Not many shows can brag a fifteen year fan-following the way Michael Crichton’s ER can.  In fact, the series’ fifteen year run earned the title for the longest-running medical drama in television history. The two hour pilot for ER was inspired by a screenplay Crichton wrote about his own experiences as an emergency room medical resident. After teaming up with Steven Spielberg to film the Jurassic Park film series, the Spielberg-Crichton duo put their heads and their budgets together to produce a series that would grip its viewing audience from its very first episode.

ER aired on the NBC network in 1994, and featured a crew of Chicago medical professionals during the trials and tribulations of daily life, both on and off the job.

The original cast featured George Clooney, Noah Wyle, Eriq La Salle, Julianna Marguiles, Anthony Edwards and Sherry Stringfield, along with a supporting cast of series regulars and a number of celebrity guests often appearing as patients in the hospital.

Primarily focusing on emergency room activity in a fictitious Chicago County General Hospital, the doctors, nurses and EMTs on the job worked their way into the hearts and homes of millions of viewers all across the world. Exploring the extreme lifestyle endured by those in the medical profession, as doctors, surgeons, nurses, clerks and medical students-in-training, the series touched on a number of pressing societal issues. Addressing issues like teen-pregnancy, sexual abuse, HIV infection, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, infidelity and cancer to name a few, the series touched down in the lives of characters so easy to relate to that the show was nominated for over 375 awards and managed to win 116 during its run.

Many of the original cast members were phased out over the years, but returned during the fifteenth and final season. Even Dr. Mark Greene, who died during the eighth season from cancer, managed to reappear in a series of flashbacks during the last season.  In April of 2009, the series wrapped up, airing its final episode, and the two hour conclusion attracted over 16-million viewers.

As of July 2009, season one through eleven have been released on DVD, with the twelfth season scheduled for January 2010 release. The release of the final three seasons have yet to be announced. You can also relive favorite moments and catch reruns of the series daily on TNT network at 11 AM.

I can still remember tuning in to the very first episode of ER back in 1994. Having grown up with medical dramas like Chicago Story, St. Elsewhere and Trapper John, M.D., and being raised on ABC’s General Hospital as a kid, I have to admit to a certain fascination with the genre. From gorgeous doctors and beautiful nurses, to the incredible drama that can’t help but occur in the midst of medical mayhem,  how can you not watch? And really, who among us hasn’t daydreamed of running into George Clooney on the streets, only to have him swagger his eyebrows and say, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” After all, it’s true.