E.R. ends 15 seasons tomorrow

E.R. will be coming to an end tomorrow. And based on ratings and general public interest you might have thought it ended years ago. Which is a sad way for a ground-breaking show to end.

Though E.R. has reached a huge landmark in hitting 15 seasons, much of the luster faded before this year. I was a fan of the show early on. The entire plot seemed, looking back, to be the journey of one cast member - Noah Wyle as Dr. Carter. We all followed his path from lowly surgical intern into a highly qualified and intense doctor. And once he left the show, there really was no reason to continue to watch.

One of the things I loved about the show was that it was bright, and was not afraid of that. It was honest terminology and real medicine procedures. There were no miracles from future tech or television time constraints. The characters had flaws and issues, some never resolved. Characters grew, and fell, and died often in ways we never expected. But it was real and that drew in the audience.

Dr. Carter was our window into that world. As he learned more and became comfortable in that fast-paced, life or death arena, so did we. We were all proud when he became a doctor in his own right. We were surprised and pleased when he made the critical career move to give up surgery where he might just be good, to become an E.R. doctor that was great. We were all saddened when Dr. Carter fell into the pit of drug addiction, and were among his friends as they intervened to help him overcome his problem.

It's funny, the fact that the salary of Noah Wyle grew by the last season he was on the series to be more than that of the entire original cast he started with. It reflects the importance of his character, and the fanbase he drew. But the casting on this program was always smart.

This show launched the career of George Clooney, and Wyle. It beefed up the importance of Anthony Edwards, Eric La Salle and Juliana Margulies. It drew the most loved and most acclaimed actors in all of Hollywood to its set. Alan Alda, Michael J. Fox, Don Cheadle, Ray Liotta, Dakota Fanning and more.

This show was one of the few that featured Latinos, African Americans, and Asians as recurring if not main characters of importance and prominence. People of color were doctors and heads of departments. All at a time on television where the faces of people of color were vanishing from even the backgrounds in other shows. Especially on NBC.

Serious issues facing the nation and world have been addressed. Child abuse, violence against women, AIDS, alcoholism, drug addiction, cancer, famine, racial conflicts, poverty, international wars and ethnic cleansing. There are few topics this show has not touched upon, with honesty and compassion.

But like all things, it too must end. Because in a world of American Idol and Survivor, being honest and more than superficial is too much. When we lost our connection to the history of the show, Dr. Carter, we lost the need to be involved. Especially with issues that did not go away or were solved by the end of the episode or season. In that E.R. did it's job too well, it was too smart and honest to stay on television.

So while I am sad to see the show end, I agree it is well about time. It's languished enough, made many a political and educational point. It's helped widen the knowledge base of the world, and lifted more than a few actors and actresses to renown. In 15 years the television program has done just about everything that you could ask for in a weekly series. So with a salute I say goodbye to the series. And thank you.

The Librarian: Quest for the Judas Chalice

So tonight was the 3rd installment of the Librarian series on TNT Network. The series stars Noah Wyle as the titular character, essentially the foremost uber-nerd. His character is the vessel of facts both obscure and pertinant as documented throughout written history. And he is our vehicle to plumb the truth of many of the legends we have all heard of, to some degree.

The start of the program takes us through a very specific path through the prior 2 features. It focuses mainly on the first adventure, and the assistant to the Librarian Nicole. I found that interesting to note since the female lead in the 2nd feature was about as emaciated as fish after a cat has gotten thru with it. Seriously, all I could think about when that actress was on the screen was how anorexia is so pervasive and acceptable in Hollywood.

But focusing on this new story we find that our near hapless hero is stressed out. He can't keep a single girlfriend for more than 6 months, and its driving him mad. Or at least highly unfulfilled. And so he needs to take a vacation.

This program being what it is, the mystical and legendary take a strong role in what we learn of. Thus it is a vision of a woman calling for our hero that determines where he will vacation. And many is the guy (or woman) that wishes the person of their dreams would lead them on a vacation.

This then takes our adventure to New Orleans. The plot from this point takes it's cues from various Anne Rice and other similar pop culture on vampires.

The real question is if this entire television movie is worth the time to see it. And the answer is both yes and no. The majority of the program is enjoyable enough. Wyle is a good actor and his portrayal is humorous and likeable. At this point in the series though his character is both terribly naive and more than a bit gullible. You have to wonder, and as Bob Newhart's character notes, does he realize where he is work?

The location shots are nice. The plot is thin if not constantly in motion so as to hide the plot holes as much as possible. And the acting of all the other characters is par in general. Were this a movie in a theater it just wouldn't do, but for the small screen it's better than most offerings.

But the main problem the series has had is the casting of the female leads and love interest. For me I have to wonder why they have run from the attractive, interesting, and feminine Nicole character to generally women that look like they are suffering from starvation. Even the vampiress is woefully in need of a cheeseburger. For a woman that was born some 400 years ago, a time when only the poorest of peasant women were so thin, you wonder why a vampire would pick her as a victim.

Of course the series further developed the storyline of the purpose of the Librarian, the battle of good and evil it represents, and the boss of the librarian. This means that barring all the actresses in Hollywood going to a McDonald's and eating a burger - and thus being incapable of performing - there will be a 4th telemovie.

Perhaps in this next movie we will finally see the uber-geek get and keep a girl. Perhaps the Librarian will finally come to full terms with his job and the oddities that exist in the world. I mean he does practice swordsmanship with a floating self-aware Excaliber.

In all, I found Quest for the Judas Chalice to be a fair program. It was not on par with the first and marginally better than the second. IF the series further devolves it won't make it past a 4th. Which would be a shame as it has the potential to be a quasi-mystical geek version of James Bond. But if you see it on TNT and there isn't a copy of one of the Jason Bourne movies, or Die Hard, or so on take a look.

Television gets old and new

So there is a bunch of news in the world of television. There is an old friend returning and a current favorite departing.

The first item I noticed deals with the loss of a current favorite. I really enjoy CSI, the original. The character of William Petersen is that something extra you don’t often see on any program. He’s unabashedly intelligent, loyal, dedicated, and relatively issue free. In current television and a media that’s obsessed with the quirks of every personality, real or imagined, you really don’t see this.

But after soo many years, Gil Grissom will be leaving CSI for good. And I believe the series will end shortly thereafter.

Face it, Gil makes the show go round. Unlike other programs like Law & Order, or E.R., where every character is replaceable CSI is driven from the top down. [Note that in E.R. the loss of several actors – George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Noah Wyle – the ratings have diminished with each exit. This show should have ended the day that Wyle left as his character was the central theme that made it make all sense. Since his departure I know none that watch it. A similar statement can be made about Jerry Orbauch and his Lenny Briscoe character.] The show can survive the loss of most any other character, and has, but Grissom is the glue that keeps it together.

So I think this next season will be the end of this program. What a shame.

But the timing could be worse. 2 or 3 years ago such an impending thought might have meant that yet another reality program would be hitting the airwaves (I think the only thing left was to watch celebrities and ordinary attention deprived adults make coffee). Alas that trend if finally dying, none to soon either. So the void needs something big to fill it.

That honor will likely go to Michael J. Fox. He is returning to the small screen. But not in a series. Still the fact that less competition will exist and quality acting will be available was not missed on Dennis Leary. He convinced Fox to join him in his hit show Rescue Me.

If you have not seen the drama, then you aren’t watching FX Network, and I can’t imagine why not. Rescue Me is hard to describe. It’s the life of a fire station, particularly the Dennis Leary lead. His life is enough of a mess to make Perez Hilton look normal, and Britney Spears sane. But it is written honestly and with intelligence. It has moments to challenge your views, and make you laugh. It’s almost real, and that’s where the pleasure is.

Michael J Fox will add to this. He is playing a man in a wheelchair, which plays on his known illness. He is the love interest of the overly jealous and easily prone to violent outburst Leary’s estranged wife. If you want to see drama imagine the reactions of a man who saves lives on a regular basis, is jealous, is violent, who occasionally speaks with dead people, as he hits a man in a wheelchair. It’s a low act and he will be fighting with himself over that, as Fox plays the moment with a performance that we rarely get to see.

Or at least that’s what I’m expecting. We shall see.