# St. Elsewhere (1982)

> A cluster of teaching doctors and interns at a lightly regarded Boston hospital navigate life-and-death decisions in an ensemble medical drama.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/23

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 137
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Joshua Brand, John Falsey, John Masius, Mark Tinker
- Network: NBC
- Cast: William Daniels, Norman Lloyd, G.W. Bailey, Ronny Cox, Bonnie Bartlett, Ellen Bry, Ed Begley Jr., Mark Harmon
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083483/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: suspenseful, bleak, tender, surreal, character driven

## What critics say

Audiences rated the series positively across its first five seasons, with a sharp drop in the final season.

## Synopsis

St. Elsewhere (1982-1988) is an American medical drama created by Joshua Brand, John Falsey, John Masius and Mark Tinker for NBC. The ensemble follows teaching doctors at a lightly regarded Boston hospital, led by Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) and featuring Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels), who guide young interns toward a promising future. Their days are built from emergency room crises, difficult diagnoses, and ethical choices about who gets treatment and who is left behind, while staff rivalries and private lives unfold alongside the cases. Across six seasons and 137 episodes, the show balances clinical urgency with character drama, creating a suspenseful, sometimes surreal atmosphere that feels tender and bleak in turns. Its 1980s network tone and stubborn commitment to moral complexity have drawn comparisons with Chicago Hope and ER, and fans of hospital dramas with a strong ensemble will find much to appreciate in its character-driven rhythm and sense of institutional strain.

## Shows like St. Elsewhere

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- [Pure Genius (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58639)
- [Hill Street Blues (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/3642)
- [Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/1521)
- [Becker (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/4258)
- [The Practice (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/2901)
- [Nurses (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/80536)
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