ER

ER follows the medical personnel and patients in the emergency room of Chicago’s fictional County General Hospital. Created by best-selling author Michael Crichton (“Jurassic Park”) and produced by John Wells (“The West Wing”), Christopher Chulack (“Third Watch”) and David Zabel (“Jag”), the Emmy Award-winning series has completed eleven seasons as one of television’s highest-rated dramas. As the doctors and nurses of County's ER confront the daily challenges of a busy urban hospital, including overcrowded waiting rooms, staffing shortages, and the impact of life-and-death decisions. While they teach the next generation of doctors, the each must tackle demands of their personal lives, at times unsuccessfully. The staff is led by Chief of Emergency Medicine Dr. Luka Kovac (Goran Visnjic, “Welcome to Sarajevo”), a gifted teacher who came to Chicago from Croatia following the tragic death of his wife and children, but now finds his life on an upswing, and Dr. Kerry Weaver, County’s Chief of Staff (Laura Innes, “Deep Impact”), a compassionate doctor and uncompromising administrator whose rigid style has isolated her from the medical staff. The ER is staffed by fourth-year resident Dr. Gregory Pratt (Mekhi Phifer “8 Mile”), who puts patients before procedure, yet fears the responsibility now thrust upon him, feisty nurse Samantha Taggart (Linda Cardellini, “Brokeback Mountain”) a tough single mother attempting to balance her difficult personal issues with her demanding professional life, and Scott Grimes (“Band of Brothers”) as the less than capable Chief Resident Dr. Archie Morris, along with a trio of second year residents: Dr. Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney “Newsradio”) a former ER nurse turned doctor, building a new career and a new life that has taken a sudden and unexpected turn, Dr. Neela Rasgotra (Parminder Nagra, “Bend it Like Beckham”) recently married and finding her role in the ER after a long period of uncertainty, and Dr. Ray Barnett (Shane West “A Walk to Remember”) who must make the choice between his career as a doctor and the rock band in which he plays. Featured this season as recurring characters are John Leguizamo (“Moulin Rouge!“) as the innovative, and problematic, Dr. Victor Clemente, Kristen Johnston (“Third Rock from the Sun”) as demanding Nurse Manager Eve Peyton, and Leland Orser (“Runaway Jury”) as the ER’s highly individual surgical attending, Dr. Lucien Dubenko. The winner of 22 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series (1996), with 115 nominations, an industry record, ER has also won the George Foster Peabody Award (1995), and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series. ER has been renewed by NBC through the 2007-2008 television season.