Getting back into ER
 

I decided that I'd like to start watching ER again this season, mainly because I really like Linda Cardellini and Parminder Nagra. I also hear Kristen Johnston will be a regular guest, and I thoroughly enjoy her.

Anyways, is there anything pertinent that I should know before I jump back into the series? I'm 19 and I actually watched it from about 94 to 98, and then just stopped. The last big thing I remember is Kellie Martin's character dying...so after that season was probably when I stopped watching it.

Hopefully it's as good as I remember it. I don't know why I stopped watching, but I did.

Pretty much the entire cast from that time period, except some of the nurses, is gone. Maybe Weaver was around then, that's about it.

You picked a good time to stop watching back then, because those were the show's best years. It's never been the same since Dr. Ross (George Clooney) and Nurse Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) left the show. (It's not bad, but definitely not as good.)

(BTW, Kellie Martin's character Lucy actually died in 2000.)

Oh, alright, then I guess I stopped in 2000, lol. My chronology of the show is off just a lil bit.

I haven't really watched it much in years, but I might since John Leguizamo will be joining the show.

It is all pretty fresh as of last year. All the oldies except Weaver are gone. All you really need to know is Gallant was the best character they had and he left already. Since you missed that here is a quick rundown(some spoilers):

-The first thing you need to know is that the average age of the cast is about 24. It's like the OC meets ER.
- Pratt is an egotistical prick. Has a mentally challenged brother whom he had sent up to some home. The only decent storyline his character has produced, IMO. It was a nice contrast seeing how much of an ass he is at work then so caring at home with his brother.
- Neela is paranoid about her skills and is always second guessing her diagnosis. Lives with Abby last I remember.
- Sam started out as a strong character but it was soon revealed that she is trailer trash. Has an asshole kid and asshole ex-husband keeping them on the move every year. She has fallen for...
- Kovach, a womanizing doctor. Dated Abby briefly. Went to Africa with Carter. Currently up for the part of James Bond. ;)
- Abby became a doctor, and has been decent since the abscene of her crazy family
- Morris is a pot addict that doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to procedures. He now runs the ER.
- Ray is a rock star with a day job as an ER doctor. Towards the end of the season he started to get his priorities straight. Looks a hair older than Doogie Howser.
- Weaver is still a bitch, whenever she can get screen time. has a child from a lesbian marraige, her partner, an EMT died in a fire
- Frank (the older desk clerk) puts on a racist front at work and Neela (Indian) saved his life, and later was revealed how much he actually respects all the doctors, even the ones from non-white ethnic backgrounds
- Gallant was the strongest character, with a strong moral center and a solid head on his shoulders, has a military background. Dated Neela until he was called to Iraq for duty. He may or may not reappear. He actually harkens back to Benton, Carter & Green characterwise. He would have fit in perfectly with that bunch.

- John Carter is gone, donated lots of money for a Medical Center, rode off into the sunset with Thandie Newton whom had a miscarraige with their child
- Susan Lewis is gone, not sure how she was written out
- Romano is gone, lost his arm to a helicopter blade on the roof. One year later after realizing that there are no stories for a one-armed surgeon they dropped a helicopter on his head. Named a new wing of the hospital after him
- Elizabeth Corday is gone, Kingston thinks she was let go because of her age, but in truth her storylines went to shit after the departure of Mark Green.
- Gallant is gone see above

So that is it in a nutshell.

Sherry Stringfield left again? I didn't follow the show that closely this past year. With her and Carter gone, there is no more original cast members. I'm guessing ER is going to be the new Law and Order, with NBC simply cycliing in new doctors/nurses as the years go on. I still feel the show should have ended with the death of Mark Greene. That was the last highpoint for me, although there has been the occasional good episode since then.

Neela is Ray's roommate now.

Romano didn't have a wing named after him -- he had some sort of gay, lesbian and transgendered program named after him by Weaver as one big final f*** you to him.

Lewis is rumored to be leaving sometime this season. But then again, Kovach was supposed to be leaving last year. Also, John Leguizamo has signed on for at least 12 episodes.

I must have read that wrong... you must have meant the show got better once those two were out of there :)

I liked Dr. Ross, but losing Carol was no big loss. There wasn't a dropoff from her to Maura Tierney taking over the main female part of the show.

Well now Maura Tierney IS the star of the show.

I stopped watching once Abby started hogging all the stories. That character is SUCH a downer, she's always unhappy about something. Her mother, her brother, WAH, WAH, WAH!

No doubt. Like I said above, her character became more interesting when she started focusing on being a doc instead of the family crisis of the week plotlines she was given.

Did ER have its season premiere yet? I was thinking maybe I would give it another try because with all the old people gone, I might go into it like it's a totally new series. I really loved it in its hey-day, but I think I stopped watching it right after Greene died. I might have watched it a bit after that, but I'm pretty sure the last season I saw was the one before Carter and the Africa stuff with Kovach and Thandie Newton. I've seen my wife watch some of those episodes in reruns though. Looked like an interesting story arc.

Sept 22nd is the premiere

I guess I'm sticking with it. The new issue of tv guide says:



:banana: