The BEST episodes of St. Elsewhere

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

St. Eligius Hospital in South Boston was not exactly the world's best health care center. Despite its flaws, it featured some of the most caring doctors and nurses you could ever meet. Led by Dr. Donald Westphall (and later by Dr. John Gideon), the hospital nicknamed "St. Elsewhere" became a sanctuary for the underdog and the downtrodden.

Last Updated: 9/18/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended
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star
9.56
36 votes

#1 - Bye, George

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/16/1985

Dr. Wyler puts Dr. Auschlander onto a new way of life; Halloran interviews Morrison's co-workers in an effort to build a case for him; Ehrlich takes the Craigs out for a disastrous dinner; and Mrs. Hufnagle loses a chance at a new life.

Directors: Mark Tinker
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star
9.54
37 votes

#2 - Dog Day Hospital

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/22/1983

Helen returns to work following her mastectomy; Fiscus and Daniels visit his aunt Sirca; a pregnant woman invades the OR and holds Ehrlich and Dr. Craig hostage while demanding to see the doctor who performed her husband's vasectomy.

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star
9.50
36 votes

#3 - Sweet Dreams

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/14/1984

Dr. Westphall suffers sleepless nights; a young man from the Philippines is apparently frightened to death by his dreams; Luther dreams of sweet revenge with the help of some `ZZ Top' impersonators; Ehrlich dreams of being washed up on an island of Amazon women; and Morrison suffers from nightmares of Peter White when he and some other residents take part in a dream research project.

Directors: Mark Tinker
Watch Now:Amazon
star
9.47
38 votes

#4 - Cheers

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/27/1985

Mrs. Auschlander faces major heart surgery; Dr. Craig is disturbed to see the ravages of time on his mentor, Dr. David Domedion; Ehrlich searches for a religion; the messiah shows up for a Celtics game; and Dr. Westphall announces his resignation at a friendly little bar called Cheers.

Directors: Bruce Paltrow
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star
9.47
36 votes

#5 - My Aim is True

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/31/1984

Dr. Caldwell performs plastic surgery on Manny while Jerry fights off cabin fever; Dr. Auschlander hires Joan Halloran as his new assistant; Axelrod becomes a hypochondriac; White reunites with his family; and a disturbed Daniels decides to do something about White.

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star
9.45
38 votes

#6 - Addiction

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/3/1983

Morrison's wife goes into labor; White loses a girlfriend and gains a wife, while falling under suspicion when drugs are stolen; Dr. Craig's son Steven arrives for a period of observation and cause problems for Ehrlich; Martin casts her spell over Fiscus again; and Dr. Auschlander and an old friend get into a fist fight as they reminisce about the past.

Directors: Mark Tinker
Watch Now:Amazon
star
9.44
36 votes

#7 - Breathless

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/24/1984

Dr. Caldwell performs plastic surgery on Manny while Jerry fights off cabin fever; Dr. Auschlander hires Joan Halloran as his new assistant; Axelrod becomes a hypochondriac; White reunites with his family; and a disturbed Daniels decides to do something about White.

Writer: Joel Surnow
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star
9.43
37 votes

#8 - Qui Transtulit Sustinet

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/16/1983

Dr. Craig performs the transplant amidst a publicity barrage; Morrison tries to adjust to his loss; Luther and Fiscus split an investment in silver futures; and Rosenthal counsels a group on breast cancer.

Directors: Victor Lobl
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star
9.43
37 votes

#9 - All About Eve

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/14/1983

Dr. Caldwell suffers for his work on Eddie Carson; Joan reveals a secret in the E.R.; Ehrlich meets a brand-new Roberta; Dr. Westphall's housekeeper announces she's returning to Italy; Eve Leighton takes a turn for the worse.

Directors: David Anspaugh
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star
9.43
37 votes

#10 - Hello, Goodbye

Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/16/1984

The residents scatter as vacation begins; Morrison meets a charming young woman; the E.R. faces major structural repairs; Steven Craig returns home after licking his drug problem; and Luther tries to find a Cheshire cat for a skeptical little girl. Dr. Auschlander collapses in an elevator. Elliot Axelrod has an interview for a position as a resident.

Directors: Linda Day
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star
9.43
37 votes

#11 - Saving Face

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/16/1985

Westphall places a new doctor in charge of the E.R., and she immediately clashes with Fiscus; Axelrod's visit to Mrs. Hufnagel's apartment sends her back to the hospital; Rosenthal and Richard reconcile; Dr. Craig celebrates his 30th wedding anniversary with a visit from his estranged brother; Dr. Caldwell begins treatment of a disfigured girl suffering from a massive facial fibromatosis; and a junkie admits his very pregnant, 14-year-old girl friend.

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star
9.43
37 votes

#12 - Bang the Eardrum Slowly

Season 3 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/20/1985

Luther loses his hearing in an explosion; Morrison finds an explanation for his poorer than usual performance; and Axelrod learns that he is Mrs. Hufnagle's beneficiary and meets her son.

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star
9.42
38 votes

#13 - Murder, She Rote

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/27/1985

Craig questions Mrs. Hufnagel's death; rejoining the staff, Daniels plays sick jokes; Caldwell coddles his patient.

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star
9.41
37 votes

#14 - Two Balls and a Strike

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/3/1984

The rapist returns to St. Eligius; Daniels stays on the job as Rosenthal leads most of the other nurses out on strike; Ellen persuades Dr. Craig to go to a therapist about their marital problems; Luther learns one of the firefighters is fighting his pain in his own way; and Lizzie Westphall leaves for college.

Writer: John Tinker
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star
9.41
37 votes

#15 - Give the Boy a Hand

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/23/1985

Dr. Woodley tries to help Maddy decide what to do after her baby is born while Dean sets up a disastrous drug deal; Ehrlich offends a disabled cafeteria worker with his `Health Spot' segment; and Lizzie runs away from pressures at college and tries to reunite her family.

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star
9.39
38 votes

#16 - A Wing and a Prayer

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/23/1983

Dr. Craig and Ehrlich both prepare turkeys for the staff forced to work the holiday; injuries from the Thanksgiving Day parade pour into the ER; and a depressed Dr. Auschlander takes a special interest in an ailing 11-year-old.

Directors: Bruce Paltrow
Watch Now:Amazon
star
9.39
38 votes

#17 - Tears of a Clown

Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/13/1985

A young woman's multiple sclerosis worsens, threatening her life as a circus clown; Dr. Craig helps Dr. Westphall look for a condo; and Morrison feels the pressures of his responsibilities as a doctor and father.

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star
9.38
39 votes

#18 - Newheart

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/9/1983

The men attend a rather staid bachelor party for Kochar; White learns about the dangers of nuclear medicine; Fran Singleton refuses to see her husband, but later walks out of the hospital by his side; everyone opposes Joan's idea of including St. Eligius in a government nuclear disaster contingency plan; Martin gives Kochar a unique wedding present; and the transplant team goes into action.

Directors: Mark Tinker
Watch Now:Amazon
star
9.38
39 votes

#19 - Hearing

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/1/1984

Dr. Auschlander asks Fiscus and Luther to help him get some marijuana to relieve his pain; White and Daniels face the medical board hearing; Dr. Westphall defends a deaf employee against his impatient supervisor; and Ehrlich meets Roberta's snobbish parents.

Writer: Steve Bello
Watch Now:Amazon
star
9.37
40 votes

#20 - Brothers

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/15/1983

A fisherman lobbies Dr. Westphall to let his brother die in peace and dignity; Fiscus substitutes for Ehrlich on a date with Shirley Daniels; and Helen's stress mounts as the hospital suffers computer glitches and she faces a radical mastectomy. Peter celebrates his birthday and runs into Myra and a gentleman friend.

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star
9.37
38 votes

#21 - Baron Von Munchausen

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/19/1983

White attends a drug rehabilitation program; Morrison becomes suspicious that his patient may be a surgery addict; Dr. Craig grapples with an inner-city medical scholarship group; Cathy tries to arrange a double date with Daniels and Fiscus; and a deranged bag lady tries to assault Daniels in the E.R..

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star
9.37
38 votes

#22 - Playing God (1)

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/1984

Morrison and Clancy argue over what to do about her unexpected pregnancy; Rosenthal and Dr. Auschlander fail to agree about anything as a nurses' strike looms; the emergency room receives three seriously burned firefighters; and Dr. Westphall collides with a strong-minded Mother Superior over life support for a critically ill nun.

Directors: Bruce Paltrow
Watch Now:Amazon
star
9.36
39 votes

#23 - Craig in Love

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/12/1983

Dr. Craig continues to enjoy Dr. Anya's companionship; Morrison worries over White's erratic behavior; and Chandler becomes upset over the casual attitude everyone seems to taking towards his malpractice suit.

Writer: Steve Lawson
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star
9.36
39 votes

#24 - Entrapment

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/7/1983

Martin decides she's in love with Dr. Craig; White regrets helping out an exhausted mother pleading for sedatives in the E.R.; Eve's sense of cabin fever and anger is calmed by a visit from her students; Morrison learns more about Eddie Carson and the `Troubles'.

Writer: Steve Bello
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star
9.35
37 votes

#25 - Dr. Wyler, I Presume

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/19/1984

An old friend of Dr. Auschlander returns from Africa to locate a kidney donor for a young African; Helen celebrates her birthday; removing a bullet in E.R. proves risky to both the patient and the doctor; and Mrs. Hufnagle returns to the hospital.

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