Interesteg What makes it different from others?

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Bereamic Awesome Movie

george-841 I can remember in the 1980s staying up till midnight to watch reruns of St. Elsewhere on weekdays, most of which I had to be up by 6am for work. The series was THAT good that I made the sacrifice.The final episode, like many final episodes of long-running series, has been controversial, with some viewers loving it and many hating it. One review here states that the last episode is absurd because it's impossible for viewers to believe that everything they've been watching for six years is a figment of someone's imagination.Well, that has to be the ultimate compliment to any writer (or crew of writers): that viewers and readers can't believe what they made up is not real! I guess St. Elsewhere was THAT "real" to people!

MCL1150 St. Elsewhere isn't only one of television's all-time best dramas, but is arguably the greatest hospital drama of them all. Take "AIDS and Comfort", an absolutely brilliant episode produced in 1983 when AIDS was hardly as much on the public's conscience as it would be only about two years later. The resulting panic of the staff, their incredibly ignorant selfishness regarding the victim, the ensuing media frenzy and how it all compromises a much needed blood drive seems cliché over 24 years later, but this is remarkable stuff for 1983. This episode not only takes the unfounded paranoia about AIDS head on, but it also addresses the misconception that AIDS is strictly a homosexual disease. Again, quite remarkable television that dared to deal with an important subject at a time when people knew so little about the disease. Not only an episode way ahead of its time, but sadly an episode that's still all too timely considering the prejudice AIDS patients continue to live with. And if this episode hadn't broken enough fresh ground with the AIDS plot alone, it also delves into the problem of athletes using steroids to gain an edge. In this case it's a young teen tennis prodigy whose own father is having her take them to advance her career. How timely is THAT? St. Elsewhere has been off the air for over 18 years, but for me it continues to be head and shoulders above "ER", or just about any current drama.

cherm500 This was one of the more thoughtful and well-written series of the 80s and one I would love to see brought out in series for purchase on DVD. The characters were well-developed and multi-dimensional. Even the ones that were irritating were still riveting to watch. It was a forerunner and a ground-breaker to what ER has become today. ER is faster paced, but the elements are still there with characters we've come to know and care about. Dr. House could have been an intern learning the ego-maniacal traits of Dr. Craig which would easily have helped him to grow into the character he now portrays. St. Elsewhere was the medical arena's response to Hill Street Blues (police drama), another acclaimed series. Two hours of TV not to be missed at that time.Who could forget watching Dr. Ehrlich preparing to perform a GYN exam on Bonnie Bartlett who portrayed the wife of the irascible Dr. Craig (William Daniels), when he tells her to lay back and "spread 'em". This was drama and humor and human emotion all mixed together at its very best and it would be a shame if it were never to be made available for people in a newer generation to view. Give me a "St. Elsewhere" over a "Survivor" any day of the week!

buchan1965 As groundbreaking as it was for the early 80s, unfortunately, St. Elsewhere hasn't aged well, especially compared to ER. Viewing them side by side, St. Elsewhere is quite a cheesy-type soap opera (yeah, ER has soap-like aspects, but it's a TON more realistic than St. Elsewhere ever was), with stilted, cliched plots.Too bad, though, that they can't work a way to get Dr. Craig to transfer to Chicago to replace Romano on ER -- that was one character worth saving :)