Maura Tierney, ER
In its final year, ER (Thursdays at 10 pm/ET, NBC) will welcome back some old friends while other cast members make early exits. In the 15th-season premiere, Greg Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) died a shocking death, and tonight Maura Tierney's lovable but beleaguered Dr. Abby Lockhart checks out for the last time.
TV Guide: You wanted Abby to be killed off, but she won't be. So how does she leave?
See Tierney's answer and find out what's in Luka and Abby's future after the jump.
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As we celebrated the landmark 300th outing of ER tonight with a rare episode directed by series executive producer John Wells I was thrilled to see the powerhouse acting of Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic as the centerpiece of the episode For those of us who have been fans since that very first episode 14 years ago is that even possible it is gratifying to see this show still telling compelling heartfelt stories about characters that we care about I havent always liked where the story went but Ive certainly enjoyed the ride Thank God Abby finally came clean to Luka I honestly didnt think I was going to be able to take much more of relapse Abby and I was so relieved that all the secrets and lies were out on the table There are a million things I could say about the unfortunate timing of Abbys disclosure in the wake of Lukas loss but my complaint would be mostly about the acrobatics that the writers have had to perform to work aro
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Question: Your take, please, on my impression that television critics always focus on the new and buzzworthy while ignoring popular, good long-running shows. The most striking example from this season is the superb work of Maura Tierney in recent episodes of ER, as her character, Abby, succumbs to the bottle once again. Sure, ER's been on forever and its quality has waxed and waned, but Tierney's performance this season has been heartbreaking. Certainly among the best acting I've seen on the tube this year. But will we see her name on the list of Emmy nominations next summer? I doubt it, and in large part, it seems to me, because voices like yours aren't interested in what's considered "old" or so-been-there. So I'm curious as to whether critics recognize just how loyal many viewers continue to be to seasoned shows. I get that your job is to search out and critique the latest and greatest, but programs like ER endure for a reason. I would have followed Christine Cagney and Mary Beth ...
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I dont know about all of you but as tonights episode started I was still reeling from last weeks gut-wrenching exploration of Abbys dark night of the soul So when I saw Luka come around that corner I practically cried tears of joy But my happiness like Abbys was short-lived as it became obvious that the repercussions of her drunken mistake have yet to fully play out I agree with those of you who continue to post about Maura Tierneys amazing consistently compelling performance After watching her give another bravura turn tonight under the direction of ER vet Laura Innes I have to say that it would be criminal for her to be overlooked again come awards time Unfortunately it seems that the shows buzz-worthiness has long since worn off a fact that keeps it off the radar of most Emmy voters Though it should be noted guest stars are regularly rewarded for their ER efforts so it appears someone is taking notice Back to the ac
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Goran Visnjic and Maura Tierney, ER
If Luka knew what was waiting for him, he might've stayed in Croatia. After several months in his native country tending to his ill father, a clueless Dr. Kovac (Goran Visnjic) finally returns to Chicago in tonight's ER (10 pm/ET, NBC). And what a homecoming he'll get.
As viewers know, Luka's wife, fellow doc Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney), hasn't been in the best emotional shape lately. Lonely and overwhelmed by work and new motherhood, Abby has gone back to boozing, leading to a very bad choice involving emergency-room chief Kevin Moretti (Stanley Tucci). Let's just say that she's harboring some guilty secrets.
"Through the years, we talked about having Abby fall off the wagon," Tierney says. "It's a great
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I still remember when Mark Greene and Doug Ross were running the place Me too Chuny Me too What a nice shout-out to the long and storied history of our beloved ER I do love the episodes that allow the cast to interact outside the workplace Not only did we learn that Chunys real name is Ethyl who would have guessed but we also got to see the chemistry between Dubenko and Neela on full display Pratt exercising his newly legit attending muscles and sadly Abby falling even further into the abyss of her alcoholism while still proving what excellent instincts she has as a doctor Witnessing Abbys disintegration was really painful especially for those of us who have seen this character turn her life around over the past few years I know that the writers had to work around the absence of Goran Visnjic in some way but I really wish Abbys character hadnt taken such a hit It is most certainly a credit to Maura Tierney that my reaction to toni
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Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic, ER
Their tumultuous courtship has survived intrusive lovers, multiple near-death experiences and four icy-cold feet. But this week, determined doctor Luka Kovac (Goran Visnjic) finally makes it legal with nurse turned resident Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) on NBC's ER (Thursdays at 10 pm/ET).
Talk about waiting to exhale. These characters — along with the actors who play them and the fans who love them — have been holding their breath for eight long seasons. "One of the benefits of being on a show for so many years is that the characters have real history," Tierney says. "These are people who have been through a lot and come out OK."
Not that the tribulations are over just yet. First there's the little matter of Abby not really knowing about the wedding
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Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic by Michael Ansell/NBC
The big screen is beckoning ER’s most senior medicos. Goran Visnjic and Maura Tierney (aka deliciously moody lovebirds Luka and Abby) confirmed for TV Guide that they’re on their way off the show. (Word of Visnjic's exit was broken in late February by Ausiello.) “I’m pretty sure I’m leaving after next year,” says Tierney, while Visnjic says he expects to do “a couple” — fewer than five — episodes next season. As TV Guide’s Sexiest Doc and Dad says, “We’re still talking about how and when we’re going to do it. But it’s kind of a logical progression because every summer I want to do a movie and... there are always problems with my scheduling. I think it’s a nice run to be on a show for eight years.” Similarly, Tierney says she loves ER and her costars, but would like to do more features. (Currently she’s filming Semi-Pro with Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson.) Although Tierney has asked the pr...
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Thankfully tonights episode brought us back to the interesting cases and patients that draw out the best and the worst in our favorite ER doctors and nurses We were also treated to some more superlative guest-acting Sean Young is certainly no Forest Whitaker but she was poignant and sympathetic in her portrayal of the mother suspiciously dying from liver failure Though I wasnt the least bit surprised that the hateful older son was complicit in her scheme to slowly kill herself without jeopardizing the insurance money for her sons I did think this was an interesting way to once again call Gates moral compass into question Lukas assessment of Gates ability to lie without a second thought was spot-on It was interesting to juxtapose this story against Neelas refusal to participate in Manishs surgey due to her own reservations about his motives for donating a kidney Frankly I was somewhat surprised at Dubenkos pragmatic approach
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So lets start with the important stuff first I am thrilled to report that all the bad facial hair in the ER has left the building at least for the time being The porn 145stache is gone and the Stamos stubble is now a mere five oclock shadow of its former self The disturbance in the force has been resolved and now we can get back to focusing on important medical matters like how ridiculously tall dark and yummy Goran Visnjic is Oh and you can be sure there will be more on that in a minute I just need to regroup after all the crying I just did ER has an amazing track record with memorable guest appearances and that streak continued tonight As a huge fan of Six Feet Under and his work on that show it was great to see Freddy Rodriguez as Simon the leukemia-stricken comedian His interaction with Abby Sam and Morris was very entertaining and bittersweet and I was glad to see that he finally got a chance to do his act albeit from a hospital bed Sam f
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