ER Turns 30: See the Original County General Crew, Then and Now
ER was a pivotal piece of NBC’s Must-See TV lineup, airing Thursdays at 10/9c for the entirety of its run. It amassed a record-setting 124 Emmy nominations, winning a total of 23 Emmys — including one for Outstanding Drama Series.
TVLine once deemed it NBC’s best 10 pm show ever. Created by the late Michael Crichton, ER “set the tone” for all medical dramas that followed. The Sept. 19, 1994 premiere (one of the all-time great pilot episodes) was paced unlike anything we’d ever seen, and set real stakes for both its first responders and the patients they treated — stakes the series managed to maintain for the entirety of its 15-season run. It survived several waves of cast turnover — when George Clooney scrubbed out, in came Goran Visnjic, and when Julianna Margulies walked away from a $27 million contract, Maura Tierney was waiting in the wings — and several shark-jumping moments that would have derailed any other show. (We’re still convinced Rocket Romano’s death-by-helicopter was a fever dream.) But thanks to an endless stream of well-drawn characters and an almost uncanny ability to evolve with the times, viewers kept coming back until 2009’s superb series finale. (All 15 seasons stream on Hulu and Max.)
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But today, on the 30th anniversary of its two-hour debut, TVLine is “catching up” with the original County General crew, and seeing what all six series regulars have been up to over the past three decades.
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards, now 62, starred for eight seasons as Dr. Mark Greene; his character famously succumb to brain cancer in the penultimate Season 8 episode, “On the Beach.” (Siri, play “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo?ole.) He returned for an encore — via flashback, of course — in the series’ 15th and final season.
His post-ER credits include ABC’s Zero Hour, NBC’s Law & Order: True Crime, Apple TV+’s WeCrashed, and Netflix’s Designated Survivor and Inventing Anna.
George Clooney
George Clooney, now 63, became a bonafide star thanks to his role as pediatrician Doug Ross; he initially departed the show midway through Season 5 (in the memorable two-parter “The Storm”), then returned for a surprise cameo in Julianna Margulies’ Season 6 swan song. Along with Margulies, Clooney reprised his role in the Season 15 installment “Old Times,” which also marked the return of fellow vet Eriq La Salle.
In addition to his myriad film credits, Clooney’s post-ER work includes a supporting role in the Hulu miniseries Catch-22.
Sherry Stringfield
Sherry Stringfield, now 57, famously departed the NBC medical drama early into its third season — and just as the show was building towards a romance between Drs. Susan Lewis and Mark Greene. She returned as a series regular in Season 8, then exited again early into Season 12. She came back for one final appearance in the 2009 series finale.
Her post-ER credits include HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me, and CBS’ Under the Dome and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. She has not appeared on TV since 2017.
Noah Wyle
Noah Wyle, now 53, played surgical resident-turned-emergency room attending Dr. John Carter. He starred for 11 seasons before scrubbing out, then returned for a guest spot in Season 12 and a five-episode arc to close out the show. Credited for 254 episodes, Wyle appeared in more episodes of ER than any other cast member. (Laura Innes, who joined the cast in Season 2 as Dr. Kerry Weaver, is a close second, with 249 episodes under her belt.)
Wyle’s post-ER credits include CBS’ The Red Line, TNT’s The Librarians and Falling Skies, and Prime Video’s Leverage: Redemption. He’ll next be seen in a new medical drama, Max’s The Pitt — which, despite an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Michael Crichton estate, is due out in 2025.
Julianna Margulies
Julianna Margulies, now 58, turned down a $27 million contract when she decided to vacate her role as head nurse Carol Hathaway after six years. Nine years after that, Margulies, along with George Clooney, returned to ER for a final-season encore.
Her post-ER credits include CBS’ The Good Wife, NatGeo’s The Hot Zone and Apple TV+’s The Morning Show.
Eriq La Salle
Eriq La Salle, now 62, starred for seven-and-a-half seasons as surgical great Peter Benton; he departed midway through Season 8, then returned later that year for Anthony Edwards’ farewell episode. Seven years later, he reprised Dr. Benton in a pair of Season 15 episodes, including the 2009 series finale.
His post-ER credits include CBS’ A Gifted Man and Under the Dome. In 2022, he reunited with ER co-star Gloria Reuben (aka Jeanie Boulet) in the Hallmark Channel original movie A Second Chance at Love.
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