Question: I admit to being one of those who, for the last season or two, watched ER solely out of habit. However, I am psyched at the prospect of John Stamos being a regular cast member next season, and I am eagerly awaiting next season. Do you expect that the casting of John will pull the show out of its "funk" and re-entice some of the viewers who think it's jumped the shark?
Answer: It can't hurt. I know I was sorely disappointed when ABC's inexplicable renewal (to little effect) of Jake in Progress kept him off the show during a season that could have really used him. I just hope he doesn't succumb to the same ailment that has befallen so many promising actors (Linda Cardellini, Parminder Nagra, Shane West, Kristen Johnston) who join the cast and are almost immediately sapped of appealing personality traits.
Coming to ER's defense is Phil S., who writes: "I'm tired of people bashing shows just because they've been on the air for a while. If anybody actually sat down and watched ER
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Question: Your constant bashing of ER and its "mediocrity" gives me the impression that you really haven't even given yourself the possibility of liking the show this season, maybe due to disillusionment with the last couple of seasons. John Leguizamo's Doctor Clemente has been one of the best (or at least most enjoyable) new characters on TV this season, bringing comedic relief to a cast clearly in need of it. You can cynically brush off Cynthia Nixon's and James Woods's guest roles as stunt casting, but the respective episodes have been high-quality drama, especially last week's ALS-themed outing. I agree that the show is very different from its first seasons (I've been rewatching Seasons 1 through 4 on DVD), but in my mind it still delivers the goods drama-wise. So what do you say, Matt? Give ER one more chance?
Answer: I tuned in to the beginning of the season with an open mind. But from the torpor of the opening episode, with Luka and Sam going in search of her brat, to the numbing
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Question: How much longer do you think ER has? Or will it always pull just good enough ratings for NBC to keep it around long after it has worn out its welcome? I missed last week's show (but still taped it), and so far I have not felt inclined to watch it. That is a bad sign for a diehard ER watcher like me. At some point the cost of producing ER (which I understand is quite expensive) will exceed ad revenues, right?
Answer: Yes, but that point is not yet. I was going to duck the topic of ER for a while (just thinking about watching it makes me dozy these days), but I got so many letters with this exact tone that I'll remind everyone, as I noted a few weeks ago, that we and NBC are stuck with ER for at least two more years, through the 2007-08 season. Maybe some of the new blood will help (I wrote this before watching Kristen Johnston's debut), but so far the show has been beyond dreary. Even so, it still has a large enough loyal following, at least in first-run, to justify its
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