The BEST episodes of ER

Every episode of ER ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of ER!

ER follows the medical personnel and patients in the emergency room of Chicago's fictional County General Hospital. The doctors and nurses of County's ER confront the daily challenges of a busy urban hospital, including overcrowded waiting rooms, staffing shortages, and the impact of life-and-death decisions. While they teach the next generation of doctors, each must tackle the demands of their personal lives, at times unsuccessfully.

Last Updated: 3/16/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended
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On the Beach
star
8.50
251 votes

#1 - On the Beach

Season 8 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/9/2002

Mark decides to use his remaining time to help "fix" Rachel and takes her to Hawaii to show her where he grew up. He teaches her how to surf, and how to drive a stick shift. Mark catches her chasing one of his Vicodin with a shot of vodka and confronts her about wasting her life. One day after surfing, he has a seizure, and Elizabeth arrives with Ella in tow. She wants to take him home, but he refuses. Early in the morning, he dies. After the funeral, Rachel tells Elizabeth she'd like to visit Ella, and Elizabeth agrees.

Directors: John Wells
Writer: John Wells
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Orion in the Sky
star
8.45
260 votes

#2 - Orion in the Sky

Season 8 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/4/2002

Mark serves his final day in the ER overseeing the first day of Gregory Pratt, a cocky yet eager new intern. Through observing his patients, he decides to forego chemotherapy, and spend his remaining days in peace. He also meets with his ex-wife, tells Weaver to live a little and leaves. Meanwhile, Abby plans to move back into her apartment when her landlord lets her know that Brian's moved out.

Writer: David Zabel
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And in the End…
star
8.34
158 votes

#3 - And in the End…

Season 15 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/2/2009

Gates works on a young teen brought in with alcohol poisoning after playing a deadly drinking game with friends. Dr. Carter opens a new medical facility for the underprivileged in Chicago and some old friends from County General all come to show their support. It’s Sam’s birthday and Alex and Gates surprise her with a special gift. Meanwhile, Carter works with an intern to save a mother in labor with twins.

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All in the Family
star
8.25
283 votes

#4 - All in the Family

Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/17/2000

Weaver discovers Carter and Lucy. As police begin to arrive, Benton rushes between the two, being the only surgical resident on duty. Greene and Corday are paged to return to the hospital. Carter almost loses his kidney, but with quick thinking by Anspaugh, Benton is able to save it and Carter will be okay. On the other hand, Lucy has her chest cracked because her heart stops but she is stabilized. In the OR waiting room, while waiting for emergency surgery to fix a life-threatening blood clot, Lucy flatlines. Romano and Corday desperately try to save her life but she dies and the staff receives the news. Meanwhile, Paul Sobriki is found running naked down Michigan Avenue and is brought in. His wife arrives at the ER; incapable of believing her husband would be capable of such a violent act. And while Benton is busy with Carter, Cleo is forced to crack a man's chest open to save his life, resulting in Benton's ire.

Writer: Jack Orman
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Do You See What I See?
star
8.18
241 votes

#5 - Do You See What I See?

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/18/1997

Benton is hailed as a miracle worker after he seemingly heals a blind man. Corday operates on Allison Beaumont again. Mark discovers Cynthia's hidden past. Carter discovers his cousin Chase shooting heroin. Greene treats an elderly rape victim, learning about forgiveness. Kerry is apparently seeing Ellis West now. Carol and Doug announce their relationship to the staff.

Writer: Jack Orman
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Lockdown
star
8.17
228 votes

#6 - Lockdown

Season 8 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/16/2002

The day begins slowly as Weaver calls to say she'll be late, and Chen thinks she's developing a fever. Then multiple MVAs come in, quickly followed by two children suffering what appears to be smallpox. The staff panics, but not as bad as the patients, when a lockdown is ordered for the ER. The feverish Chen is quarantined with homeless Stan. Lewis takes charge as Weaver arrives and the police won't let her in. The girl infected by smallpox dies and Pratt embarasses Carter in front of her parents. Carter notices Pratt is sick as well, and sends him to Chen's room. Jerry phones the news, and the patients riot, nearly using a gurney to break open the emergency bay doors. Control of the ER is relieved from Weaver by an infection specialist. The staff prepares to stay, still not having a confirmation on whether it is smallpox or not, and the lockdown continuing as a result. Carter and Abby kiss after being quarantined together.

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Love's Labor Lost
star
8.17
324 votes

#7 - Love's Labor Lost

Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/9/1995

Greene misdiagnoses a pregnant patient, leading to a long and arduous surgery.

Directors: Mimi Leder
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The War Comes Home
star
8.14
113 votes

#8 - The War Comes Home

Season 14 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/27/2007

Moretti's first day is challenging as the ER is inundated with casualties from the peace rally - including Neela. Dubenko faces a crisis in surgery. Abby, Pratt and Morris conspire about how to deal with a shared problem. A new intern arrives unexpectedly, and Gates is reassigned.

Directors: Stephen Cragg
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Such Sweet Sorrow
star
8.14
234 votes

#9 - Such Sweet Sorrow

Season 6 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/11/2000

Carol resuscitates a terminal cancer DNR to say goodbye to her family, and realizes that life is too short. She runs out of the hospital after saying a quick goodbye to Luka and Mark and hops on a plane to Seattle to see Doug. Carter's mental status is dissipating rapidly to the point where he almost kills a woman. Chen notices and tells Mark her concern that Carter is bipolar. Weaver goes on the warpath after noticing ER staff taking shortcuts in their work, including Abby, who discharges a woman prematurely without running extra tests. Corday offers Malucci a sobering assessment of his performance. Mark prepares to bury his father and enjoys his daughter's company.

Directors: John Wells
Writer: John Wells
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The Peace of Wild Things
star
8.12
247 votes

#10 - The Peace of Wild Things

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/11/1999

Benton struggles with the idea of taking a DNA test to determine whether or not Reese is actually his son. As the signs continue to pile up, Kerry and Mark use a fake patient to convince Dr. Lawrence of his Alzheimer's. Carter has trouble persuading a woman from a nursing home fire to sign a DNR for her husband and later is asked to forge charts for a family with no insurance. Carol continues to meddle in Meg's life, having her arrested so that she can be detoxed. Cleo is blamed for an explosion in the suture room, but it may actually be Dr. Dave's fault.

Directors: Richard Thorpe
Writer: John Wells
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The Letter
star
8.11
268 votes

#11 - The Letter

Season 8 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/2/2002

A letter from Dr. Greene arrives via fax, and Carter reads it to the staff. Everybody is stunned when he reaches the last page, a note from Dr. Corday, stating that Mark died that morning. Frank posts the letter and various staff members who weren't in attendance take time to read it. Sandy gets Weaver to admit that she's lost a friend. Luka, Abby, Haleh, Susan and Gallant are joined by Weaver and Sandy at a bar. Carter comes looking for Abby and they end up talking all night at Doc Magoo's. Abby goes to an AA meeting later that day, and tells Carter that she went for him. Carter takes his place as the rock of the ER. Meanwhile, Susan learns that Chloe is in rehab and Suzie is staying with Joe, Pratt matches County, and Romano operates on a girl with a genetic deficiency.

Directors: Jack Orman
Writer: Jack Orman
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Chaos Theory
star
8.06
248 votes

#12 - Chaos Theory

Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2002

Abby, Carter, Chen, Pratt and homeless Stan will be confined to the ER for two weeks, while all of the other patients are evacuated and sent to different hospitals. While on the roof arguing with Luka about the use of a helicopter, Romano backs up into the tail rotor, and has his arm severed above the elbow. Anspaugh arrives to perform surgery, and reattaches the arm. Susan is stuck on the roof with a dying patient. After 2 weeks, the ER reopens. While all of this has been going on, Elizabeth has been in London, working at her father's hospital, where her supervisor doesn't like the American mannerisms and vocabulary she's picked up. She ultimately decides to return to Chicago.

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9½ Hours
star
8.06
458 votes

#13 - 9½ Hours

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/10/1994

Greene calls in sick so he and Jennifer can spend the day together, leaving Ross in charge of the ER. Carter works on a high school wrestler that starved himself to make weight. Hathaway counsels a young rape victim. Benton is dealing with his senile mother, and butts heads with Ross. Lewis is worried about Cvetic's growing temper problem.

Directors: James Hayman
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It's All in Your Head
star
8.04
221 votes

#14 - It's All in Your Head

Season 8 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/28/2002

Mark learns that his tumor is back and inoperable, giving him 4-5 months to live. Corday is living in a hotel, and confesses to Benton that she thinks she's left Mark. Susan cares for Mark after his first radiation treatment. Abby learns that the case against Brian has been dropped because somebody beat him up. Seeing Brian enter her building, she seeks comfort at Luka's, where he's engaged in a game of Pictionary with his friends. Jerry and Frank clash, leading to a fistfight. Chen has a stalker.

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Hell and High Water
star
8.03
282 votes

#15 - Hell and High Water

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/9/1995

In the middle of a torrential rainstorm, Dr. Ross stumbles across a child trapped in a drainage pipe rapidly filling with water. Doug does everything possible to save the boy, Ben Larkin. Harper develops a bond with a young girl with separated parents.

Writer: Neal Baer
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Make of Two Hearts
star
8.03
325 votes

#16 - Make of Two Hearts

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/9/1995

Kayson pursues Lewis romantically. Ross and Hathaway cope with a young Russian girl with AIDS whose adoptive mother abandons her. A humane policeman hauls in a dog he hit with his car.

Directors: Mimi Leder
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The Long Way Around
star
8.03
233 votes

#17 - The Long Way Around

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/13/1997

Carol is held hostage in a bungled convenience store robbery. Her medical skills are put to their toughest test as she works feverishly to save the gravely wounded store owner.

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They Treat Horses, Don't They?
star
8.02
240 votes

#18 - They Treat Horses, Don't They?

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/1998

Mark goes to a trauma scene with the EMTs, where he treats a gunshot victim who has a bomb strapped to himself. Later, Mark’s daughter persuades him to treat a horse with colic, and Jerry gets the bad end of the enema. Carter intubates an elderly woman who is DNR. When her HMO declines to admit her, Carter either has to find a relative quickly or let her die. Kerry finds herself more and more frustrated when Anspaugh suggests that they're not considering her for ER Chief, and she discovers she’s the last to hear that Doug was made a pediatric attending. Corday serves her last day as a surgical fellow. Benton meets with Carla to discuss getting Reese hearing aids. Jeanie returns from vacation. Carter goes out with Roxanne, the insurance saleswoman he treated.

Writer: Walon Green
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The Greatest of Gifts
star
8.01
162 votes

#19 - The Greatest of Gifts

Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/14/2000

While giving birth, Chen undergoes second thoughts about giving her baby up for adoption, a decision complicated by the adoptive parents watching her every move. With an enormous lack of sleep, Carter is called back to the hospital to act as Chen's coach, and is later tempted to take Vicodin to stay awake. Finch and Benton encounter trouble trying to keep Kynesha hidden from the gang. Legaspi plants a kiss on Weaver. Greene and Corday spend the day in New York seeking help for his brain tumor.

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Blizzard
star
8.01
387 votes

#20 - Blizzard

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/8/1994

It's a December blizzard, and the day starts out quiet. Hathaway announces her engagement with Tag. Suddenly, County General goes into crisis mode when a 32-car pileup on an expressway inundates them with patients. Among the patients are a young male that Benton knows that lost his leg, a patient of Ross' that dies suddenly while waiting for treatment, and a man who is snowed in at home and calls Greene when his wife refuses to go to the hospital to have her baby. Lewis tries to save a man that suddenly develops an aneurysm, and the patient is saved by the most unlikely person.

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The Birthday Party
star
8.00
286 votes

#21 - The Birthday Party

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/16/1995

Greene and Benton each have family birthday parties to attend, but ER demands may keep them away. Meanwhile, Carter mistakenly thinks it's Benton's birthday and hires belly dancers as a celebratory surprise. Hathaway considers adoption.

Directors: Elodie Keene
Writer: John Wells
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24 Hours
star
8.00
974 votes

#22 - 24 Hours

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/1994

John Carter, a third-year medical student, begins the first day of his rotation in the ER at County General Hospital. Dr. Mark Greene, an ER resident physician, considers an offer to go into private practice. Dr. Susan Lewis, another ER resident, deals with myriad patients, including one diagnosed with advanced cancer. Dr. Doug Ross, the ER pediatrician, confronts a woman about potential child abuse. The head nurse, Carol Hathaway, returns several hours after her shift as a patient, following an apparent suicide attempt.

Directors: Rod Holcomb
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Partly Cloudy, Chance of Rain
star
8.00
220 votes

#23 - Partly Cloudy, Chance of Rain

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/15/2001

An enormous rainstorm pelts Chicago. Cleo's last day at County is interrupted by the arrival of Benton's DNA results: he's not Reese's biological father. Benton meets with his lawyer regarding the trial; she advises him to let Roger see Reese; he refuses. Money from the nurses' secret stash and Frank's Palm Pilot go missing, only to turn up in Nicole's purse. She later tells Luka that she's pregnant. Susan accuses Mark of being grumpy with his patients; he spends the day treating a kid who fell in the river with his younger brother and whose parents blame him. Weaver travels to an accident site, where Pickman's ambulance was rammed by an SUV. She treats a pregnant stab wound, going as far as to give her a C-section in the broken ambulance, with Gallant's help. Carter's grandmother comes in after being involved in a hit-and-run and breaking her hip. She becomes delusional in an MRI machine, calling out for her husband.

Directors: David Nutter
Writer: Jack Orman
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Love Among the Ruins
star
8.00
217 votes

#24 - Love Among the Ruins

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/4/1995

Carter's family background is discovered. Benton starts falling for a married woman. Hathaway has trouble writing her wedding vows. Greene is living with his wife in Milwaukee, but their marriage is still broken. Lewis treats a suicidal patient.

Directors: Fred Gerber
Writer: Paul Manning
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A Shift in the Night
star
7.99
268 votes

#25 - A Shift in the Night

Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/4/1996

Mark finds himself manning a very crowded ER on his scheduled night off, filling in while Doug is out with whiplash and Susan meets with her lawyer. He tries to juggle hunger pangs, 40+ patients in the waiting room and a never-ending stream of traumas.

Directors: Lance Gentile
Writer: Joe Sachs
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