Why ER Killed Off Dr. Mark Greene In Season 8
Season 8 of ER saw the death of one of the series’ most popular and beloved main characters: Dr. Mark Greene. Here’s why he was killed off.
You Are Reading :Why ER Killed Off Dr Mark Greene In Season 8
Airing for roughly fifteen years, ER has seen the death and abrupt exits of many beloved characters, most notably Dr. Mark Greene in season 8–but why was he killed off? Created by physician and sci-fi novelist Michael Crichton (creator of Jurassic Park and Westworld), ER made its debut on NBC in 1994, achieving overwhelming success with a total of 331 episodes over the course of 15 seasons before ending in 2009, making it the second-longest-running medical drama behind Grey’s Anatomy.
Played by Anthony Edwards, the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning star of Top Gun and Revenge of the Nerds fame, Dr. Greene was one of ER’s most inherently likable leading men, as well as, arguably, the television series’ overall main protagonist for the first eight seasons. From the pilot episode, which starts with Dr. Greene tending to his drunk friend Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney) while also overseeing a dozen critically injured patients, to his final season, Dr. Greene consistently remained both a good friend and an authority figure to his fellow medical team. With his tragic passing to a brain tumor in season 8, a void was left in his stead for the ER show cast members and fans of the primetime television series.
A year prior to Dr. Greene’s departure from the series in 2002, Edwards expressed to the Associated Press his desire to step away from the role. “It’s been eight years of my family working around my schedule,” Edwards explained in 2001. “It’s been a long time playing Dr. Greene.” Essentially, married with three daughters and one son, Edwards wanted to spend more time being there for his family while leaving open the possibility for other career opportunities. To honor his wishes, the ER writers gave Dr. Greene the dramatically tragic exit his character deserved.
Following his leave from ER, Edwards mostly spent time with his family. However, he also took on a few one-off and minor roles in various TV series, including the quickly canceled conspiracy drama Zero Hour, playing Judge Stanley Weisberg in the miniseries Law & Order True Crime, and Mars Harper in Designated Survivor. He even directed the 2016 comedy My Dead Boyfriend, starring Heather Graham, Katherine Moennig, and Scott Michael Foster.
As the only original cast member to die in the series, Dr. Greene certainly remains one of ER’s most cherished characters. He may have a more low-key profile now, but with him playing both Dr. Greene in ER and Goose in Top Gun, Anthony Edwards has had two of the most impactful and heartbreaking on-screen deaths ever on both the small and big screen. Though many ER fans are still reeling over Dr. Greene’s death, it’s nice to know that the character’s sad ending was a fresh new beginning for Edwards.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/er-mark-greene-death-season-8-anthony-edwards-why/