ER season 8

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.

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 Season 8 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 Season 8. For the first time, John Carter is centered as the main character of the show at the end of the season. 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 of Season 8. 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 Season 8 ends. Several members attend Mark's funeral.

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

Main cast

 * Anthony Edwards as Dr. Mark Greene – Attending Physician
 * Noah Wyle as Dr. John Carter – Chief 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 Surgery
 * Goran Visnjic as Dr. Luka Kovač – Attending Physician
 * Maura Tierney as Nurse Abby Lockhart
 * Sherry Stringfield as Dr. Susan Lewis – Attending Physician (episodes 4–22)
 * Michael Michele as Dr. Cleo Finch – Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow (episodes 1–10 & 21)
 * Erik Palladino as Dr. Dave Malucci – Resident PGY-4 (episodes 1–4)
 * Ming-Na as Dr. Jing-Mei Chen – Chief Resident
 * Sharif Atkins as Lt. Michael Gallant – Third-year Medical Student (episodes 7–22)
 * Eriq La Salle as Dr. Peter Benton – Surgical Attending Physician and Director of Diversity (episodes 1–10, 15 & 21)

Supporting cast

 * Doctors and Medical students
 * John Aylward as Dr. Donald Anspaugh – Surgical Attending Physician and Hospital Board Member
 * Mekhi Phifer as Dr. Greg Pratt – ER Intern
 * David Brisbin as Dr. Alexander Babcock – Anesthesiologist
 * Iqbal Theba as Dr. Zagerby – Ophthalmologist
 * Matthew Glave as Dr. Dale Edson
 * Perry Anzilotti as Dr. Ed – Anesthesiologist
 * Megan Cole as Dr. Alice Upton – Pathologist
 * Eddie Shin as Stanley Mao – Medical Student
 * Dee Freeman	as Dr. Lutz


 * Nurses
 * Ellen Crawford as Nurse Lydia Wright
 * Conni Marie Brazelton as Nurse Conni Oligario
 * Deezer D as Nurse Malik McGrath
 * Laura Cerón as Nurse Chuny Marquez
 * Yvette Freeman as Nurse Manager Haleh Adams
 * Lily Mariye as Nurse Lily Jarvik
 * Gedde Watanabe as Nurse Yosh Takata
 * Dinah Lenney as Nurse Shirley
 * Bellina Logan as Nurse Kit
 * Kyle Richards as Nurse Dori
 * Nadia Shazana as Nurse Jacy
 * Lucy Rodriguez as Nurse Bjerke
 * Elizabeth Rodriguez as Nurse Sandra
 * Linda Shing as ICU Nurse Corazon


 * Staff, Paramedics and Officers
 * Abraham Benrubi as Desk Clerk Jerry Markovic
 * Troy Evans as Desk Clerk Frank Martin
 * Kristin Minter as Desk Clerk Miranda "Randi" Fronczak
 * Pamela Sinha as Desk Clerk Amira
 * Julie Delpy as ER Aide Nicole
 * Erica Gimpel as Social Worker Adele Newman
 * Skip Stellrecht as Chaplain Miller
 * Emily Wagner as Paramedic Doris Pickman
 * Montae Russell as Paramedic Dwight Zadro
 * Lynn A. Henderson as Paramedic Pamela Olbes
 * Demetrius Navarro as Paramedic Morales
 * Brian Lester as Paramedic Brian Dumar
 * Michelle Bonilla as Paramedic Christine Harms
 * Ed Lauter as Fire Captain Dannaker
 * Julie Ann Emery as Paramedic Niki Lumley
 * Chad McKnight as Officer Wilson
 * David Roberson as Officer Durcy


 * Family
 * Frances Sternhagen as Grandma Millicent "Gamma" Carter
 * Michael Gross as Mr. John "Jack" Carter
 * Mary McDonnell as Mrs. Eleanor Carter
 * Christine Harnos as Jennifer Simon
 * Hallee Hirsh as Rachel Greene
 * Lisa Vidal as Sandy Lopez
 * Khandi Alexander as Jackie Robbins
 * Tamala Jones as Joanie Robbins
 * Vondie Curtis Hall as Roger McGrath
 * Matthew Watkins as Reese Benton
 * Kathleen Wilhoite as Chloe Lewis
 * Sally Field as Maggie Wyczenski (uncredited voice)
 * Mark Valley as Richard Lockhart

Notable guest stars

 * Kal Penn as Narajan
 * David Hewlett as Mr. Schudy
 * Vernée Watson Johnson as April Wilson
 * Roma Maffia as Ms. Janice Prager
 * David Krumholtz as Paul Sobriki
 * Liza Weil as Samantha Sobriki
 * Christina Hendricks as Joyce Westlake
 * Matthew Settle as Brian Westlake
 * Chris Sarandon as Dr. Burke (NYC)
 * Michael Ironside as Dr. William "Wild Willy" Swift
 * Paul Hipp as Craig Turner
 * Amy Carlson as FDNY Paramedic Alex Taylor
 * Molly Price as NYPD Officer Faith Yokas
 * Kim Raver as FDNY Paramedic Kim Zambrano
 * Jason Wiles as NYPD Officer Bosco Boscorelli
 * Joe Lisi as NYPD Lieutenant Bob Swersky
 * Dana Elcar as Many, a blind patient
 * Bellamy Young as Grace
 * Keegan-Michael Key as Witowski
 * Lori Petty as Shane
 * Chris Burke as George
 * Julie Delpy as waitress
 * Ken Lerner as Mr. Sidell

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.