In TV Showdown, two completely unrelated shows with similar titles go head-to-head for your vote. This inaugural showdown is between ER, NBC’s long-running medical drama, and E/R, CBS’s short-lived medical sitcom.
ER
ER was a medical drama that aired on NBC from 1994 through 2009, airing 331 episodes across 15 seasons. The series was an instant hit, coming in second place both on NBC and overall in its freshman season with a 20.0 Household rating. It remained wildly popular throughout its first ten seasons, and was the highest-rated show on television in its second, third, and fifth seasons on the air. It wasn’t until Season 6 when it fell below the top two for the first time, and even then it rebounded to be the second-highest-rated show in Season 7. While ER consistently grew from its lead-in, it was marred with ratings declines in its final five seasons once Friends ended. By the end of its run, it was still NBC’s fourth-highest-rated scripted show in the now-important Adults 18-49 demo in Live + 7 day viewing, but ranked a comparatively weak 33rd on broadcast television overall.
It didn’t help ER’s later seasons that all original cast members had left by the twelfth season, with the longest-tenured main cast member in the final season having joined in Season 9. The series also grew stale to many with the introduction of Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, which premiered toward the end of ER’s eleventh season. While ER’s descent in the ratings rankings started in Season 11, it really accelerated in Season 12 and continued in Seasons 13 and 14, coinciding with Grey’s Anatomy’s peak seasons.
Despite its decline toward the end of its run, ER does still have a strong legacy and is remembered more for being a pioneer in the medical drama sub-genre. It’s still in syndication on Pop as of 2025, and all 15 seasons are available on both Hulu and HBO Max. Its name also used heavily in the marketing for 2025’s The Pitt, HBO Max’s highly successful medical drama from the co-creators of ER.
E/R
Preceding ER by ten seasons was CBS’s sitcom, E/R. The show was canceled after just one season, coming in 21st place on CBS out of 24 programs with a 12.2 Household rating, and 60th place out of 77 on broadcast television overall.
The failure of E/R was mainly a victim of poor scheduling. Tuesdays was a tough night for the network, as proven by the total collapse of its lead-in, After MASH (23rd place on CBS vs 9th the year before on Mondays). It did a tad better on Wednesdays in the winter after Charles In Charge, which tied for 18th on CBS, but still performed far from remarkably. Meanwhile, the special airing of its two-part premiere on Sunday, September 16 was the highest-rated show of the night. Its next episode just two days later lost over half its premiere audience, airing against competition like The A-Team and the series finale of Three’s Company.
Unlike many low-rated shows at the time, E/R did get the dignity of not being pulled from the schedule. It also managed to air in syndication for a few years in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s on Lifetime. As of 2025, only select episodes of E/R are available online, which can be found on Internet Archive.
The Showdown
On a fundamental level, there were actually a couple striking similarities between ER and E/R. Both took place in a fictional emergency room in Chicago, and both had George Clooney in the cast at some point. However, the similarities pretty much end there. E/R was a comedy, while ER was a drama, and the former was no pioneer in its sub-genre unlike the latter. E/R did not have a strong launchpad outside of its premiere, while ER closed out Must See TV at its peak. Which show is getting your vote in this showdown? Make your pick in the poll below!