'ER' starts countdown to series' final flatline

BURBANK, Calif. -- Deep inside Stage 11 on the bustling Warner Bros. lot, a giant of a television show is starting to die.

"ER," one of prime time's longest-running series, will expire in February. And its 14th season-ender (9 p.m. today) will slide the show closer to its demise.

"It just shakes you up a little," said executive producer Christopher Chulak on a break from directing season finale scenes on "ER's" County General Hospital set. "One foot in the grave," joked "ER" special effects-meister Scott Forbes.

But "ER's" death is more than the end of a once wildly popular TV series. It is the culmination of an era in broadcast television. Created by Michael Crichton, "ER" helped usher in a new age of top-flight TV drama in the early '90s, along with its CBS archrival, "Chicago Hope."

The most Emmy-nominated series ever, with 120 nods and 22 wins, "ER" launched George Clooney's career. And it far outlasted "Hope."

Still, despite the scent of finality, executive producer John Wells isn't getting melancholy about "ER's" death -- at least not yet.

"It's a great luxury because it means we can plan the ending properly," Wells said.

In a few weeks Wells and his writing staff will hunker down to map out storylines for "ER's" final season, which will include at least one return by a former star.

Noah Wyle has committed to four episodes as Dr. John Carter.

"Carter figures centrally in the way I wanted to end the series, which I'd planned six or seven years ago," Wells said.