The Long-Running Primetime Drama That Started As A Steven Spielberg Movie
In the history of television, relatively few shows get to claim that they had a long run filled with acclaim. Of the series on that list, even fewer can compete with "ER." While the show has nothing on the shocking 20 seasons that "Gunsmoke" put up, the medical drama did air for an astounding 15 seasons on NBC, broadcasting a staggering 331 episodes. That's something like 250 hours of television, give or take. Not bad, considering that this was originally supposed to be a single movie.
"ER" premiered in 1994, but the origins of the project go all the way back to 1974 when Michael Crichton first wrote the script, which was originally titled "EW," as in "Emergency Ward." It was based on his own experiences as a medical resident in a busy emergency room earlier in his life. As explained on MichaelCrichton.com by the late author personally, after directing the 1973 sci-fi flick "Westworld," which would eventually go on to inspire the HBO show of the same name, he wanted to diverge creatively:
"For my next project I wanted to do something completely different. I wrote a documentary-style movie about what happened during 24 hours in an emergency room. I thought the screenplay was terrific, but nobody would make the movie, finding it too technical, too chaotic, and too fast-moving. It sat on the shelf for the next 19 years — brought out every five or 10 years, for updating, and for the studios and networks to look at, and reject yet again."
"Finally NBC made it as a TV pilot. And then it became a series," Crichton concluded. While that last bit is truly glossing over the juciest part of the story, NBC did indeed take a chance on the script as a pilot, rather than a feature film. However, it was one of Crichton's collaborators, none other than Steven Spielberg, who helped make it a reality.
ER went from the big screen to the small screen with great success
For context, in 1993, "Jurassic Park" hit theaters and became the biggest movie of all time up to that point, taking in nearly $1 billion globally. Spielberg, of course, directed the movie based on Crichton's novel of the same name. Needless to say, they were riding high on that success. So, when Crichton brought his "ER" script to Spielberg, for the first time in years, it seemed like the project had a real shot at getting made. It was only then that the pair realized they had more than a single movie on their hands. As Amblin's official website puts it:
It was then that both filmmakers reasoned they may have had a television series on their hands rather than a single two-hour feature film. Crichton and Spielberg redefined the concept as a pitch for a pilot/proposed series which they would bring to television in association with Warner Brothers Television and NBC.
Per a 2009 article by The Hollywood Reporter timed to coincide with the "ER" series finale, NBC initially gave the green light to the project as a two-hour movie. When Spielberg and Crichton said they wanted at least a six-episode commitment instead, "We told them, 'Good luck finding that,'" the then-head of NBC Warren Littlefield admitted at the time. "We finally came to an agreement after lots of twists and turns."
Though not a massive success out of the gate, the show ultimately found its footing and became one of the highest-rated shows on TV for most of its run. "ER" also helped turned George Clooney into the star he is today, with other actors similarly gaining stardom over the years thanks to the series' popularity. To say the very least of it, Spielberg and Crichton were probably both happy that they didn't settle for a two-hour movie in the end.