than airing a few big, splashy storylines that get a lot of attention and then boring viewers the rest of the time, the whole show is special. Although it would have been great if ER had lasted past season 15, it had an amazing run.

ER Season 1 Is Great, But The Show Improves Each Season

In the case of many TV shows, season 1 is the most compelling one, although of course, you hope that a show can build on its strong beginning and still be surprising and moving. There are so many things to love about the first season of ER, including the introduction of the chaotic nature of working at the hospital.

ER gets better every season, though, as the characters truly grow, and the patient storylines continue to be devastating. Every time a patient faces their own mortality, you get the chance to think about these themes, too. That’s the real power of the show: making us realize that, cheesy as it may sound, life really is about love and happiness.

The same can’t be said for Grey’s Anatomy, which beats ER as the medical drama that has been on the air the longest, with season 22 starting in October 2025. Even the most emotional moments, from Derek Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) season 11 death to Alex Karev’s (Justin Chambers) exit in season 16, veer toward melodrama.

The most engaging characters and best love stories also all happened early on. Now, main character Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) isn’t in every episode, and she’s the only original intern still left. While Grey’s still makes attempts at cliffhangers, twists, and swoonworthy romance, it’s easy to pick out stand-out plotlines from each season of ER.

Another big draw? The incredible guest stars on ER, and the talented actors who keep joining. And when important cast members like Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) leave, new characters arrive and are interesting in their own right, which doesn’t often happen. Each character shows the challenges of being a doctor, while also bonding with each other and humanizing the profession.

Nurse Sam Taggart’s (Linda Cardellini) and Dr. Tony Gates’s (John Stamos) relationship, for instance, is a significant part of the last part of the show. Since Sam has a son, the show explores the challenges a parent faces when dating, which made their relationship stand out from some of the others.

But most importantly, incredible actor Angela Bassett became part of the cast in season 15 as Dr. Cate Banfield, who tragically lost her son Daryl. It’s rare for a show to add a fantastic cast member in its final season, as this is usually when fans lose interest because the storylines and characters are dull compared to the powerful beginning.

Just like Cate has some complexity as she faces this terrible moment in time, Carter’s character growth is another reason ER should still be celebrated. He’s an innocent student when he joins the team, smiling in season 1 whenever he gets something right and trying his best to help and learn.

As he advances in his career, he falls in love with Kem (Thandiwe Newton) and Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney), becomes a patient himself and gets a new kidney, and finds his purpose. He could be a rich, conceited, and unlikable character, but he figures out how to be a good person, and Noah Wyle’s performance is captivating the entire time.

Some Of ER’s Most Memorable And Emotional Episodes Happen Later On

There are some incredible episodes in ER season 1, including the stand-out “Love’s Labor Lost,” but the show continues to move, shock, and impress. The series wouldn’t be nearly as impactful without the two-part season 6 arc “Be Still My Heart” and “All In The Family,” when Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) dies after a patient stabs her and Carter.

This changes it all for Carter, who grieves the aspiring doctor he was mentoring and realizes how close he himself came to dying. This sense of loss informs season 10, episode 21, “Midnight,” when Kem and Carter’s baby is stillborn. You really feel Carter’s pain and fear and know how much he’s been through.

Season 9 and 10 have other intense moments, including Dr. Robert Romano’s two helicopter-related plotlines. Watching him lose an arm in season 9, episode 1, “Chaos Theory” and be killed by a helicopter crashing on him in “Freefall” is hard to get on board with. But these moments stick with you, which is what you want from a long-running drama.

Season 8 also had two heartbreaking episodes, from “On the Beach” when Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) passes away while on a Hawaii vacation, and when Carter reads a note he left. Rather than showing Greene dying in the hospital, it’s sweet to see him in a beautiful setting, and important to see how much the staff cares.

Greene has one of the better arcs, as you watch him during the most significant part of his life, all the way up to his death. A full picture is painted, from his permanently exhausted state to when he loses a pregnant patient, and you cheer him on throughout his career highs and his tough divorce.

Season 15 has plenty of clever episodes, from “Haunted” when Dr. Tony Gates (John Stamos) bonds with a kid after they end up in a stairwell together to Carter’s kidney disease arc. Instead of running out of steam, ER still gives you the emotion and great characters you’re looking for.

Why ER’s Series Finale Is A Masterpiece

The ER series finale is particularly strong, proving that even in its very last moments, the show came out on top. “And in the End…” feels like yet another comforting and familiar episode of the hit show while also standing on its own, which is rare.

Several big characters pass away on ER, but even the finale has some moving last moments. From an older patient feeling peaceful about their fatal cancer as they wonder if death is like the “floating” feeling of skydiving to the excitement of twins being born, you still get to know the people admitted to the hospital, however briefly.

But it’s Carter’s appearance that makes the episode shine. When chatting about opening a medical center, he jokes about using the “ill-begotten gains of my Carter forefathers,” which is a smart callback to season 1 of ER when the others learn he’s wealthy. It would have felt wrong and upsetting not to see him in the finale.

When the staff hears about an explosion and goes outside to wait for the ambulance, with Carter taking a hospital gown and maybe returning to the job he cares so much about, the camera shows viewers the outside of the hospital, which had never been on screen before.

It’s strange to feel choked up looking at a building, but that’s exactly how you feel, as you know the doctors will continue their important daily work of saving others and helping them through terrible times. The ER finale is as exciting and sweet as the rest of the show, and it’s an impressive achievement.

Release Date

1994 – 2009-00-00

Showrunner

Michael Crichton

Directors

Michael Crichton