Finales

E.R. Ends 15-Year Run

Became the template for TV’s hour-long dramatic format.

Ending a run epic in its length, fandom, and medical linguistics, E.R. aired its series finale on Thursday night after 15 years on NBC. “For all its grim backdrop—early morning Chicago after a night of storms, the horrifying wounds—it was a joyful scene,” writes the Los Angeles Times of the finale. The show is credited for serving as a model for not only the countless medical dramas that followed, but for one-hour nonprocedural dramas in general--a genre E.R. popularized almost instantly when it premiered in 1994. It’s no spoiler to say the finale, which was titled “And in the End,” ran much the way most of the show’s episodes did: some patients died, some survived, and the beleaguered staff struggled through their night with grim, poignant determination. The episode was directed by Rob Holcomb, who also helmed the series premiere.