St. Elsewhere

This article is about the television drama. For the album by Gnarls Barkley, seeSt. Elsewhere (album).

St. Elsewhere
Title card for Season 1
Genre	Medical drama
Created by	Joshua Brand John Falsey
Developed by	Mark Tinker John Masius
Starring	Ed Flanders David Birney G. W. Bailey Ed Begley Jr. Terence Knox Howie Mandel David Morse Christina Pickles Kavi Raz Cynthia Sikes Denzel Washington William Daniels Norman Lloyd Ellen Bry Mark Harmon Eric Laneuville Kim Miyori Nancy Stafford Stephen Furst Bonnie Bartlett Bruce Greenwood Cindy Pickett Ronny Cox Sagan Lewis France Nuyen Jennifer Savidge Byron Stewart
Theme music composer	Dave Grusin
Composers	Dave Grusin J. A. C. Redford
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No.of seasons	6
No.of episodes	137(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Mark Tinker Bruce Paltrow
Producers	John Masius Tom Fontana
Production locations	CBS Studio Center Studio City, Los Angeles,California
Running time	45–48 minutes
Production company	MTM Enterprises
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	October 26, 1982(1982-10-26)– May 25, 1988(1988-05-25)

St. Elsewhereis an Americanmedical dramatelevision series created byJoshua BrandandJohn Falseythat originally ran onNBCfrom October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series starsEd Flanders,Norman Lloyd,andWilliam Danielsas teaching doctors at an aging, rundownBostonhospital who give interns a promising future in making critical medical and life decisions. The series was produced byMTM Enterprises,which had success with a similar NBC series, the police dramaHill Street Blues,during that same time. The series were often compared to each other for their use of ensemble casts and overlapping serialized storylines (an original ad forSt. Elsewherequoted a critic that called the series "Hill Street Bluesin a hospital ").

Recognized for its gritty, realistic drama,St. Elsewheregained a small yet loyal following (the series never ranked higher than 47th place in the yearlyNielsen ratings) over its six-season, 137-episode run; however, the series also found a strong audience in Nielsen's 18–49 age demographic, a young demo later known for a young, affluent audience that TV advertisers were eager to reach.The series also earned critical acclaim during its run, earning 13Emmy Awardsfor its writing, acting, and directing and is widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time.

Overview

St. Elsewherewas set at the fictionalSt. EligiusHospital, a decaying urbanteaching hospitalin Boston'sSouth End neighborhood.(The South End's Franklin Square House Apartments, formerly known as the St. James Hotel and located next toFranklin and Blackstone Squares,stood in for the hospital in establishing shots, including the series' opening sequence.)The hospital's nickname, "St. Elsewhere", is a slang term used in the medical field to refer to lesser-equipped hospitals that serve patients turned away by more prestigious institutions; it is also used in medical academe to refer to teaching hospitals in general.

In the pilot episode, surgeon Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels) informs his colleagues that the local Boston media had bestowed the derogatory nickname upon St. Eligius since they perceived the hospital as "a dumping ground, a place you wouldn't want to send your mother-in-law." In fact, the hospital was so poorly regarded that its shrine toSaint Eligiuswas commonly defiled by the hospital's visitors and staff. Despite the hospital's reputation, they employed some first-rate doctors—including Craig, a world-class heart surgeon. As well, their administrative staff was shown to care deeply about the hospital's mission, even as they dealt with a lack of up-to-date equipment, funding, and experienced personnel.

Just as inHill Street Blues,St. Elsewhereemployed a large ensemble cast, a gritty, "realistic" visual style, and a multitude of interlocking serialized stories, many of which continued over the course of multiple episodes or seasons. In the same wayHill Streetwas regarded as a groundbreaking police drama,St. Elsewherealso broke new ground in medical dramas, creating a template that influencedER,Chicago Hope,and other later shows in the genre.St. Elsewhereportrayed the medical profession as an admirable but less-than-perfect endeavor; the St. Eligius staff, while mostly having good intentions in serving their patients, all had their own personal and professional problems, with the two often intertwining. The staff's problems, and those of their patients (some of whom did not survive), were often contemporary in nature, with storylines involvingbreast cancer,AIDS,and addiction. Though the series dealt with serious issues of life, death, the medical profession, and the human effects of all three, a substantial number of comedic moments, inside jokes, and references to television history were included, as well as tender moments of humanity.

The producers for the series wereBruce Paltrow,Mark Tinker,John Masius,Tom Fontana,John FalseyandAbby Singer.Tinker, Masius, Fontana, and Paltrow wrote a number of episodes as well; other writers includedJohn Tinker,John Ford Noonan,Charles H. Eglee,Eric Overmyer,Channing Gibson,andAram Saroyan.

The cast ofSt. Elsewhere(season one)

The show's main and end title theme was composed by famed jazz musician and composerDave Grusin.Noted film and TV composerJ. A. C. Redfordwrote the music for the series (except for the pilot, which was scored by Grusin). No soundtrack was ever released, but the theme was released in two different versions: the original TV mix and edit appeared onTVT Records' compilationTelevision's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3: 70s & 80s,and Grusin recorded a full-length version for inclusion on hisNight Linesalbum, released in 1983.

Main cast

Main article:List of St. Elsewhere characters

Along with established actorsEd Flanders,Norman LloydandWilliam Daniels,St. Elsewhere'sensemble cast includedDavid Morse,Alfre Woodard,Bruce Greenwood,Christina Pickles,Kyle Secor,Ed Begley Jr.,Stephen Furst,Howie Mandel,Mark Harmon,Denzel WashingtonandHelen Hunt.Notable guest stars includeTim Robbins,whose first major role was in the series' first three episodes as domestic terrorist Andrew Reinhardt, andDoris RobertsandJames Coco,who each earnedEmmy Awardsfor their season-one appearance as a bag lady and her mentally challenged husband.

Actor	Character	Seasons
		1	2	3	4	5	6
Starring
Ed Flanders	Dr. Donald Westphall	Main
David Birney	Dr. Ben Samuels	Main
Norman Lloyd	Dr. Daniel Auschlander	Recurring	Main
Ronny Cox	Dr. John Gideon						Main
William Daniels	Dr. Mark Craig	Main
Also Starring
G.W. Bailey	Dr. Hugh Beale	Main
Ed Begley Jr.	Dr. Victor Ehrlich	Main
Terence Knox	Dr. Peter White	Main				Guest
Howie Mandel	Dr. Wayne Fiscus	Main
David Morse	Dr. Jack Morrison	Main
Christina Pickles	Nurse Helen Rosenthal	Main
Kavi Raz	Dr. Vijay Kochar	Main		Recurring	Guest
Cynthia Sikes	Dr. Annie Cavanero	Main
Denzel Washington	Dr. Phillip Chandler	Main
Ellen Bry	Nurse Shirley Daniels	Recurring	Main			Guest
Mark Harmon	Dr. Robert Caldwell		Main
Eric Laneuville	Luther Hawkins	Recurring	Main
Kim Miyori	Dr. Wendy Armstrong	Recurring	Main
Nancy Stafford	Joan Halloran		Main	Recurring	Guest
Stephen Furst	Dr. Elliot Axelrod		Recurring	Main
Bonnie Bartlett	Ellen Craig	Recurring				Main
Bruce Greenwood	Dr. Seth Griffin					Main
Cindy Pickett	Dr. Carol Novino				Recurring	Main
Sagan Lewis	Dr. Jacqueline Wade	Recurring					Main
France Nuyen	Dr. Paulette Kiem					Recurring	Main
Jennifer Savidge	Nurse Lucy Papandreo	Recurring					Main
Recurring
Barbara Whinnery	Dr. Cathy Martin	Recurring			Guest
Byron Stewart	Warren Coolidge		Guest	Recurring
Alfre Woodard	Dr. Roxanne Turner				Recurring		Guest

Episodes

Main article:List of St. Elsewhere episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	22		October 26, 1982(1982-10-26)	May 3, 1983(1983-05-03)
2	22		October 26, 1983(1983-10-26)	May 16, 1984(1984-05-16)
3	24		September 19, 1984(1984-09-19)	March 27, 1985(1985-03-27)
4	24		September 18, 1985(1985-09-18)	May 7, 1986(1986-05-07)
5	23		September 24, 1986(1986-09-24)	May 27, 1987(1987-05-27)
6	22		September 16, 1987(1987-09-16)	May 25, 1988(1988-05-25)

St. Elsewhereran for six seasons and 137 episodes; the first season (1982–83) aired Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET), with remaining seasons airing Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

St. Elsewherewas noteworthy for featuring episodes with unusual aspects or significant changes to the series' status quo. Some of those episodes included:

"Qui Transtulit Sustinet"

Original air date: November 16, 1983

Dr. Morrison learns of the death of his wife, Nina (with whom he had an argument midway through the previous episode, which was the last time he saw her alive), after slipping and hitting her head. Nina's heart is donated to a heart transplant patient—a patient of Dr. Craig. The poignant final scene of the episode finds Morrison entering the patient's room and, with astethoscope,hearing the patient's new heart—Nina's heart—steadily beating.

"Cheers"

Original air date: March 27, 1985

St. Elsewhereended its 3rd season with this TVcrossoverthat found Drs. Westphall, Auschlander, and Craig getting together atCheers.The scene, which was filmed on the mainCheerssoundstage (Stage 25 at theParamount Studioslot), findsCliff Clavintrying and failing to gain free medical advice from the doctors, Auschlander confronting his former accountantNorm Peterson,and barmaidCarla Tortellivoicing her displeasure with the doctors regarding her stay in St. Eligius two years earlier for the birth of her baby. The scene ends with Westphall announcing to his two colleagues that he has decided to leave St. Eligius and medicine, a short-lived departure, as he returned in the Season 4 premiere.

The merger ofCheers'andSt. Elsewhere'suniverses created a discontinuity with the second season finale, "Hello, Goodbye", in which Dr. Morrison and his young son spend a day on the town and visit the real-world Bull and Finch Pub, the banners out front celebrating it as the inspiration for (and exterior view of)Cheers.

"Time Heals"

Original air date: February 19 and 20, 1986

This two-part episode featured storylines that fleshed out the 50-year history of St. Eligius, each sequence taped in a different style (i.e. black-and-white for the 1930s setting, muted colors for the 1940s). The storylines included the hospital's 1936 founding by Fr. Joseph McCabe (played byEdward Herrmann), the arrivals of Dr. Auschlander and Nurse Rosenthal, the early struggles of Mark Craig and his relationship with his mentor (which mirrored Craig's later mentoring of Dr. Ehrlich), the death of Dr. Westphall's wife, and Dr. Morrison simultaneously dealing with an overdose patient, a knee injury, and the disappearance of his son.TV Guideranked "Time Heals" No. 44 on its 1997 list of"100 Greatest Episodes of All Time",calling the episode "a masterwork of dramatic writing."

"After Life"

Original air date: November 26, 1986

This episode deals with the shooting of Dr. Wayne Fiscus, who is critically wounded after being shot by the vengeful wife of a patient he is treating in the ER. As the staff frantically try to save him, Fiscus ventures back-and-forth between Hell (where he meets former colleague, and rapist, Peter White), Purgatory, and Heaven, where he has a conversation with God, who presents Himself as a spitting image of Fiscus. Just as Fiscus shakes hands withLou Gehrig,his colleagues successfully revive him back to Earth.

"Last Dance at the Wrecker's Ball"

Original air date: May 27, 1987

In the season-five finale, all attempts to save St. Eligius from closing seem to have failed. As demolition begins, a frail Dr. Auschlander, accidentally left in the hospital after a relapse, attempts to escape.

"A Moon For the Misbegotten"

Original air date: September 30, 1987

St. Eligius is saved (and any damage from the above-mentioned "Wrecker's Ball" repaired), but it falls under the new ownership of Ecumena Corporation, a nationalmanaged health careconcern. (The use of "Ecumena" garnered some real-life controversy, asHumanathought the use of that name sounded too much like its own. The trademark-infringement lawsuit that ensued promptedNBCto begin airing post-episode disclaimers stating that Ecumena was indeed fictional,and to change the corporate name mid-season to "Weigert".) Ecumena's choice to head St. Eligius, Dr. John Gideon, did not get along well with the St. Eligius staff, especially Dr. Westphall, who, in the final scene of this episode (andEd Flanders's last moment as aSt. Elsewhereseries regular), delivers his resignation "in terms you can understand" —by dropping his pants andexposing his bare buttocksto Gideon ( "You can kiss my ass, pal" ). This scene, which would normally be considered controversial, was preserved by NBC's censors as they did not consider Westphall's display to be erotic in nature.

"Their Town"

Original air date: April 20, 1988

In a somewhat change-of-pace episode, Drs. Craig and Novino, Ellen Craig, and Lizzie Westphall visit Donald and Tommy Westphall (Lizzie's father and brother, respectively), who appear to be enjoying the quiet life in small townNew Hampshire.The episode features Dr. Westphall occasionally breaking thefourth walland speaking directly to the viewer, a la the "Stage Manager" character inOur Town(the episode title and its location are nods to theThornton Wilderplay). The teleplay for "Their Town" was written bySt. Elsewherecast memberSagan Lewis(as "S.J. Lewis" ), although her character of Dr. Wade does not appear.

"The Last One"

Original air date: May 25, 1988

St. Elsewhere'sseries finalefeatures momentous changes for several main characters, including the departures of Drs. Fiscus and Morrison and the death of Dr. Auschlander, as well as the return of Dr. Westphall to an active leadership role at St. Eligius after Weigert agrees to sell the hospital back to the Boston archdiocese, as Dr. Gideon is set to move on to another hospital in San Jose, California.

The finale is more known for its provocative final scene: Westphall and his sonTommy Westphall(played byChad Allen), who hasautism,are seen in Dr. Auschlander's office watching snow falling outside. The image cuts to an exterior shot of the hospital, shaking. At that moment, Tommy and Daniel Auschlander are seen in an apartment building, with Tommy sitting on the floor playing with a snow globe. A much younger-looking Donald arrives home from a day of work, and it is clear from the uniform he wears and the dialog in this scene that he works in construction. "Auschlander" is revealed to be Donald's father, and thus Tommy's grandfather. Donald laments to his father, "I don't understand this autism thing, Pop. Here's my son. I talk to him. I don't even know if he can hear me, because he sits there, all day long, in his own world, staring at that toy. What's he thinking about?" As Tommy shakes the snow globe, he is told by his father to come and wash his hands for dinner. Donald places the snow globe on the family's television set and walks into the kitchen with Tommy and Auschlander; as they leave the room, the camera closes in on the snow globe—which holds a replica of St. Eligius.

The most common interpretation of this scene is that the entire series of events in the seriesSt. Elsewherehas been a product of Tommy Westphall's imagination, with elements of the above scene used as its own evidence.Author Cynthia Burkhead explains that with this final shot, "St. Elsewhere managed to take the idea of a dream and alter it just enough, putting it in the imagination of an autistic boy", and surmises that an ending constructed in this manner "reminds viewers that the fiction they have watched for six years is actually fiction within a fiction, occupying a second level of unreality, one level beyond the space of illusion filled by all narrative television."A notable result of this ending has been the attempt by individuals to determine how many television shows are also products of Tommy Westphall's mind owing to itsshared fictional characters(the "Tommy Westphall Universe").

"The Last One" 's closing credits differ from those of the rest of the series. In all other episodes, the credits appear over a still image of an ongoing surgical operation, followed by the traditionalMTM Productionsblack-backgrounded logo, featuringMimsie the Catin a cartoon surgical cap and mask. Here, the credits appear on a black background, flanked by anelectrocardiogramand an IV bag, with Mimsie lying on her side at the top of the screen; at the end of the credits, the heart monitorflatlines,marking Mimsie's death and the end ofSt. Elsewhere.Coincidentally, Mimsie the Cat died in real life shortly after the airing of "The Last One" at the age of 20.

"The Last One" brought in 22.5 million viewers, ranking 7th out of 68 programs that week and attracting a 17.0/29 rating/share, and ranking as the most watched episode of the series.In 2011, the finale was ranked No. 12 on theTV Guide NetworkspecialTV's Most Unforgettable Finales.

Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings

Season	Time slot (ET)	Rank	Rating
1982–83	Tuesdays 10 p.m.	#87	N/A
1983–84	Wednesdays 10 p.m.	#70	13.2
1984–85	Wednesdays 10 p.m.	#49	13.4
1985–86	Wednesdays 10 p.m.	#53	13.8
1986–87	Wednesdays 10 p.m.	#55	13.4
1987–88	Wednesdays 10 p.m.	#47	13.3

The ratings forSt. Elsewhere's first season were so poor that NBC hesitated to renew the show and the crew understood it to be cancelled. After a ratings pop from the season finale, network CEOGrant Tinker(Mark's father and a co-founder of MTM) personally intervened to continue the show. However, it struggled for renewals throughout its run due to its below-average overall ratings/viewership.

Allusions, crossovers, and homages

St. Elsewherewas known for the insertion of several allusions both large and small to classic movies, pop culture, and television events (the latter especially) throughout its run, including other shows that were produced byMTM Enterprises.Some of the more noteworthy allusions have included:

• The St. Eligius public address loudspeakers periodically summoned characters from other television series, often going unnoticed by the show's characters.
• The character of hospital orderly Warren Coolidge (played byByron Stewart) was carried over fromThe White Shadow,where Coolidge had been a student at Carver High. (BeforeSt. Elsewhere,Bruce Paltrowserved asShadow'sshowrunner.) Coolidge occasionally sported a Carver High T-shirt while working at St. Eligius. In third-season episode "Any Portrait in a Storm",Coolidge sees guest starTimothy Van Patten(anotherShadowalumnus) in an elevator and calls out "Hey! Salami!," to which Van Patten, playing an unrelated character (named Dean, in a three episode story arc), replies "You got the wrong guy, pal," leaving Coolidge trying to plead his case with a confused "No – it's Warren," as the elevator doors close.
• In the third season episode "Playing God, Part 2", the Craigs are in their bedroom and Mrs. Craig says she wants to see who is onThe Merv Griffin Show.Dr. Craig says, "Probably some stupid comic." She turns on the TV and Howie Mandel, the actor/comedian who played Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the show, can be heard. Dr. Craig says, "What is he wearing, a hand?" (a reference to Mandel's routine that involved wearing a surgical glove on his head).
• The third season episode "Sweet Dreams" features a recreation of themusic videofor theZZ Topsong "Legs".It features the Eliminator car, but the band was played by members of the cast.
• The fourth season episode "Close Encounters" has numerous crossovers.
  • In the psychiatric ward, patients watch various MTM-produced shows on television – MTM (headed byMary Tyler MooreandGrant Tinker) was the company that producedSt. Elsewhere.
    • The patients briefly watch MTM'sThe White Shadow,produced bySt. ElsewhereshowrunnerBruce Paltrow.It is seen here as fictional, even though orderly Warren Coolidge is a carryover fromThe White Shadow(see above). (In the previous season, the bar fromCheersis seen as both fictionalandpart of theSt. Elsewhereuniverse.)
  • Theamnesiacpatient John Doe #6, a recurring character played byOliver Clark,while watching an episode ofThe Mary Tyler Moore Showon a hospital TV, believes himself to be that series' lead characterMary Richards.He then mistakes guest starBetty Whitefor Sue Anne (the character White had played on that same show). She responds, "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else."
  • John Doe #6 is verbally disparaged by another patient in the psychiatric ward — Elliott Carlin, the resident neurotic fromThe Bob Newhart Showplayed byJack Riley.Carlin's treatment of Doe mirrored his behavior toward Oliver Clark'sBob Newhart Showcharacter, Mr. Herd. Mr. Carlin subsequently appeared on an episode ofNewhart,still uncured from the damage caused by "some quack in Chicago."
• In "Santa Claus is Dead", Dr. Craig mentions serving in Korea with his drinking buddy,B.J. Hunnicutt,implying that Dr. Hunnicutt was reassigned to another unit in Korea following the July 1953 deactivation of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital at the end ofM*A*S*H's finale, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen".
• The crew filled the series finale, "The Last One",with an abundance of allusions and homages. The cold open has Dr. Fiscus saying to an ER patient"General Sarnoff... "(the man responsible for launchingNBC,the first television network, in 1926) "... cut down the time you spend in front of the television". There is a direct reference to the 1967 series finale ofThe Fugitive,when orderly Coolidge catches a "One-Armed Man", on a water tower, for "Dr. Kimble". A patient appears to get his hair cut by (The Andy Griffith Show's)Floyd the Barber,including his first name, face and clothing. There is a call over the public address system for aCode Blue(someone has reached their "end" ) inRoom 222.There is a direct reference to the 1977 series finale ofThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,including a group hug, a group shuffle to get tissues and a suggestion that they sing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary".The finale for the characterDr. Henry Blakein a 1975 episode ofM*A*S*His referred to when cadaver "4077" is autopsied after a "helicopter crash". There are numerous song references, including Dr. Fiscus saying "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine",and Dr. Auschlander exclaiming"Jumpin' Jack, what was that flash?"

St. Elsewherewas also host to onecrossover,served as the source material for two others, and has been paid homage to in several ways:

• The third season's finale featured Drs. Westphall, Auschlander, and Craig visiting the eponymous pub ofCheers(also set in Boston) for a drink. During the second season ofCheers,barmaidCarla Tortelli(Rhea Perlman) gave birth to a child at St. Eligius, and here expresses her displeasure about her hospitalization there, even getting into a verbal altercation with Dr. Craig.
• TwoSt. Elsewherecharacters were carried over to the NBC seriesHomicide: Life on the Street,which was executive produced bySt. ElsewherealumnusTom Fontana.In an episode in season six entitled "Mercy",Alfre Woodardreprises her role of Dr. Roxanne Turner, who is accused of illegally euthanizing a cancer patient. Woodard was nominated for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance. In otherHomicideepisodes, the character of Detective Tim Bayliss (played by Kyle Secor) develops a bad back and is treated by an offscreen "Dr. Ehrlich". In theHomicide: The Moviefinale, Ed Begley Jr., makes an uncredited appearance as Dr. Victor Ehrlich.
• Ed Begley Jr.,William Daniels,Stephen Furst,andEric Laneuvillereunited to appear in a season-one episode ofScrubswhere the actors, rather than reprising theirSt. Elsewhereroles, play a quartet of doctors that fall sick at a medical convention. The episode was part of a week-long series of events honoringNBC's 75th Anniversary.
• Episode 7 ( "There Are No F**king Sides" ) of Season 1 of Showtime's seriesCity on a Hill(based in early 1990s Boston) includes an establishing shot of the exterior of St. Eligius, along with hospital scenes in which Dr. Morrison is referenced by a character, and in which Drs. Axelrod, Wade, Westphall, and Fiscus and Nurse Papandreau are paged in the background on the hospital's PA system. In S01E08, St. Eligius was mentioned by name.
• InOz,the company Weigert (which played a major role inSt. Elsewhere's final season) takes over the prison's medical ward after the company makes a deal with Governor Devlin in Season 3. During the final season, nurse andangel of mercyserial killer is mentioned as having been fired from numerous hospitals prior to joining Oz's medical staff, including St. Elsewhere.
• In the 2023 Rock N Roll Biographies comic book on King Diamond from Ten Ton Press, the ending is a direct homage to the final episode which writer Spike Steffenhagen has called "The greatest ending to any television show." The final panel features a couple looking at their two black cats (who have appeared as giants throughout the story) staring into a snow globe with a haunted house in it.

Awards and nominations

Main article:List of awards and nominations received by St. Elsewhere

St. Elsewherewon 24 out of 106 award nominations. The series garnered 62Primetime Emmy Awardnominations, winning 13 of them. Out the thirteen wins,Ed Flanderswon once andWilliam Danielswon twice forOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series,Bonnie BartlettandDoris Robertseach won forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series,James Cocowon forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series,John MasiusandTom Fontanawon two awards forOutstanding Writing for a Drama Series,andMark Tinkerwon forOutstanding Directing for a Drama Series.It received fiveGolden Globe Awardnominations, with four of them forBest Television Series – Drama.St. Elsewherereceived sevenTCA Awardnominations, winning once forOutstanding Achievement in Drama.The series also won three out of fourQ Awards.Additional accolades include aPeabody Awardand People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Dramatic Program.

Film adaptation

In May 2003,Walden Mediaannounced a partnership with Roth Films to create afilm adaptationof the television series.It was never made.

Syndication

After its initial run, reruns ofSt. Elsewhereaired for a time in syndication, with later runs onNick at Nite,TV Land,BravoandAmericanLife TV Network.

Also a popular series in theUnited Kingdom,St. Elsewherehas been aired twice by two separate British broadcasters.Channel 4aired the series between 1983 and 1989, withSky Onelater airing repeats in a daily Midday timeslot during 1992–93. In 2009, Channel 4 began showing the series again, usually at around 03:30 AM, and have repeated the entire series several times since then. All 137 episodes are also available to view online atAll 4.

Nick at Nite first addedSt. Elsewhereto its regular lineup on April 29, 1996, as part of an all-night sneak peek of sister network TV Land. After the sneak peek, Nick at Nite airedSt. Elsewhereregularly from May 4 until July 6, 1996, every Saturday night as part of a short-lived programming block calledNick at Nite's TV Land Sampler.St. Elsewherewas one of many rotating shows airing Saturday nights as part ofNick at Nite's TV Land Sampler,which included (among other shows)Petticoat Junction,That GirlandThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Houralong with past Nick at Nite ClassicsMister EdandGreen Acres.Nick at Nite aired reruns ofSt. Elsewhereonce again from June 30 until July 4, 1997, as part of the week-long eventThe 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. Theme music-- St. Elsewhere/Music composed by Dave Grusin. Robert David Grusin, an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader, has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy Award and 10 Grammy Awards.

Home media

On November 28, 2006,20th Century Fox Home Entertainmentreleased the complete first season ofSt. Elsewhereon DVD in Region 1.

In Region 2,Channel 4 DVDreleased the first season on DVD in the UK on April 2, 2007.All episodes have been made available on Channel 4's UK on-demand internet stream All 4 in the UK andIreland,though these episodes are edited versions for syndication and not as they were originally aired.

As of June 2021, all six seasons of the series are available for streaming onHulu.

Further reading

• Robert J. Thompson(1996).Television's Second Golden Age.Oakland, California:Continuum International Publishing Group.ISBN978-0826409010.
• Bianculli, David (1992).Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously.Syracuse,New York:Syracuse University Press.ISBN978-0815606536.
• Bianculli, David (1997).Dictionary of Teleliteracy: Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses, and Events.Ann Arbor, Michigan:Continuum International Publishing Group.ISBN978-0826405777.
• Turow, Joseph (1989).Playing Doctor: Television, Storytelling, and Medical Power.Ann Arbor, Michigan:Oxford University Press.ISBN9780-195044904.

External links

• St. ElsewhereatIMDb
• Cast list and links
• St. Elsewhereatepguides
• St. Elsewherein the Encyclopedia of TelevisionArchivedJune 25, 2008, at theWayback Machine
• The Tommy Westphall Universe