Published: April 01, 2009 07:57 am      

End of a television era approaches Thursday

Thursday marks the end of a TV era. The doors of County General’s emergency room will close for the last time. I will be one of many viewers tuned in Thursday to watch the final “ER” episode. I remember when it first aired in 1994. I can’t believe it has been on the air for 15 years.

I was a senior at Erie (Ill.) High School. I couldn’t wait until Thursday night so I could tune into “ER.” I tried desperately to get all of my studies done before 9 p.m., but that didn’t always work out. I remember trying to do algebra or chemistry homework while watching, which didn’t go very well. That’s a real shocker I’m sure.

Back then, cast members included George Clooney, Noah Wyle, Eriq La Salle, Julianna Margulies, Anthony Edwards, Sherry Stringfield and Gloria Reuben to name a few. My favorite characters were Dr. Doug Ross, played by Clooney, and nurse Carol Hathaway, portrayed by Margulies.

When I attended Clarke College two years later, “ER” had a large legion of fans on my dorm’s floor. You could almost hear a pin drop between 9 and 10 p.m. because just about everyone was in the lounge watching the popular hospital drama. “Friends” also was very popular at that time.

Come to think of it, everyone stopped and watched it from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

There wasn’t a whole lot of studying going on Thursday nights at Clarke.

I hated to see different characters go — especially Clooney and Edwards. The saddest episode I ever watched was when Dr. Mark Greene died. When I see it on reruns, I still cry. One of my favorite episodes was when nurse Hathaway gave birth to twin girls. I always thought it would be cool to have twins. Now, I am the mother of a sheltie — go figure.

As the years went by, I was an occasional “ER” watcher — without some of my favorite characters it just wasn’t the same. However, this year I have tuned into almost every episode. I have enjoyed the return of Wyle and cameo appearances from past characters, especially Clooney and Margulies. I also enjoy watching John Stamos; he reminds me a little of Clooney.

Fifteen years is a long time for any TV show. As I was surfing the Internet, I found more long-running shows such as “Gun Smoke,” which aired for 20 years! Other long-running shows include “Ozzie and Harriet,” “Lassie,” “Dallas” and “7th Heaven.” My favorite, “The Donna Reed Show,” only ran for eight seasons, 1958 to 1966; too bad. Fortunately for “ER,” and like “Gun Smoke” and “Donna Reed,” it will live on forever in reruns.

Thursday nights just won’t seem the same without “ER.” I can still remember watching the final episodes of “The Cosby Show” and “The Wonder Years” when I was a teenager. When they went off the air it was as if part of my childhood was ending too.

It is strange how much TV can become a part of your life. I remember sitting in my high school Spanish class, discussing the final episode of “The Wonder Years.” We were all very disappointed Winnie Cooper and Kevin Arnold didn’t end up together. Real life sometimes works out that way too.

Well, here is to “ER” for a great 15-year run and for reminding me again that I have really been out of high school that long.



Angie Bicker is the lifestyles editor with the Clinton Herald. She has been with the Herald since 2001.