ERPremiered 30 Years Ago Today: Major Moments You Forgot from the Pilot (Including George Clooney's Charm)

Mar. 15, 2025

Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle, George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Sherry Stringfield and Noah Wyle in ‘ER’ in 1994.Photo:NBCU Photo Bank

NBCU Photo Bank

“24 Hours,” which is available to stream on Hulu, Disney+, Max and other platforms along with all 15 seasons ofER, remains as compelling today as it was 30 years ago. The 87-minute episode does exactly what its title implies, tracking the goings-on in the emergency room of the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago over the course of 24 hours and introducing us to doctors Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards), Doug Ross (George Clooney), Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) and Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) along with medical student John Carter (Noah Wyle) and head nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies).

Viewed on its own, it’s striking how much more “24 Hours” plays like a short film than the first episode of an ongoing drama. Its focus on a single day gives us a snapshot of Greene, Ross and co.’s day-to-day, while never leaving the ER. But unlike most pilot episodes today, it doesn’t establish much in the way of ongoing storylines, instead establishing its characters’ personalities and the tone of the series.

Julianna Margulies in the pilot episode of ‘ER’ in 1994.NBC

NBC

In hindsight, we know that Hathaway survives and goes on to become a lead character in the series, and that the aftermath of her suicide attempt will impact both her and her colleagues in episodes to come. But viewed on its own, simply in the context of the pilot, the subplot is a little confounding. Margulies’s character was originally intended to die off-screen between the pilot and the second episode, so it’s odd to imagine a version of the show that moves on without further addressing what lead her to attempted suicide.

Troy Evans, Paul Benjamin and Miguel Ferrer in the pilot episode of ‘ER’ in 1994.NBC

George Clooney in the pilot episode of ‘ER’ in 1994.NBC

Then, of course, there’s the Clooney of it all. The actor’s role in the pilot is worth noting, considering he was the first cast member to sign on to the show and would go on to becomeER’s biggest breakout star.

La Salle arguably outshines Clooney as well with his more abrasive brand of charm. And his character’s moment of triumph whenWilliam H. Macy’s Dr. Morgenstern, the hospital’s Chief of Surgery, commends him for a job well done after undertaking a risky, ill-advised surgical procedure may just be the most compelling of the episode.

George Clooney and Eriq La Salle in the pilot episode of ‘ER’ in 1994.NBC

It’s also wild how just about everybody in the episode — from nurses to patients — keeps commenting on how handsome Ross is, but never mentions Benton, who is objectively a babe. But then, charming hunk is Ross’s whole thing, and “having an attitude” is Benton’s.

Sherry Stringfield in the pilot episode of ‘ER’ in 1994.NBC

In 2024, it’s hard not to view any medical drama in the context of the problems with America’s healthcare system, which have come increasingly to the forefront of politics in the three decades sinceERpremiered. But the show’s pilot only hints at these issues. It makes only glancing references to the predicament many ER patients who lack medical insurance find themselves in.

Toward the end of the episode, we see Stringfield’s exhausted Dr. Lewis reacting with dismay to a radio call-in discussion about the cost of healthcare in which one caller blames doctors for exorbitant medical bills. Lewis’s dismay is understandable — doctors are not responsible for the mindboggling costs of emergency room visits. But the scene unfairly dismisses the plight of the many American patients who can literally go bankrupt paying for necessary medical care.

Noah Wyle and Anthony Edwards in the pilot episode of ‘ER’ in 1994.NBC

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Of course, the pilot episode ofERis firmly in the doctors’ corner, portraying them as noble, over-worked and underpaid caregivers. (At one point Benton notes that he and his colleagues work 90 hours a week for less than $24K a year.) One scene finds Greene and Carter just outside the hospital. Responding to Carter’s apology for almost getting sick at the sight of a patient’s knife wound, Greene delivers what you could argue is the series’ thesis.

“Don’t ever say you’re sorry,” he says. “See, there’s two kinds of doctors. There’s the kind that gets rid of their feelings and the kind that keeps them. If you’re gonna keep your feelings, you’re gonna get sick from time to time. That’s just how it works … People come in here and they’re sick and dying and bleeding and they need our help. Helping them is more important than how we feel.”

It’s a good synopsis of what we’d see over the next 15 seasons ofER: the human drama that results from doctors trying to do their at times impossible jobs while balancing their emotions. It’s what madeERand the countless hospital dramas that came after it so compelling.

source: people.com