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The Best Episodes of ER

Every episode of ER ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of ER!

Binge this in 10d 5h•Peaking at 9.0/10

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    ER Season 2 Episode 7 - Hell and High Water
    9.0/10(11 votes)

    #1 - Hell and High Water

    S2:E7

    In the middle of a torrential rainstorm, Dr. Ross stumbles across a child trapped in a drainage pipe rapidly filling with water. Doug does everything possible to save the boy, Ben Larkin. Harper develops a bond with a young girl with separated parents.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writer:Neal Baer

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  2. ER Season 2 Episode 16 - The Healers
    8.8/10(13 votes)

    #2 - The Healers

    S2:E16

    Shep and Raul respond to a massive fire without proper equipment, risking their lives to save addicts and their children. Shep will be okay, but Raul has third-degree burns covering his body; it's only a matter of time. The ER is flooded with burn victims. Chloe returns to Chicago. Doug is stood up by his father for a basketball game.

    Director:Mimi Leder
    Writer:John Wells

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  3. ER Season 8 Episode 21 - On the Beach
    8.8/10(9 votes)

    #3 - On the Beach

    S8:E21

    Dr. Greene's final days are spent in Hawaii with Rachel, teaching her to drive and surf. When he suffers a seizure, Elizabeth is called. Mark refuses to go home. He manages to make amends with his daughter before his eventual death.

    Director:John Wells
    Writer:John Wells

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  4. ER Season 10 Episode 8 - Freefall
    8.8/10(9 votes)

    #4 - Freefall

    S10:E8

    On Thanksgiving Day, a helicopter crash outside the ER leaves several injured, and kills one of the doctors. Alex tries to bring Sam and Luka together.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writer:Joe Sachs

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  5. ER Season 1 Episode 10 - Blizzard
    8.7/10(15 votes)

    #5 - Blizzard

    S1:E10

    A severe blizzard leaves the ER utterly devoid of patients, leaving the staff free to goof off. In the middle of their fun, a call comes from dispatch, informing the ER of a 40-car pile-up with dozens of casualties. The ER goes from being deserted to capacity. All surgeons are called in. Bob surprises everyone with a quick and life-saving decision. A new doctor, Angela Hicks, arrives just at the right time. Ross and Linda return from the Caribbean just as Carol makes a surprise announcement.

    Director:Mimi Leder
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. ER Season 1 Episode 19 - Love's Labor Lost
    8.7/10(12 votes)

    #6 - Love's Labor Lost

    S1:E19

    A busy Dr. Greene goes all day in solving his patients' problems until he encounters the case of a pregnant woman suffering from complications that threaten both her life and her unborn baby's.

    Director:Mimi Leder
    Writer:Lance Gentile

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of ER

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  7. ER Season 4 Episode 15 - Exodus
    8.7/10(9 votes)

    #7 - Exodus

    S4:E15

    Because of benzene that's been spread, the ER has to close. Weaver gets felled and Carter has to take the lead.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writers:Walon Green, Joe Sachs

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  8. ER Season 2 Episode 18 - A Shift in the Night
    8.6/10(11 votes)

    #8 - A Shift in the Night

    S2:E18

    Mark finds himself manning a very crowded ER on his scheduled night off, filling in while Doug is out with whiplash and Susan meets with her lawyer. He tries to juggle hunger pangs, 40+ patients in the waiting room and a never-ending stream of traumas.

    Director:Lance Gentile
    Writer:Joe Sachs

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  9. ER Season 4 Episode 7 - Fathers and Sons
    8.6/10(10 votes)

    #9 - Fathers and Sons

    S4:E7

    Ross and Greene travel to a near-deserted stretch of California to investigate circumstances surrounding a death in Doug's family.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writer:John Wells

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  10. ER Season 7 Episode 15 - The Crossing
    8.6/10(8 votes)

    #10 - The Crossing

    S7:E15

    In the series' 150th episode, a massive train wreck mobilizes the emergency room doctors. Corday, Carter and Kovac rush to the scene. Corday falls and injures her back, bringing on contractions in only her 25th week of pregnancy. While amputating the legs of a fallen firefighter, Corday stops because of her pain.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Jack Orman

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  11. ER Season 8 Episode 18 - Orion in the Sky
    8.6/10(7 votes)

    #11 - Orion in the Sky

    S8:E18

    As Dr. Greene's brain tumor begins affecting his coordination, he becomes concerned that his fate will be similar to the terminally ill patients he treats.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:David Zabel

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  12. ER Season 15 Episode 7 - Heal Thyself
    8.6/10(7 votes)

    #12 - Heal Thyself

    S15:E7

    While out for a mind-clearing run, Banfield encounters a desperate situation and finds herself trying to rescue a young girl from drowning in a nearby lake. Painful memories of her son in mortal danger and Dr. Greene's heroic attempts to save him are triggered during the experience. Meanwhile, Gates attempts to pull some strings to help out a homeless war veteran, and the interns continue to struggle in the ER.

    Director:David Zabel
    Writer:David Zabel

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  13. ER Season 2 Episode 15 - Baby Shower
    8.5/10(11 votes)

    #13 - Baby Shower

    S2:E15

    The ER hosts roughly a dozen pregnant women when a sprinkler bursts in the maternity ward. Carter plays tour guide for the visiting surgical intern hopefuls before going through the interview himself. Benton tries to bring a hopeless patient back from the brink of death in a marathon surgery. Jerry tries to convince the others that basketball player Scottie Pippen visisted. Doug visits his father.

    Director:Barnet Kellman
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. ER Season 3 Episode 11 - Night Shift
    8.5/10(11 votes)

    #14 - Night Shift

    S3:E11

    Carol has to fire two of the nurses. Meanwhile, Gant feels Benton is too hard on him.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Paul Manning

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  15. ER Season 6 Episode 14 - All in the Family
    8.5/10(15 votes)

    #15 - All in the Family

    S6:E14

    Carter and Lucy are discovered and the staff struggles to save them and go on with normal patient care.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Jack Orman

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  16. ER Season 8 Episode 16 - Secrets and Lies
    8.5/10(8 votes)

    #16 - Secrets and Lies

    S8:E16

    After some staff members are caught going through a dominatrix's bag, Weaver makes them attend a sexual harassment seminar, where they learn about each other.

    Director:Richard Thorpe
    Writer:John Wells

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  17. ER Season 12 Episode 8 - Two Ships
    8.5/10(8 votes)

    #17 - Two Ships

    S12:E8

    The ER prepares to take in victims from a plane collision, while Neela and Pratt head out to the crash site where Neela makes heroic efforts. At the end of the day, Neela gets a surprising visit.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writers:Joe Sachs, Virgil Williams

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  18. ER Season 1 Episode 1 - 24 Hours
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #18 - 24 Hours

    S1:E1

    A day's worth of trauma takes its toll on the men and women of the ER. Dr. Greene looks into leaving the ER and joining private practice. Among other events, multiple casualties are brought in when a building collapses. New medical students report for duty, including Dr. Benton's new trainee, the young and inexperienced John Carter.

    Director:Rod Holcomb
    Writer:Michael Crichton

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  19. ER Season 1 Episode 20 - Full Moon, Saturday Night
    8.4/10(11 votes)

    #19 - Full Moon, Saturday Night

    S1:E20

    Mark, still upset over the loss of Jodi O'Brien, takes the night off but ends up in the ER anyway, albeit an hour late, when the new chief runs a drill at 2:00 a.m. Benton begins to realize his mother's future is not bright. Carter and Deb compete against each other. A small moon coinciding with the naturally heavy Saturday night traffic causes an exciting night.

    Director:Donna Deitch
    Writer:Neal Baer

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  20. ER Season 5 Episode 15 - The Storm (2)
    8.4/10(9 votes)

    #20 - The Storm (2)

    S5:E15

    Greene assists paramedics in treating injured children at a school bus accident. En route, Doug and Jeanie survive their own accident. Kerry stops Doug from treating Jeanie...or any other patient. Doug decides to resign and leave Chicago for the Northwest and asks Carol to come with him. She decides against it, but he leaves anyway. Carol steps down from running the clinic so that Anspaugh will keep it open. Jeanie discovers she may have contracted hepatitis. Hospital janitor Mobalage's wife is stabbed.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writer:John Wells

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  21. ER Season 6 Episode 1 - Leave It to Weaver
    8.4/10(11 votes)

    #21 - Leave It to Weaver

    S6:E1

    When Anspaugh decides to retire as chief of staff and return to surgery, he appoints Romano as his replacement. Greene expresses reservations about the decision, but Weaver does not support Greene. Romano makes Weaver the new chief of emergency medicine.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Lydia Woodward

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  22. ER Season 6 Episode 8 - Great Expectations
    8.4/10(9 votes)

    #22 - Great Expectations

    S6:E8

    On Thanksgiving Day Carol goes into labor. She's able to get to the ER only thanks to Luka's help. She delivers the first baby in the ER, but the second causes some trouble. Greene leaves Elizabeth to deal with his father and daughter, as he rushes to assist Carol.

    Director:Christopher Misiano
    Writer:Jack Orman

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  23. ER Season 6 Episode 13 - Be Still My Heart
    8.4/10(11 votes)

    #23 - Be Still My Heart

    S6:E13

    Dr. Greene and Corday bond with their parents, Lucy cares for a patient with a psychotic break, and Valentine's Day celebrations in the ER end tragically for one of the students.

    Director:Laura Innes
    Writer:Lydia Woodward

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  24. ER Season 6 Episode 22 - May Day
    8.4/10(11 votes)

    #24 - May Day

    S6:E22

    As the result of a school shooting, Kovac and Benton care for the gunman and his victims. Abby discovers that Carter has been illegally injecting pain relievers. Greene and Weaver confront Carter about his problem, and Weaver orders him to enter a drug rehabilitation center or leave the hospital permanently.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Jack Orman

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  25. ER Season 7 Episode 6 - The Visit
    8.4/10(10 votes)

    #25 - The Visit

    S7:E6

    Corday rushes through a surgical procedure in order to take off on a romantic weekend with Greene. She is later called back to the hospital after her patient suffers complications. Abby's mother, Maggie, who suffers from bipolar disorder (manic-depressive) and refuses to take her medication, unexpectedly visits Abby at the hospital and wreaks havoc on Abby's life.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:John Wells

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Best Episodes Summary

"Hell and High Water" is the best rated episode of "ER". It scored 9/10 based on 11 votes. Directed by Christopher Chulack and written by Neal Baer, it aired on 11/9/1995. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Healers".