Even after the series ends, this 'ER' will stay open

By Barry Garron

TCA -- There are any number of ways to bring a long-running series to an end. You can call the whole thing a dream ("Newhart"), put the cast in jail ("Seinfeld") or just fade to black at a possibly crucial moment ("The Sopranos").

Exec producer John Wells (left) has nothing like that in mind for the final episode of NBC's "ER," following its 15th season. He's spilled too much blood (1,360 pints, all of it fake) to see County General wiped off the face of the map.

"I would hate to give the impression that the difficulties of running a county hospital and the problems within the system come to an end because, conveniently, the hospital gets closed for a new one, or something like that. I think the only way to really do justice to the show is to continue what has worked on it," he told TV critics visiting the set at Warner Bros on the last day of the TCA press tour.

"I think we will probably -- we haven't written it yet -- but certainly my inclination will be to feel as if we've simply walked away from the hospital with the cameras."

Wells confessed that the longevity of "ER" was something he did not foresee, mostly because he did not expect the show to replace original cast members. "When Sherry (Stringfield) was leaving (after the third season), we thought, 'Here it comes. We'll be gone by Year 5.' "

But then new faces kept showing up in "ER" and the show continued to be a hit with viewers. "That's been a successful formula that I didn't anticipate when we began," Wells said.

Of the original cast, Noah Wyle (right) stayed on the show the longest -- 11 seasons. Fittingly, he will return to "ER" for the final episode.

But what about the show's most famous alumnus, George Clooney, who played Dr. Doug Ross for the first five years? "I'll ask him if he wants to come back," Wells said. The exec producer said that, given Clooney's schedule, the most we should hope for is that Clooney will do some publicity for the finale.

No matter what happens, though, Clooney is a class act, Wells said. Even when the show took off, Clooney never asked for more money. Nor did he ever seek to get out of the five-year commitment he made to the series. "He's a completely standup guy," Wells declared.

Meanwhile, after going through 128,000 pairs of hospital scrubs and 428,400 latex gloves, one other thing surprises Wells. From a standpoint of providing all Americans with medical care, "we're actually in worse shape than we were 14 years ago when we started doing the series."