So last night was the series finale of ER.  I have always had a special place in my heart for ER, since it premiered at the same time I was in EMT school.  Back then, Thursday nights would be spent in the basement at my mom’s house with a bunch of my friends as we watched the weekly exploits of Mark Greene, Doug Ross, Susan Lewis, Peter Benton and John Carter.  Sure the patients and their ailments were interesting, but it was really the doctors who were the center of the story.

To say that I watched it with a critical eye would be an understatement.  Everytime you’d see the doctors rushing to the ambulance bay or walking with the ambulance crew while getting the “bullet” (the brief rundown given on the patient) I would yell, “That NEVER happens!” Because it honestly doesn’t… unless there is a Hazmat Mass Casualty Incident with decon set up outside the ER.  That is a VERY rare occurrence.

Still, ER portrayed alot of the internal struggles that occur accurately.  Whether it be a budget dilemna, a lawsuit from a patient’s family, or the emotional toll experienced by the daily battle with illness and death, ER was at times too accurate.  Then of course once they started to focus on the characters more OUTSIDE of the ER with nothing to do with the ER, they lost me as a regular viewer.  Most notable was Luka Kovac and John Carter going to Africa and Neela Rasgotra‘s absolute sluttery across the seasons.  However last night, it was back to basics and the show brought itself around full circle in a number of ways.  I’m not going to say what happens because I don’t want to be accused of spoilery again… but it left me more satisfied than the series finale of BSG.

So now it’s over… except for syndication on TBS or through the power of DVD.  The question become what will replace it?  Sure SouthLand looks to be taking the time slot, but what show will accurately portray Emergency Medicine on television?  Hopefully someone will step up with a show that can get the (endotracheal)tube…