Dr. Mark Greene

TV Doctors

by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com

A medical situation forces you to seek the insight of a doctor.

In the televerse, you have many choices.

For a heart problem, you might go to St. Eligius Hospital in Boston and meet with Dr. Mark Craig. Egotist. Patrician. And an expert cardiac surgeon who even developed his own version of an artificial heart.

Perhaps you will go to San Francisco Memorial Hospital and seek the advice of Trapper John, M.D. John McIntrye has been battle tested in surgery, in a matter of speaking. He operated on Korean War soliders at the M*A*S*H 4077th.

If it’s a kind father figure with a good bedside manner you seek, then Marcus Welby is your man. I you think the exterior to his home and office looks a lot like the exterior of the home of Wally and Beaver Cleaver, you’d be right. They’re identical because the houses are one and the same.

You may want a doctor’s practice with a one-stop-shopping approach.

Look no further than the Oceanside Wellness Center in Santa Monica.

Formerly of Seattle Grace Hospital, Addison Montgomery is an OB/GYN and a neo-natal surgeon.

You’ll also find an alternative medicine specialist who used to work in the Doctors Without Borders program, a fertility specialist, an internal medicine specialist, a psychiatrist, and a pediatrician.

The aforementioned Seattle Grace Hospital is home base for one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons -- Dr. Derek Shepherd. By the way, his paramour is Dr. Meredith Grey. Dr. Grey’s mother was a groundbreaking doctor.

If you are in south Florida and you need a children’s doctor, you may want to visit Dr. Harry Weston, pediatrician and neighbor of Blanche, Rose, Sophia, and Dorothy, a.k.a. the Golden Girls.

In an emergency situation, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better team than the one at Rampart Hospital in Los Angeles.

Starting with paramedics Roy DeSoto and John Gage of Engine 51, the team consistently shows how to perform successfully in pressure situations. Engine 51’s Rampart Hospital counterparts consist of Dr. Joe Early, Dr. Kelly Brackett, and the incomparable, beautiful, and inspiring Dixie McCall, nurse extraordinaire.

Also in southern California are young Dr. Joe Gannon and his mentor, Dr. Paul Lochner. They work at a university hospital. We just say they work at Medical Center.

You will find the young doctor / senior doctor paradigm a constant in the televerse. Trapper John and Gonzo Gates at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Dr. Ben Casey and Dr. David Zorba at County General. Dr. James Kildare and Dr. Leonard Gillespie at yet another large metropolitan hospital.

Dr. Perry Cox leads a team of dedicated, sometimes goofy doctors at Sacred Heart Hospital in an unnamed metropolis.

But don’t let Dr. Cox’s crass treatment of the younger doctors throw you off balance. He treats them with toughness because he wants them to be as good as he is, if that’s possible. So he rides them hard.

For the extremely intricate diagnosis, you will want to visit Dr. Gregory House at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and his team of younger doctors.

Dr. House specializes in the seemingly impossible diagnosis, though his all-around blunt, sometimes caustic manner may throw off patients and doctors alike, even those who are his friends.

But his commitment to treating the patient and defeating the condition, illness, or disease is unparalleled.

In Chicago, you can visit a group of talented, unappreciated, and undervalued emergency room doctors at Cook County General Hospital -- Dr. Peter Benton, Dr. John Carter, Dr. Doug Ross, Dr. Mark Greene, Dr. Kerry Weaver.

Also in Chicago, you can visit the smaller ER staffed by Dr. Howard Sheinfeld and Dr. Eve Sheridan at Clark Street Hospital or the glossier Chicago Hope Hospital.

No matter what your ailment, you will find doctors throughout the televerse.

They are experts.

They are dedicated.

And they might even tell you that laughter is the best medicine.

George Clooney

by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com

For the first time in fifteen years,
ER will not be a part of the NBC Thursday night lineup.

When the show aired its last episode in April of 2009, it left a legacy of excellence that network television will be hard pressed to match.

When the show aired its first episode in September of 1994, it nicely filled the 10:00 pm cleanup hitter spot in Thursday night prime time with sheer dominance.
ER steamrolled every program that competed.

And a familiar face found his breakout role.

Not yet a star, but on his way.

In the late 1980's and early 1990's, George Clooney's steady work makes his breakout role of pediatrician Doug Ross on
ER seem inevitable in retrospect.

He had a nice run as Falconer, a cop and love interest of Sela Ward's character on
Sisters -- Teddy.

He was part of the ensemble cast on the short-lived CBS detective show
Bodies of Evidence with Lee Horsley of Matt Houston fame.

And in early episodes of
Roseanne, he played Booker Brooks, the boss of Roseanne and Jackie.

When we first meet George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross in the pilot of
ER, the setting is Saint Patrick's Day 1994 in Chicago.

And he is drunk with a shift starting in a few hours.

Dr. Mark Greene, Chief Resident and Doug's friend, treats Doug with an IV to sober him.

Beyond a drinking problem, Doug Ross is a womanizer.

He cheats on his girlfriend, Nurse Carol Hathaway, played by Julianna Marguiles.

She attempts suicide in the pilot with a drug overdose. Unclear is the motive, though the fractured relationship with Doug could be a contender.

Also debuting on NBC in September of 1994,
Friends immediately captured the hearts and minds of America.

Three commonalities exist between the two shows.

First, a cross-promotion of sorts took place that inaugural year with George Clooney and co-star Noah Wyle guest starring on an episode of
Friends as New York City hospital doctors.

Second, besides airing on NBC,
Friends and ER had another production factor in common. Warner Brothers produced both shows.

And third, both shows featured a character with similar names. Dr. Mark Greene's daughter was Rachel Greene. She was a recurring character on
ER while Jennifer Aniston starred on Friends as Rachel Green.

In 1999, Doug Ross leaves County General in Chicago for Seattle, not knowing that Carol is pregnant by him with twin girls.

The real-life reason was George Clooney's pursuit of a full-time film career after starring in films including
One Fine Day and Batman and Robin.

Carol later realizes that Doug is her soul mate and she leaves for Seattle to be with him.

In this pivotal episode, George Clooney makes a cameo at the end, welcoming Carol.

Warner Brothers kept the guest appearance a secret, so NBC was unable to promote it.

Clooney shot the cameo appearance on location in Massachusetts where he was shooting
The Perfect Storm.

Clooney and Marguiles reprised their
ER roles in an episode towards the end of the series. Still happily married, they were unwittingly involved in the donation of a kidney that went to a former colleague -- Dr. John Carter, played by Noah Wyle.