The first season of the medical drama series ER which originally aired from NBC on September 19, 1994 and concluded on May 18, 1995. The season consists of 25 episodes. It was released on Region 1 DVD on August 26, 2003.
The title card depicts the season 1 main cast of the ER.
Production[]
Crew[]
- Main article: Season 1 crew
- Michael Crichton - Executive Producer, Writer
- John Wells - Executive Producer, Writer
- Lydia Woodward - Supervising/Co-executive Producer, Writer
- Robert Nathan - Supervising/Co-executive Producer, Writer
- Mimi Leder - Supervising/Co-executive Producer, Director
- Christopher Chulack - Producer, Director
- Paul Manning - Co-producer/Producer, Writer
- Dennis Murphy - Producer
- Wendy Spence - Associate Producer
- Lance Gentile - Technical Advisor/Medical Consultant, Writer
- Joe Sachs - Technical Advisor
- Michael Salamunovich - Unit Production Manager
- Neal Baer - Writer
- Tracey Stern - Writer
Cast and characters[]
The first season cast of ER: Julianna Margulies as Nurse Carol Hathaway, Eriq La Salle as Dr. Peter Benton, George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross, Anthony Edward as Dr. Mark Greene, Sherry Stringfield as Dr. Susan Lewis, Noah Wyle as John Carter
- Main article: Season 1 characters
- See also: Season 1 cast
| Actor/actress | Character | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Edwards | Dr. Mark Greene | ER/EM Chief Resident |
| George Clooney | Dr. Doug Ross | PGY-4 Emergency Paediatric Resident |
| Sherry Stringfield | Dr. Susan Lewis | ER Junior Resident (Year 2) |
| Noah Wyle | John Carter | Rotating Medical Student Year 3 |
| Julianna Margulies | Nurse Carol Hathaway | ER Nurse |
| Eriq La Salle | Dr. Peter Benton | Surgical Resident (Year 2 GS) |
Plot synopsis[]
In this first season, compassionate Chief Resident Dr. Mark Greene struggles to balance with his hectic professional work life and his dwindling marriage to his wife. Charming, womanizing pediatrician Dr. Doug Ross deals with sick and injured children in his care while constantly struggling with the superficiality of his relationships with the woman he dates. Competent second year ER resident Dr. Susan Lewis works hard to become a good doctor while coping with family problems regarding her troubled sister. Abrasive resident general surgeon Dr. Peter Benton takes rotating medical student John Carter under his wing. Nurse Carol Hathaway survives an attempted suicide, tries to get her life back together and makes a decision about the future her relationship with her fiancée.
In ER's first season, the core cast consisted of Chief Resident Dr. Mark Greene, pediatric resident Dr. Doug Ross, PGY-2 ER resident Dr. Susan Lewis, medical student John Carter, Charge nurse Carol Hathaway, and PGY-2 general surgery Dr. Peter Benton.
The series premiere "24 Hours" sees Dr. Greene considering a move into private practice at the request of his wife, Jen. The episode also sees an attempted suicide from staff nurse Carol Hathaway, who had previously been in a long-term relationship with Doug Ross, as well as the first day for medical student John Carter.
Originally, Carol Hathaway died by suicide, but her death in the pilot was never shown or referred to by other characters, leaving her open for a return. Audiences responded so well to her character that producers decided to offer Julianna Margulies a permanent spot in the cast. Her love interest in the first season is John "Tag" Taglieri.
One of the major events this season is a blizzard that sends multiple patients to County General.
Also over the course of the season, Dr. Greene's marriage begins to disintegrate. At work, he experiences problems, after making a fatal error in the treatment of a pregnant woman in the Emmy-winning episode "Love's Labor Lost." He falls into a depression.
Meanwhile, a lovelorn Ross struggles to come to terms with the fact that a recovered Hathaway is moving on with her life while Dr. Lewis tries to cope with her rebellious sister, Chloe, who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter at the end of the season. Lewis also struggles professionally with cardiologist Dr. Kayson and romantically with mentally unstable psychiatrist Dr. Div Cvetic.
Carter comes to grips with the fast-paced life of an ER doctor, while trying to win the approval of his demanding supervising resident, Dr. Peter Benton. Hathaway gets back on her feet in the aftermath of her suicide attempt; she gets engaged and tries to adopt an HIV-positive Russian orphan, but is denied due to her suicide attempt. On her wedding day, her fiancé, Dr. John Taglieri, questions the strength of her love for him. She admits she does not love him as much as he loves her, and he leaves her shortly before the ceremony.
Dr. Benton is forced to cope with his busy surgical schedule, while caring for his ailing mother. After her death, he becomes romantically involved with her physical therapist Jeanie Boulet.
Episodes[]
- Main article: Episodes
| Season # | Series # | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 24 Hours | Michael Crichton | Rod Holcomb | September 15, 1994 (USA) February 1, 1995 (UK) |
| 2 | 2 | Day One | John Wells | Mimi Leder | September 22, 1994 (USA) February 8, 1995 (UK) |
| 3 | 3 | Going Home | Lydia Woodward | Mark Tinker | September 29, 1994 (USA) February 15, 1995 (UK) |
| 4 | 4 | Hit and Run | Paul Manning | Mimi Leder | October 6, 1994 (USA) February 22, 1995 (UK) |
| 5 | 5 | Into That Good Night | Robert Nathan | Charles Haid | October 13, 1994 (USA) March 1, 1995 (UK) |
| 6 | 6 | Chicago Heat | John Wells and Neal Baer | Elodie Keene | October 20, 1994 (USA) March 8, 1995 (UK) |
| 7 | 7 | Another Perfect Day | Lydia Woodward and Lance Gentile | Vern Gillum | November 3, 1994 (USA) March 15, 1995 (UK) |
| 8 | 8 | 9½ Hours | Robert Nathan | James Hayman | November 10, 1994 (USA) March 22, 1995 (UK) |
| 9 | 9 | ER Confidential | Paul Manning | Daniel Sackheim | November 10, 1994 (USA) March 29, 1995 (UK) |
| 10 | 10 | Blizzard | Lance Gentile, Neal Baer, and Paul Manning | Mimi Leder | December 8, 1994 (USA) April 5, 1995 (UK) |
| 11 | 11 | The Gift | Neal Baer | Felix Enriquez Alcala | December 15, 1994 (USA) April 12, 1995 (UK) |
| 12 | 12 | Happy New Year | Lydia Woodward | Charles Haid | January 5, 1995 (USA) April 19, 1995 (UK) |
| 13 | 13 | Luck of the Draw | Paul Manning | Rod Holcomb | January 12, 1995 (USA) April 26, 1995 (UK) |
| 14 | 14 | Long Day's Journey | Robert Nathan | Anita Addison | January 19, 1995 (USA) May 3, 1995 (UK) |
| 15 | 15 | Feb 5, '95 | John Wells | James Hayman | February 2, 1995 (USA) May 10, 1995 (UK) |
| 16 | 16 | Make of Two Hearts | Lydia Woodward | Mimi Leder | February 9, 1995 (USA) May 17, 1995 (UK) |
| 17 | 17 | The Birthday Party | John Wells | Elodie Keene | February 16, 1995 (USA) May 24, 1995 (UK) |
| 18 | 18 | Sleepless in Chicago | Paul Manning | Christopher Chulack | February 23, 1995 (USA) May 31, 1995 (UK) |
| 19 | 19 | Love's Labor Lost | Lance Gentile | Mimi Leder | March 9, 1995 (USA) June 7, 1995 (UK) |
| 20 | 20 | Full Moon, Saturday Night | Neal Baer | Donna Deitch | March 30, 1995 (USA) June 14, 1995 (UK) |
| 21 | 21 | House of Cards | Tracey Stern | Fred Gerber | April 6, 1995 (USA) June 21, 1995 (UK) |
| 22 | 22 | Men Plan, God Laughs | Robert Nathan | Christopher Chulack | April 27, 1995 (USA) June 28, 1995 (UK) |
| 23 | 23 | Love Among the Ruins | Paul Manning | Fred Gerber | May 4, 1995 (USA) July 5, 1995 (UK) |
| 24 | 24 | Motherhood | Lydia Woodward | Quentin Tarantino | May 11, 1995 (USA) July 12, 1995 (UK) |
| 25 | 25 | Everything Old Is New Again | John Wells | Mimi Leder | May 18, 1995 (USA) July 19, 1995 (UK) |
Home Media[]
The complete first season was released in a 4 DVD set on August 26, 2003.
The following special features were included in the set:
- Pilot episode commentary with Creator/Executive Producer Michael Chrichton and Executive Producer John Wells.
- Pilot episode commentary with Director Rod Holcomb, Casting Director John Levey, Associate Producer Wendy Spence Rosato, Editor Randy Jon Morgan, and Supervising Sound Editor Walter Newman.
- Episode 17: Sleepless In Chicago commentary with Producer/Director Christopher Chulack and Writer Paul Manning.
- Episode 18: Love's Labor Lost commentary with Director Mimi Leder, Associate Producer Wendy Spence Rosato, Editor Randy Jon Morgan, Supervising Sound Editor Walter Newman and Composer Martin Davich.
- Prescription For Success: The Birth of ER - documentary detailing the creation and other events that influenced the creation of ER.
- First-Year Rotation: Caring for ER
- On the Cutting Edge: Medical Realism on ER
- Post-Operative Procedures: Post Production in the ER
- Additional scenes
- Outakes
- First-Year Intern's Handbook
Trivia[]
- This is the only season of ER to have a high episode run with a total episodes run of : 25 .