E/R

For other uses, see ER (disambiguation).

For the 1994 to 2009 NBC medical drama, see ER (TV series).

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 (1984-09-16) – July 24, 1985 (1985-07-24)

E/R (referring to the emergency room of a hospital) is 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.

Synopsis

The story centers around the happenings of the emergency room of fictional Clark Street Hospital 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.

Characters & Cast

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

Reception

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.

Episodes

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

Miscellaneous

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.

External links

• E/R at the Internet Movie Database
• E/R at TV.com