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List Price: $39.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 10904
Released: November 28, 2006 |
| Our Price: $19.99 |
| Used Price: $11.99 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Over its six-season run, the ground-breaking, critically acclaimed St. Elsewhere was nominated for over 60 Emmy Awards, winning 13 of them! This remarkable series, with its unique blend of intense medical drama, off-beat humor and imaginative storytelling, paved the way for later TV classics such as E.R. and Chicago Hope, while introducing America to future superstars Mark Harmon, Howie Mandel, and Oscar(r)-winner* Denzel Washington. Eccentric, insightful, and intelligent, St. Elsewhere is considered to be one of the best dramas ever to air on broadcast television.
Description of St. Elsewhere - Season 1:
Beginning its six-year run in 1982, St. Elsewhere was neither television's first ensemble medical drama nor, heaven knows, its last. Yet this four-disc set of all 22 episodes from the first season is a reminder that this was, and still is, one of the very best. Even now, when "reality" programming blights the landscape like some biblical plague, doc, cop, and lawyer shows remain staples of the medium, and while the likes of C.S.I., E.R., and Grey's Anatomy have it all over St. Elsewhere in the sizzle department--the production values are much flashier, the content sexier, more graphic, and faster-moving, the technology both in front of and behind the camera light years more sophisticated--the older show, despite its somewhat cheesy '70s vibe, is the hands-down winner when it comes to the actual steak. That's because it does it the old-fashioned way: by relying on good writing, vividly-drawn, identifiable characters, and excellent performances by an eye-opening group of actors.
Co-creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey's pilot episode, which establishes the scene at Boston's St. Eligius Hospital (mocked as "St. Elsewhere" due to its rundown facilities and reputation as a "dumping ground" for the poor and disenfranchised), isn't especially promising. While we can see right away that the show sports a lighter, more humorous tone than others of its genre, the direction is static, the acting and dialogue are often stiff, and what passes for "chaos" is pretty tame. But it hits its stride almost immediately thereafter, as the characters (including Howie Mandel's wisecracking Dr. Fiscus, David Morse's driven, committed Dr. Morrison, William Daniels' egotistical, pompous Dr. Craig, and Ed Begley, Jr.'s nerdy Dr. Ehrlich) are more fully realized. The cast, in fact, may be the most impressive ever assembled for a TV program: in the first season alone, the list of actors with regular, recurring, and one-shot appearances includes future movie stars Denzel Washington (a regular, but his role is minor), Tim Robbins, Ally Sheedy, Christopher Guest, Laraine Newman, Ray Liotta, Tom Hulce, Michael Madsen, and Rae Dawn Chong. Sure, some of the multiple storylines are dated: the handling of issues like gun control, immigration, and terrorism seems almost quaint by today's standards, and a running gag concerning ladies man Dr. Samuels' (David Birney) having to inform his many lovers that he has gonorrhea comes off as tasteless and unfunny, notwithstanding that era's low awareness of AIDS and other STDs. But on the whole, this St. Elsewhere set (extras include audio commentary for "Cora and Arnie," plus four featurettes) is a reminder of episodic TV at its best. --Sam Graham
St. Elsewhere - Season 1 Reviews:
The Best Medical Drama, Ever!! 
2009-09-14 - I loved this series when it was on TV. The characters are endearing and believable and the casting was superb. The blend of comedy and drama works perfectly. Healthcare has changed drastically since this aired in the eighties, but the great storylines and acting hold up well.I highly recommend St. Elsewhere and hope seasons 2 & 3 will be released soon.
My only complaint would be with the 2-sided DVDs and lack of labeling on same.
Buy it and enjoy!
St. Elsewhere Season 1
2009-08-31 - We enjoyed these DVD's of St. Elsewhere so much that we watched all of them in one sitting. Cannot wait for the other 5 sets of the series to come out, so we can add them to our DVD library.
One of the best shows ever, technical quality abysmal! 
2009-07-07 - My review title pretty much says it all. For me, St. Elsewhere is one of the best television shows ever, and watching it again is a wonderfully nostalgic experience. That said, the technical quality of this DVD set should be a total embarrassment to Fox and the series producers. The picture is washed out and SNOWY like a Vhs taping of a poor quality over-the-air broadcast. Absolutely shameful, especially for a series that was carefully (if I recall) originally produced on photographic filmstock. I cannot understand the overall high rating this DVD set is being given by Amazon reviewers. WE DESERVE BETTER, PEOPLE!
Loved St. Elsewhere
2009-05-31 - Loved all of the seasons of St Elsewhere. I especially liked to see "Boomer" played by David Morse, he was teriffic! Also, liked William Daniels and Howie Mandel. Can't wait to see seasons 2-6, hope it happens.
The original ER
2009-04-15 - So many of the cast of this first-rate 80's show have gone on to be big names - Denzel Washington, Howie Mandel, Alfre Woodard... St Elsewhere was so well written and never afraid to take on the hot topics of the day. They even had a main character die of AIDS. The episodes are filled with a mix of drama, humor (sometimes dark hospital humor...), great characters and good acting. Some of the best TV came from the 80's and St Elsewhere is definitely on the list of all-time greats.
