Fresh from a harsh and debilitating farewell to Dr. Gregory Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) on the series' 15th season premiere, everyone in the ER is still reeling and trying to cope with the loss of their colleague.  As ER heads to draw its final curtain, sources confirm that Pratt is only the first on a long list of people who are saying their adios.  On the other hand, there are also people who will say hi to the series, most notable of which is, of course, Angela Bassett who joins the cast as the new chief.

On tonight's episode of the long-running medical drama, the staff feels a little defensive toward the new Chief and her tough exterior.  Meanwhile, Gates (John Stamos) tells the new interns to treat a terrorist who is keeping some lethal secrets of his own, and Nella (Parminder Nagra) tries her hardest to get Dubenko back on the surgery staff.  Abby (Maura Tierney) must make a crucial decision about her future at County.

“We'll be bringing a number of stories to a close, you know, Goran (Visnjic) and Maura's (Tierney) story's coming to an end, the Abby and Kovach story," said ER executive producer John Wells.  "There'll be some comings and goings during the season as well, with people leaving."

"It was a show I always enjoyed," Bassett revealed, while trying to differentiate the commitment involved in a series and a movie.  "With a movie, you know, it's a shorter period of time. You've done it, and either you hit the bull's-eye or you didn't."

She added that Eriq La Salle, one of the show's original cast members, is "a dear friend."

ER also stars Linda Cardellini as Nurse Samantha Taggart, Scott Grimes as Dr. Archie Morris, and David Lyons as Dr. Simon Brenner.



-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Philadelphia Daily News
(Image Courtesy of NBC)