Customer Reviews

ER Season 1

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Finally, Season One has arrived on DVD! If you are familiar with ER you know all the adjectives used to describe this unique show; Gripping, Stunning, Amazing, etc.

So what does this DVD offer? Well, as the title states, the complete first season. It also includes the 1 1/2 hour pilot. In addition there are behind the scenes, bloopers, the making of, commentaries on three episodes, and more.

As a real fan of ER I have waited for this DVD for some time now. The shows are wonderful to revisit. I am reminded of 'old friends' who have long since left the ER.

I gave up on TV a number of years ago and do not have cable or watch any TV. A family member records the current ER episodes for me and I devour them each time. It is simply outstanding entertainment. The actors, story, music, editing, camera work and sooo much more combine to bring out the very best in entertainment.

The only downside to this DVD comes with the packaging. The DVDs are double sided so you cannot set the DVD down without possibly scratching it. Also, because there is no label on each DVD you need to read the very fine print near the center hole to identify which DVD is # 1, 2, 3, or 4. And the print is even smaller to figure out which side is A/B.

My 5 star rating is based on the quality of the episodes. The extras included with the DVD deserve 4 stars, and the packaging would be only 1 star.

ER is one of the best shows I've ever seen. I've been watching it from the airing of the Pilot and I've been hooked ever since. If you are looking for an emotional high this is the show to watch. The writers and actors are amazing. Each episode makes me laugh, cry, and gets my adrenaline pumping. This show confronts extremely controversial, contemporary issues and even though I'm not in the medical profession I believe that it is very realistic. Anyone who works with a lot of people day in and day out can relate to what it is like to be pulled in several different directions at once and still try to maintain a professional facade, which I think this show pulls off beautifully.

Having seen so many dire hospital dramas ("Casualty" and the like) I must admit I never thought I could possibly get into a series like "ER". That is until two friends insisted I watched an episode one Friday night on Channel 4 and within 30 mins I was hooked. Since then I've probably missed no more than 3 or 4 episodes and every one I've watched has been streets ahead of the competition.

I hope people won't take offence when I say that US shows often run the risk of drifting into over-sentimentality. They do. But ER's greatest strength is the ability to handle the most emotional of story lines without it ever feeling that the line has been crossed. It's blend of realism and top-draw performances from the whole cast delivers TV that's right on the edge. It's quite simply the best show I've ever seen.

If anyone reading this is a Warner Bros executive, please please please release some box sets of the show. I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who'd buy up the lot straight away!

ER is such a technically accurate show that when it first came out my medical school sponsored "ER" parties at the school lounge every Thursday night. Whenever Carter the medical student was pimped a question by his resident or attending students would yell out the answer to see who would get it right. It was great review especially before exam week. Although it's gotten more dramatic & less technical in recent seasons, there's still a few rare "classic cases" with "classic signs & symptoms" that students don't get to see much on the real floors (Wilson's Disease & Trisomy 18 were recent examples on the show). They should make an ER DVD with a quiz or game component, where they play a scene in the episode where a patient presents w/ signs & symptoms & just before the doctor says what they have & how it should be treated, a multiple choice screen pops up asking "what's the diagnosis" or "what's the next step in management doc?" Then, have the scene play out after they give their answer with information on the disease in closed caption at the bottom. It would be fun for doctors & educate the public.

There is a huge oversight in the manufacturing of these discs. The discs are double sided and they failed to identify which side is Side A and which side is Side B. When they come new, Side A is facing up. But if you don't put them back in the same way, you'll need to actually put the disc into the player and pull up the episode index before you'll know whether you have the correct side or need to remove the disc and turn it over. I have looked very carefully and there is NO indication of Side A or B on any of my discs. Perhaps they corrected the problem part way through manufacturing, but I can assure you there is nothing on my discs to tell.

Anyway, that is my only beef. The ER series is top notch and I think most of us are familiar with it or we wouldn't be considering buying this. I give it four stars only because of the manufacturing issue.

Okay, I remember in the early 90's when NBC was beating the other networks with hits like Seinfeld, Friends, and this bigtime drama. Well, this was probably the really big hit drama during the early 90's that no one will forget. Now, I don't recognize today's ER cast and the people seem more Hollywood than struggling TV actors. So, this first season really defines the heart of drama on TV which is giving a chance to those struggling TV actors to really shine. Well, I guess George Clooney is the only one to break out of ER with big success. The others managed to get out when the scripts ran out of steam after the 4th or 5th season.

Well, the DVD treatment of this season is pretty standard. Although I would have prefered a nicer box set with individual cases. Anyways, the DVD package is a fold-away stack of double-sided DVDs. Yeah, this probably was done to save cost so that the price would be affordable. It's annoying to be super careful but hey, fewer discs in the end. The menus are pretty much simple to use and some discs have extras. My favorite was looking at the bloopers on the final disc. Also, interviews with the cast was nice to see how the actors remember fondly on their times on ER.

The picture quality of the episodes are first rate and seems almost perfect as it was on TV. I don't have any complaints on the transfer since everything looks crisp. So, there are no overly dark scenes which are difficult to see. Plus, the audio is well done but I wished there were English subtitles. Sometimes, the doctors, interns, and nurses speak too fast in the action that you want to catch part of their dialogue. This was a major letdown for me since this should be the standard for all US released DVD in general (TV, movies, etc).

Overall, this is a keeper and I would recommend this to watch again. You really get to heart of disciple-pupil relationship between Carter and Benton as well as some funny fiascos of Deb Chen with trying to please Benton. Plus, Dr. Ross and Nurse Hathaway plot is full of complications which is the more soapy stuff for daytime. But, the writers balanced it off on the operating table and I think this season is probably the best in my humble opinion. It makes me think that if doctors watched ER on a regular basis, then they would realize that the humanizing part of being doctors about understanding the patient is what we really appreciate. Well, I just hope that my doctor turns out to be like Susan Lewis rather than Peter Benton.

Plenty of other reviewers have addressed the show itself, so I will limit this review to that which motivated me to write it: the quality of the DVD set. Or more accurately, the lack of quality.

First of all, to save a few cents on disks and packaging, they made the DVDs 2-sided, so they have no labels, you have to flip them over, and it is very hard to tell which side is which.

All the disks have the same menu even though only disk 4 has the "bonus" materials. Why taunt us with menu items that lead to messages saying there is nothing on this disk?

Most annoying, though, is the lack of captions for the hearing impaired -- they must have actually removed them to save space since the broadcasts had them. The only spoken language available is English, the only subtitles are French. What were they thinking? Let me guess: they were thinking they could get away with one minimalist release for both the US and Canada.

This show deserved better -- especially considering it's price. If future seasons are this cheaply done, I won't be buying them.

In the history of television, first seasons are rarely that impressive. I mean, a lot of times you'll hear people saying how remarkable the first season was, but when you compare to later seasons, it will pale. Such is not the case with "ER." "ER" got off and running with an incredible first season any show would be lucky to compare to.

It all started with a wonderful pilot. Any other show would be lucky to have a pilot like the pilot of "ER," as well. Running two hours with commercials and an hour and a half withouht, it's simply spellbinding, launching off the series splendidly, introducing the characters and the style of the show that continues to this day. The characters we meet in the pilot are:

Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards): Mark is basically the head guy of the hospital, and in the pilot, we become familiar with his hectic lifestyle and how he juggles his work and his family, not always successfully. He has an annoying little brat daughter and a terrible wife, but this doesn't stop him from being perhaps the best character of not just the original cast, but the entire series. Anthony Edwards makes Mark such a loveable character.

Doug Ross (George Clooney): This was the role that basically shot George Clooney off to superstardom, and he plays it well. Doug is a tough but a irresponsible man and in the pilot we become familiar with his previous love affair with Nurse Carol Hathaway.

Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield): By far my favorite character from the original cast, Dr. Lewis is a tough and wonderful character (not to mention freakishly sexy). Sherry Stringfield really lights up this role. Unfortunately, when she returned to the show after several years of absence, it just wasn't quite the same, but fortunately we have the first two and a half seasons to treasure her wonderful character and the wonderful acting that Sherry Stringfield gave us.

John Carter (Noah Wyle): Carter is just a fresh faced, eager to learn young 20-something med student in the pilot, and he quickyl gets thrown into the exciting world of ER medicine and surgery when he has to deliver a baby just as the mother arrives through the hospital doors.

Carol Hathaway (Jullianna Margullies): The thing you'll probably notice in the pilot is that Jullianna Margullies is listed as a guest star, and not put with the main cast. The plan was to have her die in the first episode, but fortunately she got to stay for six wonderful seasons. This character represents a lot about classic "ER" and it definately one of the most interesting people to work at County General. In the pilot, we learn a whole lot about her character when she attempts suicide and is saved by her friends at the ER. The following episodes revolve very much around her and her returning to a normal life.

Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle): Benton is an arrogant little prick, but you have to love him. It's funny to note that he does seem slightly different in the pilot, more eager and cheerful (not much, but whatever). He gets some great moments in the first episode, but most noticeably when he performs an emergency surgery without assistance and ends up saving a life.

This is the cast. Although the show as it is now (in its twelfth season) has a nice enough cast, it's just not the same as the original six, who stand together as a true television ensemble.

The first season is just wonderful. The show rolls along smoothly, churning out storylines compelling, dramatic, heartbreaking, and often funny. It's a perfect combination. The first season also brings us plenty of classic episodes, including the famous "Love's Labor Loss," which may have the saddest ending of any "ER" episode ever, as Dr. Greene cries quietly over the knowledge that he may have caused the death of a new mother. The first season won multiple Emmys, and it deserved all of them and more.

Warner Brothers did a real nice job with this DVD set. The episodes are presented in widescreen, which has caused some controversy, since the first six seasons of the show were filmed and broadcast in fullscreen format, but the bottomline is that the episodes look great matted and it makes them match with later seasons nicely, so I have no complaints. There are a decent amound of supplemental materials, among them a nice documementary about the pilot and the first season.

"ER" is one of the best shows ever made, no kidding. Although I'm still a big fan of the "ER" currently on, it in now way compares with these incredible early seasons, and the first season is a prime example of "ER" at its finest.

This dvd is excellent!! my expectations for this dvd were huge but it surpassed my expectations by far. There is a booklet with a description of every episoded and scene selection. The special features are amazing. The have interviews with all the original cast member except Eriq La Salle, the outakes are hilarious and show the the ER cast is every bit as lovable as we imagined them. I would recommend this dvd to everyone even if you aren't a avid fan of ER but watch the series you will enjoy this.
Thanks Warner Bros. I can't wait for season 2!

By now the television series "ER" has become an iconic cornerstone in NBC's imensly popular Thursday night lineup. For almost a decade and a half the series has been NBC's pride and joy. But the series that regularly air's now (in 2006) is just a shadow of its former brilliance. Season One returns the audience back to when `ER' just wasn't quality television, but the definition of "Must-see-TV." A time when there weren't enough Awards and Accolaid to describe the magical television show that was being created - and one that has its roots so firmly established in the American psyche it will honestly never be forgotten.

The best way to describe the first season of `ER' is through the young, innocent, and unexperienced eyes of John Carter, 3rd year medical student studying to become a surgeon. Throughout the first season's 25 episodes, John learns not only the in-and-outs of the emERgency room, but the hospital politics, and emotional toles that his chosen profession comes with. On his first day he meets his cold, but amazing teacher Dr. Peter Benton as well as the charismatic Dr. Greene, a family man trying to decide between staying in the hospital after his residency or going into private practice. Additionally the first season features Dr. Ross (and egotistical playboy), Nurse Hathaway (a quiet, carrying woman with too much on her plate), and Dr. Susan Lewis.

The first season establishes the tone of the series very early on, and it begins to create a formula, still in use today. In any given episode there are several patient guest-stars and drive the storylines, but more times than not it is the personal lives, feelings, and emotions of the regular doctors that come front and center in these episodes. The show isn't about the patients, but how the patients effect the doctors and the personal lives that they live.

ER and easily not only one of the best television shows on television, but one of the best television shows to ever grace the small-screen, and that is never as more evident than in the series inaugural season.


- 24 Hours
- Day One
- Going Home
- Hit and Run
- Into that good Night
- Chicago heat
- Another Perfect Day
- 9 1/2 Hours
- ER Confidential
- Blizzard
- Teh Gift
- Happy New York
- Luck of the Draw
- Long Day's Journey
- Feb. 5, '95"
- Make of Two Hearts
- The Birthday Party
- Sleepless in Chicago
- Loves's Labor Lost
- Full Moon, Saturday Night
- House of Cards
- Men Plan, God Laughs
- Love among the Ruins
- Motherhood
- Everything Old is New Again

This is a wonderful season and if it ever gets put of DVD you must purchase it.