ER (TV Series) 24 Hours (1994) User Reviews

"You set the tone Mark"

[neatmiker · 10/10 · 8 June 2020]

A line handed down only twice more in the show's 15 year run. Die hard's will know by who and to whom. Those new to the series will remember them well.

This pilot is the greatest to ever launch a show in the history of television. It broke barriers both in methodology, character and story. The 6 characters who became the backbone of this show for the next 3 years, some lasting a little longer and one glutton who lasted to the end, are by far the greatest launch ensemble in all of network television.

To those beginning the ER journey, watch and enjoy the first 6 years...there has never been and doubtfully never will be story, character development and/or performance like this in prime time television. And a word to the wise, stop watching after the Hawaii episodes - you'll undoubtedly know 'em when you see 'em.

Watching 1994 in 2018

[Br4ve-trave1or · 9/10 · 15 June 2018]

This pilot was very impressive. non-stop as you're thrown into each and every dynamic case or event. The music score is perfect and the tension is so authentic.

But first, we're introduced to Dr. Green as hes sleeping in an unused room while waiting for his next shift. You can literally feel what its like to live under such enormous stress and having to be on your toes.

Hes woken up and we see him rush to assist another doctor only to realize its George Clooney, who apparently is inebriated from the night and needs an IV and fluids. Right away we get the sense of who clooney's character is. Right away we feel who Dr. Green is in this scene.

Then later the day begins and its nonstop DRAMA! This show is DRAMA. But its opposite greys Anatomy where as, it's all about the ER life. Because of this it always feel very captivating, gripping, and so real!

The best thing...IT HOLDS UP TO TODAY IN 2018!!! A series that premiered in 1994. I'm probably the only person who has just watched the first episode of this series but I love John Carter the new resident that joins them. I feel like we're much like him in this episode, experiencing all of this pandemonium for the first time. His facial expressions are great but I heard the real winner is Dr. Green! I can easily see why as he works to save one of their own in head nurse Hathaway.

Theres a vritness about series of the 90s that i love and appreciate. They're less censored and raw. Watch the pilot of NYPD Blue and you'll see what I mean. Stuff that would be on TV today. The nineties had many series that were way ahead of it's time and that's why I feel like I finally know what all the acclaim for ER was for.

Theres so many incredible series of the 90s that still hold up. I could name them but this is all about ER and shows what it's like in the ER for 24 hours.

They even humanized Dr. Bennet who came off as a jerk but clearly will have excellent character development I'm assuming. The most jarring thing for me was seeing William H Macy in a dramatic role after 8 seasons of shameless and George Clooney so young and a pediatrician. Also, the good wifes star was a invredi le scene filled with a lot of edge of your seat moments as with Dr. Bennets surgery.

I dont watch much medical shows but have seen masterful ones before. Its hard for me to binge a medical series filled with high octane. For e.g. greys anatomy was too sad for me where as Getting on (U.S) is HBOs best comedy and a medical.

If theres anyone out there wondering if this series still holds up with time and is worth watching after all these years the answers always yes. Time never decreases a shows value it can only make it better! This is binge material!!!

24 Hours (#1.1)

[ComedyFan2010 · 9/10 · 21 October 2014]

For the Pilot the show takes us to look at 24 hours in the ER that they want us to keep on watching. And I think it is an amazing idea. Very often pilots are very slow. They just try to let you get to know characters without bring too much action. This is not the case here, oh no, you are thrown into the dynamic life of an ER the moment Dr. Green is woken up. And from then on it is fast paced and non stop. They bring the atmosphere very well, watching it I was already thinking how I could not work there because it is so stressful and full of responsibilities.

Besides seeing a huge variety of cases: a collapsed building, shoot wound, abused baby, swallowed keys, cancer scares etc. We also get to see the characters. In this episode we mainly got to know Dr. Green who even sleeps in the ER and can't think of leaving it, Dr. Green who works with children and is pretty charming, Dr. Benron who is a surgery resident and bravely takes over a case until the doctor comes to save a life as well as medical student John Carter overwhelmed by the first day as much as we are. And nurse Hathaway who becomes the first patient that we (kind of ) know. I am starting to watch this show 20 years after it aired, and I must say I am very impressed by thee pilot and looking forward for more!

An excellent start to one of the best shows around.

[ijrichter · 9 April 2004]

The way they start this show is not in an introductory manner. They don't do a slow introduction to every thing, every character around, slowly. They just take us into a regular day in the E.R., starting with a doctor waking up, to a med student's first day, it's kind of a sequence of different medical events. They also give us insight to some of the characters. This pilot is circled around Dr. Mark Greene (played by Anthony Edwards). It starts with a nurse waking him up, and him, going into his day. With this, they introduce to ped's resident Dr. Doug Ross (played by George Clooney), who pretends he's sick before his shift starts. A nice way to start the show. A little humor. We also look into Dr. Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield), an E.R. resident, Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle), a surgical resident, and the new guy on board, med student John Carter (Noah Wyle). Through their eyes, we go through different emergencies, from traumas, to cancer, to an abused baby, to Carter nearly throwing up, even to the team treating one of their own staff members, nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies, who later becomes a regular). This pilot opened doors to a great T.V. series, lots of medical emergencies, fast-paced action, different story-lines, from medical law suits, to lockdown emergencies, to staff members dying, everything you find in a County Hospital, started here.

Best Hospital show ever

[sn-watcher · 10/10 · 21 August 2014]

If you are ever going to embark on a TV marathon then this is the show to watch. Many many seasons of it. This is the starting point. Episode 1 season 1. It's a bit dated and stuff being in 1994 but it is still pretty good and fresh even with todays standard. There are some shows that are based on characters and some on situations. This is definitely a character driven show.

Even from this one the show knows what it is and creates a world with characters and vibe. It really feels like a real hospital. You feel for the characters and what they are going through. Pretty good. Even though I have seen it before many years ago. You kind of forget what happens and it is the kind of show with so much going on that you can watch it again.

Outstanding

[freddie_m99 · 9/10 · 1 January 2006]

I have seen some commercials for ER on TV and one of them goes like this: "there are drama series and there are ER" i think this is the best way to describe it. There are "millions" of other drama series out there but no one gets even close to ER.

The best thing they have done is to focus and the actual ER (emergency Room) and its staff instead of focusing on a bunch of characters who work in hospital and they focus on the actual "cases".

Other series would focus lets say on 5-10 characters who work some

where and when they quit the series is canceled too because that character was the main focus of the series.

ER is not like that.

After over 10 years most off the original cast is gone but you hardly notice it because this dram series reflects the "life" at the ER so its natural that staff quit and that new staff joins the team.

Everything seems so realistic there are no exaggerations when it comes to the cases or the amount of cases. ER gives you the appearance of that this is actually happening in an ER in Chicago.

The Beginning

[slak96u · 8/10 · 1 April 2023]

The episode starts with a new medical resident, Dr. Carter, starting his first day at the hospital. He is eager and enthusiastic but quickly learns that the job is much more challenging than he anticipated. We also meet the seasoned doctors, Dr. Green and Dr. Ross, who have been working in the ER for many years and are used to the constant pressure and chaos.

Throughout the episode, we see the doctors and nurses dealing with a range of medical cases, from a pregnant woman with abdominal pain to a teenage boy with a drug overdose. The show does an excellent job of conveying the hectic and fast-paced nature of emergency medicine and the toll it takes on those who work in the ER.

One of the standout performances in this episode is from Anthony Edwards, who plays Dr. Greene. He brings a sense of compassion and humanity to his character, even in the most stressful and dire situations.

Overall, the first episode of E. R. sets the stage for what would become one of the most beloved medical dramas in television history. It introduces us to a cast of complex and interesting characters and showcases the intense and demanding world of emergency medicine.

"YOU set the tone, Mark."

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 2 July 2023]

This landmark hospital drama, on the air for 15 seasons and totaling 331 episodes, began here with this movie-length pilot. It's a great example of storytelling much like what I've seen on 'Hill Street Blues' as I work my way through *that* series. We have many sequences of intense chaos, as the ER doctors, nurses and others here move from one patient to another, and yet much humanity is shown in the quieter and more character-driven moments. We see how dedicated these individuals are, even as stable family man Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) briefly considers a slight career change in order to spend more time with his wife (Christine Harnos).

We do get to see some of this chaos through the eyes of a new intern, John Carter (Noah Wyle), who has a *very* eventful first shift. We also see that Carter is all too human, as a particularly stomach-turning case is brought before him, and he has to head outside for a brief breather. (I love the little pep talk that Mark gives him.)

Doses of humor here and there help to take some edge off all of the mounting drama. We're introduced to Doug Ross (George Clooney) as he pretends to be ill before his shift starts.

The most serious development occurs as one of the main characters is brought back into the ER as a *patient*, and one is hopeful for a happy ending in that case. Of course, we know that a number of these cases won't have happy endings, but such is life. Despite the best efforts of these medical experts, they can't save *everybody*.

There is a most impressive roster of familiar guest stars, but I just want to single out an especially touching (yet uncredited) Miguel Ferrer as a family man who learns that he has cancer.

In the end, there's an appreciable cyclical quality to the story, as the pilot opens and closes with Mark trying desperately to get some sleep.

Written by series creator / co-executive producer Michael Crichton.

Eight out of 10.

I NEVER GET TIRED OF THIS SHOW!

[RLMacReady · 4 November 2004]

I have been a huge fan of E.R. ever since the first episode, and I will be until the final. Every time I watch an episode, whether it is a new one or a repeat, I hate when it ends and wish it could go on for at least 1 more hour. I think it is truly one of the greatest shows ever on TV, and the latest season is as good as the first, although it has lost some of its popularity due to most of the stars leaving, but true fans still love it just as much as in the beginning. The gritty realism is only part of its appeal, as the stories themselves are often very emotional and heartfelt. New characters like Neela Rasgotra are every bit as interesting and appealing as ones who have been on the show for many seasons, the writers do an excellent job. This is a FIVE STAR show!

Great start to a much loved series

[beedoobee · 1 December 2017]

I watched most of this show when it was originally aired, and am reliving the past by starting the beginning and watching the entire run. This show did an excellent job of introducing us to the characters, and showing the frantic pace of the emergency room.

John Carter, as a third year med student, is far from the confident doctor he becomes later on. At the beginning of the season, he is introduced as a student, who wants to be a good doctor, but is still unsure of himself. At one point he passes out during a particularly gruesome procedure.

We see Doug Ross as a ladies man, willing to bed any beautiful woman he comes in contact with. There is a brief glimpse of the decent man he becomes later in the series, when he tries to act honorably with nurse Carol Hathaway.

The drama builds up as the doctors are treating their patients, intermixed with humor, that eases the tension and shows different aspects of the doctor and nurses personalities.

Even though this show almost 20 years old, the story-line and the characters still feel fresh as when the show first aired.

Show is OK

[myukon · 2 October 2002]

I have been watching this show for quite some time now. I think it is pretty good and so real. The characters and the actors who play them, play them well. But, they keep changing people. No one ever stays on long enough. Dr. Ross, Carol, and Dr. Benton all the good ones gone. I think it is time to close up shop on this show. It needs to retire while it is on top. Everybody has got to go sometimes.