Michael Crichton has proven himself a worthy writer of Science Fiction. His stories like Jurassic Park have gone on to produce massive franchises and cement him as one of our nation's premiere novelists. However many people do not know that his title is actually Dr. Michael Crichton, and I'm talking M.D. So it should come as little surprise to people that he is the creative force behind the most popular show of the last nine years. Television's E.R. has become the MUST SEE catalyst for Thursday nights.
Warner has finally gotten their act together and released the first season of the acclaimed series. The show has launched so many careers that it would be unfair to talk about just one but let's just get it out of the way right now, George Clooney!
Season one like many seasons of television had its share of ups and downs. However the show proved from the getgo that NBC could easily forget about the misery that was the ending of Cheers.
Some of the more memorable episodes from the inaugaral season include of course the first show, The Pilot, which sets up the show rather well. Another of my favorites from the first season is Luck Of The Draw which involves some litigation, a subject close to my heart. There's also the season finale Everything Old Is New Again which again includes malpractice in a death of a patient by Dr. Greene.
The complete season list includes 25 episodes spread over four discs. These can be found at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005JLFT/002-9053321-8517619?v=glance
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The Disc:
Many first season sets make the mistake of not going back and giving these episodes a proper transfer. Take for instance the first season of CSI, which failed to release in a widescreen format.
Thankfully Warner hasn't made that mistake with a very nice Widescreen Anamorphic transfer. This is a very good looking transfer for a television show that is nearly ten years old. On the other hand, the audio isn't quite up to snuff. The voice acting is crisp and clear but just not of the quality of most DVD's.
Warner doesn't have much to worry about because they have totally amazed us with a TON of extras for fans. It all starts with "Personal Notes" from series creator Michael Crichton. Yes the man himself gives us some insight into the creation of his baby.
Next we have two new exclusive features, On the making-of the pilot and the making of the First season. Both of these newly created documentaries are well done and so very interesting.
Next up is "The First Year Intern Handbook," an interactive feature with complete character profiles, 45 "patient" histories of the various guest stars, and a medical terminology glossary. After viewing this you should be able to compete on an E.R. version of Jeopardy!
Audio Commentaries come up next with Two commentary tracks on the pilot episode with executive producers Michael Crichton & John Wells and Pilot director Rod Holcomb & key production crew. Somewhat dry at times, these tracks are still worth a listen, especially if you have seen the pilot a few times.
Second up is Key production crew and director commentaries on the "Love's Labor Lost" episode directed by Mimi Leder and "Sleepless in Chicago," directed by Christopher Chulack. A bit more interesting than the other audio tracks, these are still somewhat dry. However these guys give us an insight into the show that few people consider.
Finally we have some other tidbits including: Outtakes and unreleased scenes, two other featurettes, and trailers.
bottom line:
A great start to a wonderful show still kicking ass on TV. E.R. Season One is definitely worth your hard earned money and effort. Although Season One's episodes aren't the best, we are still VERY pleased with the effort here by Warner.
By - Brian "Shroom" Gray
