| E/R | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Directed by | Peter Bonerz |
| Starring | Elliot Gould Mary McDonnell Conchata Ferrell Lynne Moody Shûko Akune Bruce A. Young Corinne Bohrer Luis Avalos George Clooney |
| Theme music composer | Jimmy Webb Lou Rawls |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bernie Orenstein Saul Turtletaub |
| Producer(s) | Eve Brandstein |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Distributor | Embassy Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 16, 1984 – July 24, 1985 |
E/R (referring to the emergency room of a hospital) was an American television sitcom that aired in 1984 and 1985. Developed from a successful play of the same name, the series was produced by Embassy Television and lasted a single season.
Contents |
The story centers around the happenings of the emergency room of fictional Clark Street Hospital in Chicago, Illinois and the lives of the doctors who work there. Principal characters include emergency room doctor Howard Sheinfeld (played by Elliott Gould), a recently divorced ear, nose, and throat specialist who moonlights at the hospital to keep up with his alimony payments, and his colleague (and potential romantic interest) Dr. Eve Sheridan (played by Marcia Strassman in the pilot and by Mary McDonnell thereafter).
While essentially a comedy, E/R also contained dramatic elements stemming from its hospital setting.
Dr. Howard Sheinfeld (Elliott Gould) Twice-divorced Otolaryngologist (his wives were named Phyllis and Sheila) and father of two (David and Jenny), who—in order to keep alimony payments to said ex-wives—worked long hours at Clark Street Hospital's emergency room. Despite his joking nature and his constant womanizing, he is a compassionate and well-respected doctor.
Dr. Eve Sheridan (Marcia Strassman in the pilot; Mary McDonnell thereafter) The head doctor in the ER. Born in a medical family, her father was also a doctor, and she takes her job very seriously. She tends to come down hard on Howard for his constant joking and his lack of medical protocol, but she is also concerned for him because he works such long hours in the emergency room with absolutely little or nothing to show for it. At times very strict with her staff to the point of angering them, but she often means well. Eve was able to sometimes let her hair down with the staff and was considered their friend.
Nurse Joan Thor (Conchata Ferrell) The head nurse in the ER. She is close friends with Howard and, like Eve, worries about him working such long hours and having nothing to show for it. She has a tough exterior, but a heart of gold. Usually seen talking on the phone to her couch potato husband, Bud Thor. Her nephew, Mark "Ace" Kolmar, works with the paramedics.
Nurse Julie Williams (Lynne Moody) Joan's industrious assistant. Her aunt and uncle are George and Louise Jefferson. Shares an apartment with receptionist Maria, to help save money.
Maria Amardo (Shuko Akune) The ER's receptionist. Known for her strict enforcement of the white line rule. She dates Officer Fred Burdock, the beat cop, but is afraid of marriage due to her parents' own divorce. Shares an apartment with nurse Julie Williams, to help both of them save money.
Nurse Cory Smith (Corinne Bohrer) A pediatric nurse who comes to help in the ER when it gets too hectic. Is in love with Howard, who only sees her as a colleague.
Officer Fred Burdock (Bruce A. Young) The beat cop in the area of Chicago where Clark Street Hospital is located. Dates Maria Amardo, although marriage isn't in the cards due to Maria's fear of divorce. Officer Burdock is also close friends with the rest of the ER staff.
A more complete cast list follows:
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Elliott Gould | Howard Sheinfeld |
| Mary McDonnell | Dr. Eve Sheridan |
| Conchata Ferrell | Head Nurse Joan Thor |
| Lynne Moody | Nurse Julie Williams |
| Corinne Bohrer | Nurse Cory Smith |
| Shûko Akune | Maria Amardo |
| Bruce A. Young | Officer Fred Burdock |
| Luis Avalos | Dr. Thomas Esquivel |
| Jeff Doucette | Bert |
| George Clooney | Mark "Ace" Kolmar |
| Jason Alexander | Harold Stickley |
| Pamela Segall | Jenny Sheinfeld |
| Shirley Prestia | Irene |
| William G. Schilling | Richard |
The program was canceled after 22 episodes due to low ratings, mainly due to competition from the Top 10 hit The A-Team, despite being placed between the Top 20 hit AfterMASH and the Top 30 hit CBS Tuesday Night Movie.
| Episode # | Title | Original Airdate | Guest Star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot #1 | September 16, 1984 | Sherman Hemsley |
| 2 | Pilot #2 | September 16, 1984 | Sherman Hemsley |
| 3 | "The Sister" | September 18, 1984 | Dennis Franz, Anne Schedeen |
| 4 | "My Way" | September 25, 1984 | |
| 5 | "Son of Sheinfeld" | October 2, 1984 | Jonathan Silverman |
| 6 | "Save the Last Dance for Me" | October 9, 1984 | David Faustino |
| 7 | "Say It Ain't So" | October 16, 1984 | |
| 8 | "Growing Pains" | October 23, 1984 | |
| 9 | "All's Well That Ends" | October 30, 1984 | Amy Linker |
| 10 | "Only a Nurse" | November 7, 1984 | |
| 11 | "Sentimental Journey" | November 14, 1984 | |
| 12 | "Mr. Fix-It" | November 21, 1984 | Kevin Peter Hall, Christopher Hewett, Jack Kruschen |
| 13 | "A Cold Night in Chicago" | November 28, 1984 | Louis Arquette |
| 14 | "Both Sides Now" | December 12, 1984 | |
| 15 | "The Storm" | December 19, 1984 | Martha Quinn |
| 16 | "Enter Romance" | December 26, 1984 | Karen Black |
| 17 | "Brotherly Love" | January 16, 1985 | |
| 18 | "I Raise You" | January 23, 1985 | |
| 19 | "Merry Wives of Sheinfeld (Part 1)" | January 30, 1985 | Karen Black |
| 20 | "Merry Wives of Sheinfeld (Part 2)" | February 6, 1985 | Karen Black |
| 21 | "All Tied Up" | February 20, 1985 | |
| 22 | "A Change in Policy" | February 27, 1985 |
E/R was perhaps most noted for having a theme song (sung by Lou Rawls) that was deemed catchy, and for the catchphrase of the Filipino-American secretary (played by Shûko Akune): "Stay back of the white line!".
Akune was reprising her role from the original Chicago production of the play.