Beginning its six-year run in 1982, St. Elsewhere was neither television's first ensemble medical drama nor, heaven knows, its last. Even now, when "reality" programming blights the landscape like some biblical plague, doc, cop, and lawyer shows remain staples of the medium, and while the likes of C.S.I., E.R., and Grey's Anatomy have it all over St. Elsewhere in the sizzle department--the production values are much flashier, the content sexier, more graphic, and faster-moving, the technology both in front of and behind the camera light years more sophisticated--the older show, despite its somewhat cheesy '70s vibe, is the hands-down winner when it comes to the actual steak. That's because it does it the old-fashioned way: by relying on good writing, vividly-drawn, identifiable characters, and excellent performances by an eye-opening group of actors.
Co-creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey's pilot episode, which establishes the scene at Boston's St. Eligius Hospital (mocked as "St. Elsewhere" due to its rundown facilities and reputation as a "dumping ground" for the poor and disenfranchised), isn't especially promising. While we can see right away that the show sports a lighter, more humorous tone than others of its genre, the direction is static, the acting and dialogue are often stiff, and what passes for "chaos" is pretty tame. But it hits its stride almost immediately thereafter, as the characters (including Howie Mandel's wisecracking Dr. Fiscus, David Morse's driven, committed Dr. Morrison, William Daniels' egotistical, pompous Dr. Craig, and Ed Begley, Jr.'s nerdy Dr. Ehrlich) are more fully realized. The cast, in fact, may be the most impressive ever assembled for a TV program: in the first season alone, the list of actors with regular, recurring, and one-shot appearances includes future movie stars Denzel Washington (a regular, but his role is minor), Tim Robbins, Ally Sheedy, Christopher Guest, Laraine Newman, Ray Liotta, Tom Hulce, Michael Madsen, and Rae Dawn Chong. Sure, some of the multiple storylines are dated: the handling of issues like gun control, immigration, and terrorism seems almost quaint by today's standards, and a running gag concerning ladies man Dr. Samuels' (David Birney) having to inform his many lovers that he has gonorrhea comes off as tasteless and unfunny, notwithstanding that era's low awareness of AIDS and other STDs.
Cast and Characters
Ed Flanders as Dr. Donald Westphall
William Daniels as Dr. Mark Craig
David Birney as Dr. Ben Samuels (1982-1983)
Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Victor Ehrlich
David Morse as Dr. Jack Morrison
Cynthia Sikes as Dr. Annie Cavanero (1982-1985)
Howie Mandel as Dr. Wayne Fiscus
Barbara Whinnery as Dr. Cathy Martin (1982-1986)
Terence Knox as Dr. Peter White (1992-1985)
Christina Pickles as Nurse Helen Rosenthal
Denzel Washington as Dr. Phillip Chandler
Kim Miyori as Dr. Wendy Armstrong (1982-1984)
Norman Lloyd as Dr. Daniel Auschlandler
Eric Laneuville as Orderly Luther Hawkins
Bonnie Bartlett as Dr. Ellen Craig
Kavi Raz as Dr. V.J. Kochar (1982-1984)
Byron Stewart as Orderly Warren Coolidge (1984-1988)
Sagan Lewis as Dr. Jaqueline Wade (1983-1988)
Broadcast History First Telecast: October 26, 1982 Last Telecast: May 25, 1988 Number of Episodes: 137
Number of Seasons: 6
Original Network: NBC
October 1982- August 1983, NBC, Tuesday 10:00-11:00pm
August 1983- May 1988, NBC, Wednesday 10:00-11:00pm
July 1988- August 1988, NBC, Wednesday 10:00-11:00pm
Shows 
Beginning its six-year run in 1982, St. Elsewhere was neither television's first ensemble medical drama nor, heaven knows, its last. Even now, when "reality" programming blights the landscape like some biblical plague, doc, cop, and lawyer shows remain staples of the medium, and while the likes of C.S.I., E.R., and Grey's Anatomy have it all over St. Elsewhere in the sizzle department--the production values are much flashier, the content sexier, more graphic, and faster-moving, the technology both in front of and behind the camera light years more sophisticated--the older show, despite its somewhat cheesy '70s vibe, is the hands-down winner when it comes to the actual steak. That's because it does it the old-fashioned way: by relying on good writing, vividly-drawn, identifiable characters, and excellent performances by an eye-opening group of actors.
