E.R. Is Still Good, Dammit!

Although it is no longer the highest rated show on television (although it is still in the Top 40) or even the highest rated medical drama on television (that honor would go to ABC's Gray's Anatomy), E.R. is starting to get some props due to its quality and not just its longevity. The Los Angeles Times had a puff piece entitled "Clear! 'ER' gets a jolt of new life this season" less than two weeks ago and more and more people are talking about the black gay storyline which has popped up recently. In addition, excellent actors (Sally Field, James Woods, John Mahoney, Cynthia Nixon) have been guest starring on the show for quite awhile now, with this season featuring a multi-episode arc featuring Forest Whitaker.

Dr. Gregory Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) had recently allowed another one of his biological father's sons, i.e. Pratt's college-aged "half-brother" Chaz Pratt (Sam Jones III) to move into his bachelor apartment, "for a month or two." One day Dr. Pratt comes home to find his brother and a "friend" with only towels on in his bathroom. Pratt is shocked and disgusted and immediately tells his brother to pack up his stuff and get out. Interestingly, later, with no dialogue we see Greg run out into the street to catch Chaz and convince him to come back to the apartment.

In last week's Thanksgiving episode, Greg asks his colleague and former supervisor Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), who has been an open lesbian on the show for at least half a decade, when she knew she was gay. She replied that she didn't fully acknowledge her homosexuality herself until she was 30, but that her life significantly improved then. Pratt said that his brother told him that he was "just experimenting" and that "it's a phase" and remarked that Chaz was taking a very attractive young woman home for Thanksgiving dinner. Weaver told him that she often brought boys home to her parents and that Chaz is probably just telling Greg what he wants to hear. It was great to see the show deal with the coming out process in such a real way--Pratt's first reaction is to talk to the one out gay person he knows about his brother, to try and understand the situation better. I look forward to E.R. furthering this storyline in future episodes.

There's very few new shows that I am watching and some of last season's hits have definitely faded for me (Desperate Housewives) but after losing Alias and The West Wing for good last season ,its heartening to see some longtime favorites like E.R., The Simpsons and Survivor are still going strong.