Country of origin United States Original network NBC | No. of episodes 22 | |
Starring Anthony Edwards
Sherry Stringfield
Noah Wyle
Laura Innes
Alex Kingston
Paul McCrane
Goran Visnjic
Maura Tierney
Michael Michele
Erik Palladino
Ming-Na
Sharif Atkins
Eriq La Salle Original release September 27, 2001 –
May 16, 2002 | ||
The eighth season of the American fictional drama television series ER first aired on September 27, 2001 and concluded on May 16, 2002. The eighth season consists of 22 episodes.
Contents
Plot
Susan Lewis returns to the show providing continuity of the earlier years and some closure with Greene. Weaver also has a revelation and confronts and accepts her sexuality. The season's long storyline of Greene's illness and death and how it affects many characters marks season eight as a major turning point in the series. This season also saw a major change in the cast, with four characters leaving, including original characters Greene and Benton. In turn, two new main characters with very different personalities - Michael Gallant and Greg Pratt - were introduced in Season 8. For the first time, Carter is centered as the main character of the show at the end of the season.
Main cast
Supporting cast
Notable guest stars
Production
Original executive producers John Wells and Michael Crichton reprised their roles. Seventh season executive producer Jack Orman returned as executive producer and show runner. Previous executive producer Christopher Chulack remained a consulting producer while working on Wells' Third Watch. Seventh season co-executive producer Meredith Stiehm also served as a consulting producer for the eighth season but left the crew with the close of the season. Seventh season supervising producers R. Scott Gemmill and Dee Johnson were promoted to co-executive producers for the eighth season. Seventh season producers Richard Thorpe, Joe Sachs, Jonathan Kaplan, and Wendy Spence Rosato all returned for the eighth season. Sachs was promoted to supervising producer mid-season. Michael Salamunovich returned as co-producer but left the crew with the close of the season.
Wells wrote a further two episodes for the season. Orman was the seasons prolific writer with six episodes. Gemmill wrote five episodes. Sachs wrote three episodes. Johnson wrote four episodes. Stiehm wrote three episodes. David Zabel joined the crew as executive story editor and contributed to four episodes as a writer. Writer Elizabeth Hunter became a story editor for the second half of the season only and wrote two further episodes.
Producers Kaplan and Thorpe served as the season's regular directors. Kaplan helmed five episodes while Thorpe directed four. New directors Nelson McCormick and actor Vondie Curtis-Hall each directed two episodes. Cast member and regular director Laura Innes helmed a further episode. Series veterans Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Christopher Misiano, David Nutter, and Tom Moore all returned to direct further episodes. Show runner Orman made his television directing debut with an episode. The season's other new directors were Alan J. Levi, Jessica Yu, and Jesús S. Treviño.