Product Description

Over its six-season run the ground-breaking critically acclaimed St. Elsewhere was nominated for over 60 Emmy Awards winning 13 of them! This remarkable series with its unique blend of intense medical drama off-beat humor and imaginative storytelling paved the way for later TV classics such as E.R. and Chicago Hope while introducing America to future superstars Mark Harmon Howie Mandel and Oscar(r)-winner* Denzel Washington. Eccentric insightful and intelligent St. Elsewhere is considered to be one of the best dramas ever to air on broadcast television.System Requirements:Running Time 1078 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543260769 Manufacturer No: 2236076

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6627 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2006-11-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: .50 pounds
• Running time: 1081 minutes

Amazon.com
Beginning its six-year run in 1982, St. Elsewhere was neither television's first ensemble medical drama nor, heaven knows, its last. Yet this four-disc set of all 22 episodes from the first season is a reminder that this was, and still is, one of the very best. Even now, when "reality" programming blights the landscape like some biblical plague, doc, cop, and lawyer shows remain staples of the medium, and while the likes of C.S.I., E.R., and Grey's Anatomy have it all over St. Elsewhere in the sizzle department--the production values are much flashier, the content sexier, more graphic, and faster-moving, the technology both in front of and behind the camera light years more sophisticated--the older show, despite its somewhat cheesy '70s vibe, is the hands-down winner when it comes to the actual steak. That's because it does it the old-fashioned way: by relying on good writing, vividly-drawn, identifiable characters, and excellent performances by an eye-opening group of actors.

Co-creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey's pilot episode, which establishes the scene at Boston's St. Eligius Hospital (mocked as "St. Elsewhere" due to its rundown facilities and reputation as a "dumping ground" for the poor and disenfranchised), isn't especially promising. While we can see right away that the show sports a lighter, more humorous tone than others of its genre, the direction is static, the acting and dialogue are often stiff, and what passes for "chaos" is pretty tame. But it hits its stride almost immediately thereafter, as the characters (including Howie Mandel's wisecracking Dr. Fiscus, David Morse's driven, committed Dr. Morrison, William Daniels' egotistical, pompous Dr. Craig, and Ed Begley, Jr.'s nerdy Dr. Ehrlich) are more fully realized. The cast, in fact, may be the most impressive ever assembled for a TV program: in the first season alone, the list of actors with regular, recurring, and one-shot appearances includes future movie stars Denzel Washington (a regular, but his role is minor), Tim Robbins, Ally Sheedy, Christopher Guest, Laraine Newman, Ray Liotta, Tom Hulce, Michael Madsen, and Rae Dawn Chong. Sure, some of the multiple storylines are dated: the handling of issues like gun control, immigration, and terrorism seems almost quaint by today's standards, and a running gag concerning ladies man Dr. Samuels' (David Birney) having to inform his many lovers that he has gonorrhea comes off as tasteless and unfunny, notwithstanding that era's low awareness of AIDS and other STDs. But on the whole, this St. Elsewhere set (extras include audio commentary for "Cora and Arnie," plus four featurettes) is a reminder of episodic TV at its best. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Great Show
I always loved this show, and it was a sad day for me when it ended. It wasn't always possible for me to be home when it was on, and I have missed a few of the shows over the years. I always thought they would put this show on again as Re-Runs, but to date I have never seen this on in my area. I was really glad when I saw that season one had finely been released on DVD, and I can't wait for season two to hit the market along with the other seasons.
What made this show so good was that it wasn't just drama, and not just comedy, but a mix of life as it should be. I have already watched season one twice, and it's so refreshing to be able to see a good show on TV again. After all, I'm tired of watching what's on TV Today, and with 20 minutes of advertisements every hour, and advertisements on the bottom of the screen during the show, it makes TV very hard to watch anymore.

Not as good as I remember...
I really remember loving this show when it was on TV, but owning it on DVD now I guess creates comparisons between St. Elsewhere and other shows of the same era. I battled to get back into it and haven't had the urge to get through the whole season, but still remember enjoying it in its day.

Great way to spend a little time!
I was very pleased with the St. Elsewhere series. There is an excellent cast and a spectacular story line. The series aired sometime ago, but the story line is still excellent - very entertaining.

Great way to spend an hour or two.