S
St. Elsewhere
Identification Television drama series
Date Aired from October 26, 1982, to May 25,
1988
Unlike some previous medical shows that centered on pa-
tients,St. Elsewherefocused on doctors and nurses, who
were portrayed as flawed and fallible. One of the major en-
semble dramas of the decade, the show often emphasized the
medical professionals’ career and personal problems and
portrayed the workplace as a surrogate family.
Much likeHill Street Blues(1981-1987),St. Elsewhere
was an ensemble drama with a large cast. There were
often four story lines in an episode, and some plots
and subplots continued through several episodes.
The show treated medical ailments not generally
discussed on television or even “polite” society, such
as impotence and addiction. In December, 1983, it
became the first prime-time drama to focus on an
AIDS patient.
The primary characters, each of whom functioned
in various ways as a role model, were three veteran
physicians: Dr. Donald Westphall, played by Ed Flan-
ders; Dr. Mark Craig, played by William Daniels; and
Dr. Daniel Auschlander, played by Norman Lloyd.
The show featured a dozen more central characters,
including nurses, first- and second-year residents,
and other hospital staff. Additional characters for
each episode, some of whom were recurring, were
often played by actors celebrated for their work in
film and television.St. Elsewherebegan the careers of
many major television and film actors and writers.
Actors Mark Harmon, Howie Mandel, and Alfre
Woodard went on to success in film and television,
and both Denzel Washington and Helen Hunt won
Academy Awards. Viewers were attracted to the real-
ism of the show, set at a deteriorating hospital, St.
Eligius, in Boston. Compelling plots often explored
ethical dilemmas. The series was also characterized
by dark humor that mixed the real with the surreal—
and by a series of in-jokes and puns. In 1993, the edi-
tors ofTV GuidenamedSt. Elsewherethe best drama
of all time.
Impact St. Elsewherehad the good fortune to be pro-
duced at a time when networks were beginning
to care as much about the demographics of their
viewship as they did about sheer numbers. The ad-
vent of cable television and narrowcasting, in addi-
tion to more sophisticated audience analysis tech-
niques, made targeted audiences with expensive
tastes and disposable income desirable. The series
had dismal ratings: It finished its first season ranked
eighty-sixth out of ninety-eight prime-time shows.
However, critics recognized the superior quality of
its writing and acting, and it was renewed for a sec-
ond season based on the fact that its viewship was
composed disproportionately of yuppies. In addi-
tion to its quality,St. Elsewhere’s focus on the personal
problems of the hospital staff appealed to the so-
called me generation.
Over its six years, the show won thirteen Emmy
Awards but never reached higher than forty-ninth
place out of about one hundred shows in the Nielson
ratings; it did, however, make a lot of money for
the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). Adver-
tisers seeking to reach wealthy baby boomers paid
top dollar to air commercials duringSt. Elsewhere’s
time slot. The final episode ofSt. Elsewhere, titled
“The Last One,” portrayed the entire six-year series
as a fantasy, existing only in the imagination of an au-
tistic child. This playful vision of television “reality”
made media history.
Further Reading
Thompson, Robert J.Television’s Second Golden Age.
New York: Continuum, 1996.
Turow, Joseph.Playing Doctor: Television, Stor ytelling,
and Medical Power. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1989.
Marcia B. DinneenSee also AIDS epidemic;Hill Street Blues; Televi-
sion; Yuppies.