What kind of impact did 'ER' have on dramas?

What kind of impact did 'ER' have on dramas?

Pamela Douglas (Screenwriter) gives expert video advice on: What makes a drama a hit?; What was the impact of 'Law Order' on TV dramas? and more...

ER is an important breakthrough TV show because it pioneered the notion of vignette storytelling, which was not used in the same way until that time, so this was a breakthrough in style. Vignette storytelling means that you're able to tell an entire short arc in as little as one or two scenes, and in their early years - they don't do this so much anymore - instead of having the usual three very large storylines, they might have had as many as fourteen small stories, in addition to the larger arcs that were going on, and they were complete little stories. They might have been a relationship between a particular patient and a particular staff member who saw each other only a couple of times in that particular episode or ever, but it was fulfilling. The pace of ER, the short scenes, and the number of vignettes that nevertheless were able to hang together was it's brilliance in the early years. ER has extended its lifespan by bringing in new cast, so almost recreating the show every few years, and it is still very popular, and is high quality, with good writing.