Chicago Hope
Encyclopedia
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama
series created by David E. Kelley
that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.
as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, a hot-shot surgeon
with emotional issues stemming from the psychiatric condition of his wife (played by Kim Greist
), who drowned their infant son. Adam Arkin
plays Patinkin's colleague and best friend. Peter MacNicol
and Hector Elizondo
feature as the hospital's in-house attorney and director of medicine, respectively. Christine Lahti
joined in the second season as a talented cardiac surgeon with a feminist chip on her shoulder, vying with Geiger for the chief of surgery position.
episode of Chicago Hope was broadcast the day before NBC
's ER
in a special Sunday, 8 p.m. time slot. After the first week, however, the two Chicago-based hospital dramas went "head to head" in their primetime 10 p.m. Thursday night slot. ER
was the victor: its first season proved a ratings winner. Despite receiving critical acclaim, Chicago Hope was shifted to 9 p.m. Thursdays, and ultimately to Monday nights in 1995 in a bid for higher ratings, while ER remained in its time slot.
Chicago Hope remained in the Monday slot and performed well, with ratings
peaking at 11.9, with a 20 share. In the second season, however, Kelley and Patinkin decided to leave the show. The show was moved to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. in 1997 to make room for the Steven Bochco
drama, Brooklyn South
, on Mondays. In 1999, both Kelley and Patinkin returned, with a revamped cast now including Barbara Hershey
and Lauren Holly
, but excluding Lahti, Peter Berg
, Jayne Brook
, Vondie Curtis-Hall
, and Stacy Edwards
. CBS also moved the show back to Thursday nights, against NBC's Frasier
and ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
. The show was canceled in May 2000.
In 2007, former co-stars Rocky Carroll
(Dr. Keith Wilkes); Mark Harmon
(Dr. Jack McNeil) and Lauren Holly
(Dr. Jeremy Hanlon) worked together on the series NCIS
. Lauren left the show after three seasons and Harmon and Carroll are still on the show today. In addition, Carroll has a recurring role as his NCIS character, Director Leon Vance, on that series's spin off, NCIS: Los Angeles.
Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
.
s and a Golden Globe
.
and Kathy Baker
appeared as their Picket Fences
characters in the first season. Likewise, Mandy Patinkin
and Hector Elizondo
brought their Chicago Hope characters to Picket Fences that year. Both Adam Arkin
and Lauren Holly
had previously appeared on Picket Fences as a lawyer and as a deputy sheriff, respectively.
Mandy Patinkin
appears in an uncredited role as Geiger in a 1994 episode of Homicide: Life on the Street
. Chicago Hope producer John Tinker
shot this footage as a favor to his St. Elsewhere
colleague Tom Fontana
.
Chicago Hope characters crossed over to Early Edition
early in that show's run. Rocky Carroll
, Jayne Brook
, and Hector Elizondo
all guest-starred in scenes taking place in the hospital.
On November 18, 1998, Chicago Hope became the first regular series episode to be broadcast in HDTV. The episode was entitled "The Other Cheek".
The series was the first to use the word "shit
" on network television, outside of documentaries. It was spoken by Mark Harmon's character after a meeting, in which he says "shit happens
". ER would use the expletive several years later in the 2002 episode "On the Beach," when Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards
) is unable to pick himself up off the floor due to his brain tumor.
. Starting on September 3, 2007, it began airing on Zone Romantica
in the UK and Ireland. In Australia, the series originally aired on The Seven Network
. In Germany the first seasons were shown in the 90s. In Hungary the series aired on Viasat3.In Indonesian,the series originally aired on RCTI
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
series created by David E. Kelley
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley is an American television writer and producer, known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Harry's Law, as well as several films. Kelley is one of the only screenwriters to have had a show created by him run on...
that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.
Premise
The show stars Mandy PatinkinMandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, a hot-shot surgeon
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
with emotional issues stemming from the psychiatric condition of his wife (played by Kim Greist
Kim Greist
Kimberley Bret "Kim" Greist is an American actress.-Early acting career:Greist was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the daughter of Norma M. and E. Harold Greist...
), who drowned their infant son. Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin is an American television, film and stage actor and director. He played the role of Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony as well as 3 primetime Emmys, 4 SAG Awards , and a DGA Award...
plays Patinkin's colleague and best friend. Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He may be best known in films for his roles of Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, Stingo in Sophie's Choice, Thomas Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and David Langley in Bean...
and Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
feature as the hospital's in-house attorney and director of medicine, respectively. Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations...
joined in the second season as a talented cardiac surgeon with a feminist chip on her shoulder, vying with Geiger for the chief of surgery position.
Cast
| Actor | Character | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Mandy Patinkin Mandy Patinkin Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park... |
Dr. Jeffrey Geiger | 1–2, 6 |
| Adam Arkin Adam Arkin Adam Arkin is an American television, film and stage actor and director. He played the role of Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony as well as 3 primetime Emmys, 4 SAG Awards , and a DGA Award... |
Dr. Aaron Shutt | |
| Peter Berg Peter Berg Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor... |
Dr. Billy Kronk | 1–5 |
| Jayne Brook Jayne Brook Jayne Brook is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Diane Grad on the medical drama Chicago Hope. She appeared on the series from 1995 to 1999.-Early life:... |
Dr. Diane Grad | 1–5 |
| Rocky Carroll Rocky Carroll Roscoe "Rocky" Carroll is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Joey Emerson on the FOX comedy-drama Roc, as Dr. Keith Wilkes on the medical drama Chicago Hope, and as Leon Vance on the CBS drama NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:Carroll was born Roscoe Fulton Carroll... |
Dr. Keith Wilkes | 3–6 |
| Vondie Curtis-Hall Vondie Curtis-Hall Vondie Curtis-Hall is an American actor and film director.As an actor, he is best known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama Chicago Hope created by David E. Kelley.-Early life:... |
Dr. Dennis Hancock | 1–5 |
| Stacy Edwards Stacy Edwards Stacy Edwards is an American actress.Edwards was born in Glasgow, Montana, the daughter of Patty and Preston Edwards, who was an Air Force officer. She grew up all over the world, from Guam to Alabama. At 18, she received a scholarship to the Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago and began her... |
Dr. Lisa Catera | 4–5 |
| Hector Elizondo Hector Elizondo Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award... |
Dr. Philip Watters | |
| Thomas Gibson Thomas Gibson Thomas Ellis Gibson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Daniel Nyland in the Medical drama series Chicago Hope, as Greg Montgomery in the comedy series Dharma & Greg, and as Supervisory Special Agent Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner in the highly-popular CBS drama, Criminal... |
Dr. Danny Nyland | 1–3 |
| Carla Gugino Carla Gugino Carla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco... |
Dr. Gina Simon | 6 |
| Mark Harmon Mark Harmon Mark Harmon is an American actor who has been starring in American television programs and films since the mid-1970s, after a career as a collegiate football player with the UCLA Bruins. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the CBS series NCIS.-Early life:Harmon was born Thomas... |
Dr. Jack McNeil | 3–6 |
| Roxanne Hart Roxanne Hart Roxanne Hart is an American television, film and stage actress. She may be best known for her role as Brenda Wyatt in the 1986 film Highlander. She is also known for the role of Nurse Camille Shutt on the Medical drama Chicago Hope.... |
Nurse Camille Schutt | 1–2 |
| Barbara Hershey Barbara Hershey Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies... |
Dr. Francesca Alberghetti | 6 |
| Lauren Holly Lauren Holly Lauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to... |
Dr. Jeremy Hanlon | 6 |
| Christine Lahti Christine Lahti Christine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations... |
Dr. Kate Austin | 2–5 |
| Peter MacNicol Peter MacNicol Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He may be best known in films for his roles of Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, Stingo in Sophie's Choice, Thomas Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and David Langley in Bean... |
Alan Birch | 1–2 |
| Roma Maffia Roma Maffia Roma Maffia is an American actress.Maffia was born in Manhattan, New York of West Indian, English and German descent; her Italian surname derives from her stepfather.... |
Angela Giandamenicio | 1 |
| E.G. Marshall | Dr. Arthur Thurmond | 1 |
| Alan Rosenberg Alan Rosenberg Alan Rosenberg is an American actor of both stage and screen. From 2005 to 2009, he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, the principal motion picture industry on-screen performers' union.-Early life:... |
Stuart Brickman | 6 |
| Jamey Sheridan Jamey Sheridan James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the... |
Dr. John Sutton | 2 |
| Eric Stoltz Eric Stoltz Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture... |
Dr. Robert Yeats | 5 |
| Monique Edwards Monique Edwards Monique Diane Edwards is an American actress.-Life and career:Edwards was born in Kittery, Maine. She is a multi-talented actress, singer, director, and humanitarian who is steadily building a solid reputation in television, feature films, the stage, and commercials. She was born in Maine, but... |
Nurse Laurel Canyon | 2–6 |
Reception
The pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
episode of Chicago Hope was broadcast the day before NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
in a special Sunday, 8 p.m. time slot. After the first week, however, the two Chicago-based hospital dramas went "head to head" in their primetime 10 p.m. Thursday night slot. ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
was the victor: its first season proved a ratings winner. Despite receiving critical acclaim, Chicago Hope was shifted to 9 p.m. Thursdays, and ultimately to Monday nights in 1995 in a bid for higher ratings, while ER remained in its time slot.
Chicago Hope remained in the Monday slot and performed well, with ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
peaking at 11.9, with a 20 share. In the second season, however, Kelley and Patinkin decided to leave the show. The show was moved to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. in 1997 to make room for the Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
drama, Brooklyn South
Brooklyn South
Brooklyn South is an American ensemble police drama series that aired on CBS for only one season during the 1997-98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Bochco, Bill Clark, David Milch and William M. Finkelstein. Bochco is the creator of many well-known police dramas such as Hill...
, on Mondays. In 1999, both Kelley and Patinkin returned, with a revamped cast now including Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
and Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly
Lauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to...
, but excluding Lahti, Peter Berg
Peter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
, Jayne Brook
Jayne Brook
Jayne Brook is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Diane Grad on the medical drama Chicago Hope. She appeared on the series from 1995 to 1999.-Early life:...
, Vondie Curtis-Hall
Vondie Curtis-Hall
Vondie Curtis-Hall is an American actor and film director.As an actor, he is best known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama Chicago Hope created by David E. Kelley.-Early life:...
, and Stacy Edwards
Stacy Edwards
Stacy Edwards is an American actress.Edwards was born in Glasgow, Montana, the daughter of Patty and Preston Edwards, who was an Air Force officer. She grew up all over the world, from Guam to Alabama. At 18, she received a scholarship to the Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago and began her...
. CBS also moved the show back to Thursday nights, against NBC's Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
and ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
. The show was canceled in May 2000.
In 2007, former co-stars Rocky Carroll
Rocky Carroll
Roscoe "Rocky" Carroll is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Joey Emerson on the FOX comedy-drama Roc, as Dr. Keith Wilkes on the medical drama Chicago Hope, and as Leon Vance on the CBS drama NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:Carroll was born Roscoe Fulton Carroll...
(Dr. Keith Wilkes); Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon is an American actor who has been starring in American television programs and films since the mid-1970s, after a career as a collegiate football player with the UCLA Bruins. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the CBS series NCIS.-Early life:Harmon was born Thomas...
(Dr. Jack McNeil) and Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly
Lauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to...
(Dr. Jeremy Hanlon) worked together on the series NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
. Lauren left the show after three seasons and Harmon and Carroll are still on the show today. In addition, Carroll has a recurring role as his NCIS character, Director Leon Vance, on that series's spin off, NCIS: Los Angeles.
Nielsen ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Chicago Hope.Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
| Season | TimeslotTimes listed are Eastern time | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Thursday, 10:00 p.m. | September 18, 1994 | May 22, 1995 | 1994–1995 | 29 | 11.161 |
| 2nd | Monday 10:00 p.m. | September 18, 1995 | May 20, 1996 | 1995–1996 | 24 | 11.412 |
| 3rd | Monday 10:00 p.m. | September 16, 1996 | May 19, 1997 | 1996–1997 | 30 | 10.185 |
| 4th | Wednesday 10:00 p.m. | October 1, 1997 | May 13, 1998 | 1997–1998 | 39 | 8.9 |
| 5th | Wednesday 10:00 p.m. | September 30, 1998 | May 19, 1999 | 1998–1999 | 73 | 9.9 |
| 6th | Thursday 9:00 p.m. | September 23, 1999 | May 4, 2000 | 1999–2000 | 62 | 9.4 |
Production
With the exception of some infrequent on-location scenes, the vast majority of Chicago Hope was filmed on sound stages at the studios of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, located in the Century City area of Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Awards
Over its six seasons, Chicago Hope was nominated for many accolades and won several, including seven Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s and a Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
.
Emmy awards
| Year | Award | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Mandy Patinkin Mandy Patinkin Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park... |
| 1995 | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series | Tim Suhrstedt Tim Suhrstedt Tim Suhrstedt A.S.C. is a cinematographer with nearly 30 years of film-making experience. His credits include:*Chicago Hope *The Wedding Singer *Mystic Pizza *Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead *Teen Wolf... for the episode "Over The Rainbow" |
| 1996 | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting for a Series | Debi Manwiller |
| 1996 | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is an Emmy presented to the best directing of a television drama series.-Best Direction of a Single Program of a Drama Series:*1959: Jack Smight – Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre ... |
Jeremy Kagan Jeremy Kagan Jeremy Paul Kagan is an American film and television director, screenwriter and television producer.-Early life:Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Kagan received his B.A... for the episode "Leave Of Absence" |
| 1997 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Hector Elizondo Hector Elizondo Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award... |
| 1998 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti Christine Lahti Christine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations... |
| 1998 | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series | Russell C. Fager, R. Russell Smith, and William Freesh for the episode "Brain Salad Surgery" |
Episodes
Chicago Hope aired for six straight seasons and 141 episodes.Crossovers
Fyvush FinkelFyvush Finkel
Philip “Fyvush” Finkel is an American actor best known as a star of Yiddish theater and for his role as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the television series Picket Fences, for which he earned an Emmy Award in 1994. He is also known for his portrayal of Harvey Lipschultz, a crotchety U.S...
and Kathy Baker
Kathy Baker
Katherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American stage, film and television actress.-Career:Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris...
appeared as their Picket Fences
Picket Fences
Picket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States...
characters in the first season. Likewise, Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
and Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
brought their Chicago Hope characters to Picket Fences that year. Both Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin is an American television, film and stage actor and director. He played the role of Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony as well as 3 primetime Emmys, 4 SAG Awards , and a DGA Award...
and Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly
Lauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to...
had previously appeared on Picket Fences as a lawyer and as a deputy sheriff, respectively.
Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
appears in an uncredited role as Geiger in a 1994 episode of Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
. Chicago Hope producer John Tinker
John Tinker (producer)
John Tinker is an Emmy award winning American television producer and writer. Tinker is the co-creator of the CBS drama Judging Amy, and has been an executive producer and writer on American television shows such as the CBS drama Chicago Hope, the ABC drama The Practice, and the NBC drama The Book...
shot this footage as a favor to his St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
colleague Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana is an American writer and producer.-TV career:Fontana has been a writer/producer for such series as Oz , The Jury, The Beat, The Bedford Diaries, Homicide: Life on the Street, St...
.
Chicago Hope characters crossed over to Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
early in that show's run. Rocky Carroll
Rocky Carroll
Roscoe "Rocky" Carroll is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Joey Emerson on the FOX comedy-drama Roc, as Dr. Keith Wilkes on the medical drama Chicago Hope, and as Leon Vance on the CBS drama NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:Carroll was born Roscoe Fulton Carroll...
, Jayne Brook
Jayne Brook
Jayne Brook is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Diane Grad on the medical drama Chicago Hope. She appeared on the series from 1995 to 1999.-Early life:...
, and Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
all guest-starred in scenes taking place in the hospital.
Firsts
The series broke a network television taboo by showing a teenager's breast after her character underwent reconstructive surgery. This was generally seen as relevant to the subject matter and went relatively uncriticized.On November 18, 1998, Chicago Hope became the first regular series episode to be broadcast in HDTV. The episode was entitled "The Other Cheek".
The series was the first to use the word "shit
Shit
Shit is usually considered vulgar and profane in Modern English. As a noun it refers to fecal matter and as a verb it means to defecate or defecate in; in the plural it means diarrhea...
" on network television, outside of documentaries. It was spoken by Mark Harmon's character after a meeting, in which he says "shit happens
Shit happens
"Shit happens" is a common slang phrase, used as a simple existential observation that life is full of imperfections, either "Así es la vida" or "C'est la vie". The phrase is an acknowledgment that bad things happen to people for no particular reason. Phrases with similar meaning are such as "stuff...
". ER would use the expletive several years later in the 2002 episode "On the Beach," when Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Charles Edwards is an American actor and director. He has appeared in various movies and television shows, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Top Gun, Zodiac, Revenge of the Nerds, Northern Exposure and ER.-Early life:Edwards was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Erika...
) is unable to pick himself up off the floor due to his brain tumor.
International airings
In the UK, seasons 1 and 2 originally aired on BBC One. More recently, all seasons of the show have been shown on ITV3ITV3
ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
. Starting on September 3, 2007, it began airing on Zone Romantica
Zone Romantica
Zone Romantica is a European TV channel that launched in 1998. The channel broadcasts a mixture of telenovelas, music and entertainment from all over the world, but mainly from Latin America. The channel is available 24 hours a day, to 20 territories across Central and Eastern Europe as well as...
in the UK and Ireland. In Australia, the series originally aired on The Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. In Germany the first seasons were shown in the 90s. In Hungary the series aired on Viasat3.In Indonesian,the series originally aired on RCTI
RCTI
RCTI is Indonesia's first privately owned television network and is based in West Jakarta. RCTI broadcasts Indonesian Idol as well as sinetron , films, news and current affairs, reality shows and religious programs...