One Of Television's Most Popular Characters Was Supposed To Die After Just One Episode

The following article contains mentions of suicide. 

Michael Crichton's "ER" is a big reason why medical dramas are as big as they are today. The show was a ratings juggernaut, won an impressive 23 Emmys during its 15-season run, and made household names of its major stars, including Noah Wyle, who continues to carry the medical drama torch on "The Pitt." 

But the biggest star to come out of "ER" was George Clooney, who played pediatrician Dr. Doug Ross. It was evident from the beginning that the good doctor would become a fan favorite. Clooney's co-star, Julianna Margulies (who played Nurse Carol Hathaway and was the only "ER" star to win an acting Emmy), found this out firsthand when test audiences saved her character from being killed off in the pilot because, basically, it would have made Doug Ross sad.

"[Carol] dies in the pilot from a drug overdose," Margulies said about the show's original plans during an appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" (via TV Insider). "But the way the director shot it — he was great, Rod Holcomb, who passed away last year — he did it through George Clooney's eyes, because ... he was an old flame of hers. The whole audience went 'No!' Because they loved George Clooney so much — who doesn't?" Of course, viewers would also fall in love with Carol, who went on to become one of the show's, and therefore television's, most popular characters.

In addition to George Clooney and the test audience's reaction, Julianna Margulies said that she also had Sherry Stringfield to thank for Carol's survival. Stringfield, who played Dr. Susan Lewis, made the decision to cover her mouth while speaking a line that might have doomed Carol, regardless of the test audience's opinions. "When I get brought in on the gurney, she for some reason [put] her clipboard to her mouth when she said, 'She's brain dead,'" Margulies told Clarkson. "So you don't see it! They just looped different lines in, saying, 'She's gonna be OK,' or whatever, and they brought me back to life."

And what a good call it turned out to be. Carol taking a deliberate overdose and returning to the emergency room as a patient is a pivotal moment in the "ER" pilot, "24 Hours." Her return to work and struggle to maintain her composure in the following episode ("Day One") immediately proved that keeping Carol alive and Margulies in the main cast was the right choice. Margulies certainly put in the work to earn the second chance; after learning that real nurses were displeased with Carol's suicide attempt, she attended a nurses' convention to discuss authenticity and representation.

The "ER" cast scattered to the winds a long time ago, and Margulies went on to have roles on shows like "The Good Wife," "The Sopranos," and "The Morning Show." Still, judging by the way she and Clooney gamely honored their characters 30 years after "ER" ended in 2024, it's obvious that they still appreciate their time on the show.

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