On the Beach

Plot

After being gone for five years, Susan Lewis returns to the show providing continuity of the earlier years and some closure with Greene. Greene begins to experience health problems and deals with Rachel after she starts causing problems. In addition, Weaver also has a revelation and confronts and accepts her sexuality. The season's long story line of Greene's illness and death and how it affects many characters marks the season 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 as well as Cleo and Dave. Abby tries to help a neighbor with an abusive boyfriend but faces repercussions, and Kovac retaliates against the man who assaulted her. In turn, two new main characters with very different personalities – Michael Gallant and Greg Pratt – are introduced. In this season, several staff members face personal and professional pressures, including Greene and Corday who face the most difficult issue of all when their baby overdoses on ecstasy pills. The two argue over Rachel's presence in their home after their baby nearly dies. Weaver becomes more aggressive and she accepts that she is a lesbian. Greene's final episode as a regular character is the 21st episode. Benton and Finch also leave to make new changes in their lives. After Greene's death, many of the characters become affected, especially Carter who reads two letters to the staff. A plague hits the ER as the season ends. Several members attend Mark's funeral. Following Mark's death, John Carter is centered as the main character of the show for the first time.

Cast

This season saw the final appearance on ER of series regulars Michael Michele and Erik Palladino, and the final appearances as series regulars for Anthony Edwards and Eriq La Salle.

Main cast

Anthony Edwards as Dr. Mark Greene – Attending Emergency Physician

Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter – Chief Resident (Fifth-year ER Resident)

Laura Innes as Dr. Kerry Weaver – Chief of Emergency Medicine

Alex Kingston as Dr. Elizabeth Corday – Associate Chief of Surgery

Paul McCrane as Dr. Robert Romano – Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery

Goran Visnjic as Dr. Luka Kovač – Attending Emergency Physician

Maura Tierney as Nurse Abby Lockhart – ER Registered Nurse (RN)

Sherry Stringfield as Dr. Susan Lewis – Attending Emergency Physician (episodes 4–22)

Michael Michele as Dr. Cleo Finch – Fourth-year Pediatric and ER Senior Resident (episodes 1–10 & 21)

Erik Palladino as Dr. Dave Malucci – Fourth-year Senior Resident (episodes 1–4)

Ming-Na as Dr. Jing-Mei Chen – Chief Resident, later Attending Emergency Physician

Eriq La Salle as Dr. Peter Benton – Attending Surgeon and Director of Diversity (episodes 1–10, 15 & 21)

Sharif Atkins as Lt. Michael Gallant – Third-year Rotating Medical Student (main: episodes 15–22; recurring: episodes 7−9, 11−13)

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.