ER proved years ago that it’s not always the actors that make the show. With the exception of maybe Law & Order, no other drama managed to be as successful as ER was with a revolving door of actors.
Sure they may have lost some of the water cooler buzz (not sure what the 2010 equivalent of the water cooler is…) after George Clooney and Julianna Margulies left the show more than a decade ago, but the series still managed to churn out one deftly entertaining season after another and Season 13, which aired in the 2006-2007, was no different.
With this outing, the two strongest characters include John Stamos as the EMT turned doc in training (arguably his best TV role to date) and Maura Tierney as a nurse turned doctor. Like the aforementioned L&O, in its later seasons ER turned into a reliable venue for well-known actors to stop by for guest spots and supporting roles; so Forest Whitaker is around for a few episodes and Sara Gilbert (Darlene from Roseanna) has a supporting role as another resident doctor, as does Stanley Tucci as the new chief of the ER.
There were plenty of digs about ER being on for too long by the time the plug was finally pulled on the series, but this season proved they had yet to run out of compelling story lines.
ER – The Complete Thirteenth Season/6 DVDs/2010/Warner Bros./1012 mins./www.ertv.com
Rating: 8 out of 10