St. Elsewhere

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St. Elsewhere was a serial hospital drama that first aired on NBC in 1982, running for six seasons and 137 episodes until 1988. The series was made by MTM Enterprises, which also made Hill Street Blues, a show with which St. Elsewhere is often compared.

The series was set in a decaying urban teaching hospital called St. Eligius, in Boston South End neighborhood (rumored at the time to be obstensibly based on either Boston City Hospital or St. Elizabeth's), and took its name from the hospital's nickname. The hospital served patients not wanted by the more prestigious institutions. As a medical drama, St. Elsewhere dealt with serious issues of life and death, though episodes also included a substantial amount of black comedy.

The series had a large ensemble cast, a "realistic" visual style, and a profusion of interlocking stories. Its influence can be seen in more recent medical series such as ER.

Cast

Trivia

  • In the opening credits a rare (and, by the end of the show anachronistic) shot of an MBTA Orange Line train can be seen on the elevated tracks above Washington Street. This line was demolished and relocated below ground in 1987.
  • The last episode is of particular note because it explains that the entire course of events of the show's run were a figment of an autistic boy's (Tommy Westphall) imagination.

External links

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