I have been a frequent reader (and fan) of the episode summeries for a long time and never posted! I guess I'll start now. Looking back at the season-1 epies I noticed the difference in writing and direction. My question is, have the writers and directors changed in the last 7 years or have they just evolved?

-- Sharon Redfield (redfield@netsync.net), February 12, 2001

Answers

With the new onset of Season 7, "ER" was faced with an entirely new face of writers. As for the directors, I am not absolutely positive. It is probably a random mix of those who have been there from the beginning, mixed with newcomers and such. By simply comparing the credits of Season 1 to those of Season 7, one can pick out several name changes and such.

-- Abby (PrettyLittleDaisy@hotmail.com), February 12, 2001.

Abby - thanks. I've never really paid attention to the credits. That's usually my husband's obsession! I will now. Maybe it's me, but it seems that the scenes of the early years were much longer than those of S6 & 7. And there were fewer plots.

-- Sharon Redfield (redfield@netsync.net), February 12, 2001.

The only difference I notice in the writing and direction is that they used to be a lot better. But there wasn't any all new batch of writers for season seven, no. Jack Orman has been there since season four. Scott Gemmill started in season six. John Wells has been there from the beginning (he always writes one or two episodes a year). Joe Sachs has been there for several seasons. Neal Baer also had been there since the beginning, but he left earlier this season, after writing part of the Sally Field thing. Some of the female writers' names may be new ones.

-- Gia (gcwright@hotmail.com), February 13, 2001.

I think that last season and this season the writing has gotten way too personal. usually in the past we were never at the doctor's homes if we were let into their personal lives. all the things that happened on the show happened at the hospital. now we are hardly ever at the hospital (ie. carter's rehab/abby's scenerio/abby's life/kyneisha). i think that's part of why the show hasn't been as good lately.

-- Jessie (sweetbebe0686@yahoo.com), February 13, 2001.

Also, there are a lot more major characters now than there were, so more time is spent on getting quite a few screen time. Which therefore adds more plots and scenes. And probably more writers...

-- Jen (JMGDrama@aol.com), February 13, 2001.