ER season 9

Last updated

ER
Season 9
ER Season 9.jpg
DVD cover
Starring
No. of episodes22
Release
Original network NBC
Original releaseSeptember 26, 2002 (2002-09-26) 
May 15, 2003 (2003-05-15)
Season chronology
 Previous
Season 8
Next 
Season 10
List of episodes

The ninth season of the American fictional drama television series ER first aired on September 26, 2002, and concluded on May 15, 2003. The ninth season consists of 22 episodes.

Contents

Plot

For the first time John Carter becomes the central character and Noah Wyle receives star billing. The death of Mark Greene continues to affect his colleagues while a grieving Corday has left Chicago for England. She returns and a medical student raises eyebrows. The ER is still plagued by the smallpox disease at the beginning. Elsewhere Romano suffers a horrific injury which has consequences throughout the season, Weaver finds herself promoted, Abby's family troubles resurface, Pratt continues to get on the wrong side of his colleagues, and Kovač and Carter join a relief mission in Africa, setting up a continuing story thread for following seasons. Carter deals with professional and family issues while other staff members have their own problems. Over the course of this season, Romano suffers setbacks after losing his arm, Abby and Carter lean towards a relationship, Pratt has troubles in both his personal and professional life.

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Notable guest stars

Production

Original executive producers John Wells and Michael Crichton reprised their roles. Long-time crew member Jack Orman returned as executive producer and show runner. Previous executive producer Christopher Chulack remained a consulting producer while working on Wells' Third Watch . R. Scott Gemmill and Dee Johnson continued to act as co-executive producers. Medical expert Joe Sachs remained a supervising producer. Richard Thorpe, Joe Sachs, and Wendy Spence Rosato returned as producers. They were joined by new producer Bruce Miller. Eighth season executive story editor David Zabel and unit production manager Tommy Burns joined the production team as co-producers for the ninth season. New crew member Julie Hébert began the season as a co-producer. Zabel and Hebert were promoted to producers mid-season. Hebert left the crew with the close of the season. Teresa Salamunovich returned to the crew as an associate producer for the ninth season. She was joined by new associate producers Erin Mitchell (for the entire season) and Shelagh O'Brien (after the mid-season break).

Wells wrote a further episode for the season. Gemmill was the season's most prolific writer with five episodes. Johnson and Orman each wrote four episodes. Zabel and Hebert each wrote three episodes. Sachs and Miller each wrote two episodes. Yahlin Chang joined the writing staff as a story editor in 2002 and contributed to four episodes as a writer and twelve episodes as an executive story editor and one episode as a co-producer between 2002 and 2005. Wells was promoted to executive story editor mid-season but left the staff with the close of the season. New writer Arthur Albert wrote a single episode.

Producers Kaplan and Thorpe served as the season's regular directors. Kaplan helmed five episodes while Thorpe directed four. Chulack directed a further episode. Show runner Orman helmed a further two episodes. New producer Hebert directed a single episode. Returning director Charles Haid directed two episodes. Cast members Laura Innes and Paul McCrane each directed an episode, McCrane making his series debut. Returning directors were Félix Enríquez Alcalá, David Nutter, Nelson McCormick, TR Babu Subramaniam, and Alan J. Levi. Peggy Rajski was the season's only new director.

Episodes

"Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 9/23/02 - 9/29/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on December 18, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 9/30/02 - 10/6/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on October 15, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 10/7/02 - 10/13/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on October 22, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 10/14/02 - 10/20/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 10/28/02 - 11/3/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on November 6, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 11/4/02 - 11/10/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on November 14, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 11/11/02 - 11/17/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on November 21, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 11/18/02 - 11/24/02". Zap2it . Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • Fitzgerald, Toni (December 11, 2002). "The fading of 'Without a Trace'". Media Life Magazine . Archived from the original on June 22, 2004. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • Fitzgerald, Toni (December 18, 2002). "Ho-hum, another 'Survivor' finale". Media Life Magazine . Archived from the original on November 3, 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 1/6/03 - 1/12-03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on April 21, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 1/13/03 - 1/19/03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on June 9, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 1/27/03 - 2/2/03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on April 21, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 2/3/03 - 2/9/03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on February 16, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 2/10/03 - 2/16/03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on June 9, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 2/17/03 - 2/23/03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on June 24, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 3/10/03 - 3/16/03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on June 9, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • "Top 20 Network Primetime Report: Week of 3/31/03 - 4/6/03". Zap2it . Archived from the original on June 23, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • Downey, Kevin (April 30, 2003). "Fox swats hard at NBC in sweeps". Media Life Magazine . Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • Fitzgerald, Toni (May 7, 2003). "CBS's sweeps play: Stay out of the mud". Media Life Magazine . Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • Fitzgerald, Toni (May 14, 2003). "CBS's shrewd play with 'Survivor' finale". Media Life Magazine . Archived from the original on October 25, 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • Fitzgerald, Toni (May 21, 2003). "The hurt Fox must be feeling over its fumbling fall". Media Life Magazine . Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  • No.
    overall
    No. in
    season
    TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
    code
    US viewers
    (millions)
    1801"Chaos Theory" Jonathan Kaplan Jack Orman & R. Scott Gemmill September 26, 2002 (2002-09-26)17515126.72 [8]
    As the smallpox crisis continues, the disease is identified as a variant of monkeypox originating in the Congo. While treatment with the smallpox vaccine begins, the CDC orders the entire evacuation of the hospital and Carter, Abby, Chen, and Pratt are placed under quarantine. As the evacuation goes awry Romano and Kovač argue over the use of the last helicopter (Romano wants to airlift out a very old man suffering from liver failure), Romano's arm is severed when he backs into the chopper's tail rotor. As Kovač battles to keep him alive in a deserted ER, Lewis is left stuck on the roof with Romano's dying patient. A grieving Corday has returned to London where her Americanized ways raise eyebrows among her British colleagues and drive home how she will no longer accept or adapt to their archaic, sexist practices. Abby and Carter's relationship becomes intimate and continues when the quarantine ends. The young boy who initially presented with the virus survives while his little sister ends up being the only casualty of the outbreak.
    1812"Dead Again"Richard Thorpe Dee Johnson October 3, 2002 (2002-10-03)17515225.13 [9]
    Local ER closings wreak havoc at County, as Carter tries to keep the peace. Weaver steps on a still-grieving Corday's toes, and a med student awaits her overdue orientation. Pratt's inability to follow orders results in tragedy for a family when he resuscitates a brain dead father. Gallant drives everyone crazy during his psych rotation.