32 Years Later, This Medical Drama Classic Surges Back on Streaming for 'The Pitt' Fans

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Right now, The Pitt is the show of the moment, with millions of viewers tuning in each week to watch the nurses and doctors of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center save lives and cure patients on a very hectic and dramatic Fourth of July. While The Pitt has found a way to stand out with its real-time format, it still has a lot in common with its predecessors in the medical drama genre - especially ER, which is now seeing a surge in viewership on streaming over 30 years after it first premiered.

Why it matters

ER redefined what a primetime medical procedural could be, depicting the intensity of a high-volume emergency room with unflinching realism. The series introduced a core cast led by Anthony Edwards' Dr. Mark Greene and plunged them right into a packed 24 hours within the hospital, expertly combining devastating medical cases and character-driven drama. ER is still considered one of the best medical dramas ever, and The Pitt has revived interest in the classic show, with the two occupying opposite ends of HBO Max's daily Top 10 Series chart.

The details

ER was ambitious right from the start, as it was born from a screenplay Michael Crichton wrote that was then translated into a two-hour pilot. It introduced its core cast and plunged them into a packed 24 hours within the hospital, expertly combining devastating medical cases and character-driven drama. This would soon become ER's defining formula, best exemplified by the County General set itself. In one room, you could find Greene and Carter working to save someone's life, while the next one over would see Dr. Doug Ross (a pre-big-break George Clooney) sharing a private moment with Nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies).

• ER first began in 1994.
• The Pitt is currently dominating HBO Max in 2026.