PopTV has been the home of ER for a while now. A few months ago they started having a morning marathon starting with season 1 and going through all 15 seasons. Watching the show again has just reinforced the fact that ER is one of, if not the, best daytime dramas of all time.
I was only a baby when this show was originally airing, but man I wish I was able to experience watching these episodes for the first time along with everyone else. It’s one of those shows that you would walk into work the next day and people talk about it. I’ve talked to my parents about it and they say it was always the “did you see what happened?”, “can you believe it?!” conversations the day after. There’s no surprise that it was as popular as it was.
You don’t have to like medical shows or soap operas to appreciate this. Comparing ER to the modern day medical drama is like comparing apples and cars. Everything about the show is believable. The characters seem real. The doctors and nurses aren’t modeling for Sports Illustrated or Men’s Fitness after their shifts. The interpersonal interactions are meaningful and you just care about the characters and what’s going on in their lives. Most of all, the camera work and imagery is beyond most things on TV. The ER is always teeming with life. All of the extras seem to have their own stories going on. Having conversations on the phone letting a loved one know their diagnosis. Or getting a wound checked out by a nurse. Then you have the actual emergency procedures. The high octane moments when a car crash brings multiple wounded into the ER is when the show shines even brighter. The panning camera as the doctors and nurses shout procedures and diagnoses back and forth create the tense atmosphere that exists in the actual emergency room. You’re focused on the patient, and in awe of the doctors doing everything they can to save their patients life. All of this is brought further into reality thanks to the realistic lighting of this show. It’s raw, it’s natural, and it makes it look more like a “Trauma: Life in the E.R.” episode then a scripted series. Today’s shows have everything so blasted with light and spotlessly clean that you just immediately get sucked out.
I could go on forever talking about how great this show is but you should experience this for yourself. PopTV has just recently started over with the ER marathon so now is your chance to get in on this. Just be ready to fall in love with the characters, have your heart broken, and experience the best of what TV has to offer.
