30 years on and ‘er’ still packs a punch – and we’re hooked

Lockdown was the game changer for many. With nothing else to do, we took a deep dive into Netflix, Prime and numerous other services, became binge watchers, found some absolute gems, and then realised that for every Good Place, Squid Game - apart from a wholly un-necessary series two - Yellowstone, or Orange Is The New Black, there is a dreadful reality TV show that is anything but real.

These shows may be hard to ignore, but absolutely worth the effort. The minutes spent watching fake dialogue from folk who can’t act is time you will never, ever get back.

The other downside of streaming services is quality control. How many programmes on your watchlist are now gathering dust after interest levels waned halfway through the first series? Everwood, Stranger Things, The Burroughs, and even Sex Education all suffered from the law of diminishing returns.

There must be half a dozen other shows we’ve zoned out of in recent months in favour of one which is 30 years old, and which is sharper, and better written and acted than anything on telly today.

But, we’re ten seasons into ‘er’ and can count on one hand the episodes which didn’t land. That’s a remarkable strike rate for a drama which first aired in 1994 when we only had four channels, Sky was still a novelty, and instead of binge watching we had to wait a full week for the next episode.

While there is nothing more disappointing to find an old favourite that simply hasn’t aged well - a bit like most of us, I guess - the upside is something like ‘er’ which still packs a mighty punch. It even transcends the production values of the time, underlining just how cutting edge its own filming was with multiple storylines that were slick and realistic, and which commanded your attention.

The writing is exemplary, the characters rounded and wholly engaging. It remains a masterpiece of television.

Michael Crichton crafted something quite extraordinary, and kept it rolling over 15 seasons, barely drawing breath between scenes.

The medical jargon rattled off in almost every scene never diminished your understanding of what was happening, and the stand alone episodes which focussed on one character or one moment were exquisite.

From George Clooney’s Hollywood appeal to the jaw dropping brutality of Romano’s sarcasm, the arrogance of Benton, the Carter-Abby-Kovac triangle, and the emergence of a host of characters in their own right, ‘er’ got so much absolutely spot on. The terminal diagnosis, and death of Marc Greene remains just as unbearably poignant decades later.

‘Er’ took medical drama to a whole new level, and one that has yet to be matched. St Elsewhere, Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Hope were all good, but none of them found the same intensity, the same pace, the same sense exhiliarating sense of life on the frontline.

It’s been a joy to reacquaint ourselves with the series having dabbled in, and lost interest, in, more than a few Netflix and Prime offerings these past few months.

There is, of course,some great telly to be found most nights - finding it just takes a bit more work than it did when the choice was just four channels. Less was, and is, sometimes more. Now excuse me, I have an appointment at County General ...