ER: Season 4

From the incredible success of the season opening live episode "Ambush" all the way to the crazy father shooting his family in the season finale, ER's season four was full of fantastic story lines, great writing, phenomenal acting and just solid television.ER has been my favorite show for years and this season, like the one before it, was one of the strongest on record. Viewers got to see into the lives of the characters and even welcomed a few more people to the County General family.The season premiere, shot live twice, once for the east coast and once for the west coast, was a true inspiration, an idea hatched by series stars Anthony Edwards and George Clooney. Writer Carol Flint found a great way (a documentary crew is in the ER shooting) to write cameras and such into the story and from there, it is all the actors, as they shine in their moment in the sun.This season brings some changes to the county general staff. Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) is promoted to interim chief of emergency medicine after Dr. Morgenstern (guest star William H. Macy) has a heart attack in the season premiere. Her management style is quite brash and certainly irritates those who have to work for her. Her decision to first hire, then not, an outside management firm was made even more difficult by the fact that she was dating the man who was trying to bring the program into county (guest star Clancy Brown).Elizabeth Korday (Alex Kingston) comes across the pond to join the County General staff as a fellow under Dr. Robert Romano (guest star and future series regular Paul McCrane). Her introduction to American television is the live episode, but her character goes through a lot in her first year. She fights off the advances of Dr. Romano, instead chasing after fellow surgeon Peter Benton (Eriq LaSalle). She gets a first hand look at just how different things can be in the United States, and as the season ends, she finds herself looking for a way to stay after Romano doesn't renew her fellowship.Maria Bello joins the regular cast as Anna Del Amico, an ER resident. She guest starred in the end of season three and in season four finds herself in a budding relationship with Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle). She also finds herself at odds with the filmmakers in the live episode and deals with the returning of a former boyfriend as the season comes to a close.Dr. Benton has to adjust to life as a father after having a son in the end of season three. He also pursues a relationship with Dr. Korday and makes a career-threatening move when he questions the work of Dr. Morgenstern, pushing aside the senior doctor in a bold surgical room move. He also has to deal with his son's mother Carla (guest star Lisa Nicole Carlson) moving on with another man.Dr. Carter had a trying year, as he had to deal with the drug addiction of his cousin Chase (guest star Johnathan Scarfe) and also had to deal with humility when he decides to cut himself off from his family's money and has to go back to being an intern after switching from surgery to emergency medicine. Perhaps the shining moment of this season is when Carter takes control of the ER after a toxic mishap, and shows just what kind of doctor he can be, something viewers got to see for years after.Dr. Doug Ross (Clooney) also didn't have an easy year, as he went up against Weaver with the suggestion of a pediatric ER department with himself as Pediatric attending. The situation is still unresolved at the end of the season, but it is just one more thing to put Dr. Ross at odds with the bosses. He also suffers the loss of his father in a car accident in Californnia, which leads to a great episode where he and Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) travel to California together.Of course Ross wouldn't be complete without nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies). As the season begins, the two are in a secret relationship, but the truth soon comes out. Carol grows tired of the patient care and opens a free clinic in the ER, thanks to some timely funds from Carter's grandmother (guest star Frances Sternhagen). She also assists Ross in a questionable procedure at the end of the season, one that puts both of their careers in jeopardy.Dr. Greene pays a couple of visits to see his parents, bonding with his father (guest star John Cullum) on a second trip when his mother is ill. Mark is also still recovering from an attack in the men's room in the previous season, making him question just about everything in his life. He gets in a relationship with desk clerk Cynthia Hooper (guest star Mariska Hargitay) and battles with Weaver over numbers of things, a normal occurence in the world of my favorite character on this show.Finally, PA Jeannie Boulet (Gloria Reuben), my least favorite character in the 12 years this show has been on the air, has to deal with her firing because of budget cuts. She believes its because of her HIV status and sues for her job back, which she gets. Her husband leaves for Atlanta and she forms a bond with the son of Dr. Anspaugh (John Aylward), a young cancer patient. I just never cared that much for this character, mainly because I found her to be selfish in a lot of ways, but maybe that's just me.This season featured a number of great guest stars, including many who went on to star in shows in the future, or came from past shows. Cullum (Northern Exposure) was great as Mark Greene's father. Harold Perrineau (Lost) does a turn as the father of a critically injured boy. George Eads (CSI) plays a paramedic with a thing for Hathaway. Hargitay (Law and Order SVU) is fantastic as Cynthia the desk clerk. Sternhagen (Cheers) is great as Carter's stoic grandmother. Jorja Fox (CSI) continues her recurring role as Dr. Maggie Doyle. A number of great actors had spots on this show and this list is only a partial listing.As for extras, there are two features on the live episode, including one that was filmed immediately after the two live episodes. The other feature talks about the work that went into the live episode and how they pulled it off. There is a gag reel and a number of deleted scenes as well.Since this is my favorite show, I am bound to praise this set, but anybody looking for quality television should look no further than this.

George Clooney as an ER MD, fun show.

My own use I am very happy with this dvd set

ER had its excellent cast yet. British surgeon Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) makes her debut, and Noah Wylie (John Carter) and Maria Bello (Anna Del Amico) became good friends and discovered its better to be yourself. Carter finds that his move from surgery to the ER has knocked him back to intern, but he proves himself when pressure in the ER is hit by a toxic spill, and dealing with his addicted cousin, Chase (Jonathan Scarfe). Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) is fighting legal and emotional battles following the previous season's incident, and has a relationship with desk clerk Cynthia Hooper (Mariska Hargitay). Dr. Benton (Eriq LaSalle) is a new father, develops a rivalry with Corday as he angles toward a spot on the team of arrogant hotshot Rocket Romano (Paul McCrane). Ross (George Clooney) tries a secret romance with on-again-off-again partner Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies). There's a serial rapist who preys on elderly women forces Carter to make a critical decision. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) finds her promotion to chief of emergency medicine. She also runs into trouble when she tries to terminate Jeanie Boulet (Gloria Reuben), who ends up staying at the ER and befriending the cancer-stricken son (Trevor Morgan) of Dr. Anspaugh (John

What can be said about ER that has not already been said? It is a real depiction of what it is like in the ER. I know as I did a rotation in an ER. It not only is real, it also has great story lines that travel throughout the series. An example would be Dr. Ross's relationship with Carol. Even patients return as somthing re-occurs or some other problem developes. None of the personnel are perfect as you would find in the unrealistic Dr Welby of years ago. They all make mistakes both professionally and personally. Except for one incident concerning the aging Chief of Surgery, none of the characters are incompetent. Even the young and relatively inexperienced characters are guided and supervised to othercome any mistakes. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys realism and wants to see what it is like in the ER of a teaching hospital. I watched seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4 while taking Hyperberic Therapy and the M.D. in charge became enamered with the show--patients watch DVDs while getting the 2 hour, 20 day treatments. He plans to buy three of the seasons himself.

i love how great the special effects are!!!!!if you have not seen this then PLEASE DO WATCH IT!

Everything was good

Love this series plain and simple.

Unable to play all episodes, due to discs freezing. Disappointed. Re-ordered from another seller and hope for better results.....this is obviously a manufacturing fault. Great series, so I shall update if the discs do not work this time.

Brilliant season 4! I have been captivated by ER ever since I saw the very first episode in season 1. I was just blown away by the sheer innovativeness of the series. The writing, acting, camera work, story lines, have not diminished since the first opening episodes. The fast action, the clever way the camera work allows you to see the frantic pace when the emergencies arrive in ER and how the various ER staff behave is sheer brillance. I have been known to watch with sub-titles on, much to the amusement of my family, just so that I don't miss any details of the action.The characters have matured, the story lines are still so good that it's easy to stay involved with everyone of the unfolding lives of the characters. And don't you just ache for things to work out with Doug & Carol! .Roll-on the sale of series 5!

I am really enjoying watching this series again and can't get enough of it. The acting is good and overall the story lines are believable. There is the odd episode which is not quite as good but overall a great watch and better than anything on TV currently

Great price and quick delivery. No point in reviewing the series as it's personal preference whether you'll like it or not

Life continues as dramatic and varied as ever with Ross bending the rules, Carter confronting family problems, and the arrival of Elizabeth Corday. Superbly written, acted and produced, ER has no rivals in the world of medical drama.