{"id":5793,"date":"2026-08-22T18:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T18:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=5793"},"modified":"2026-08-22T18:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T18:35:15","slug":"before-the-pitt-there-was-st-elsewhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=5793","title":{"rendered":"Before \u2018The Pitt,\u2019 There Was \u2018St. Elsewhere\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tThough it was never an outright hit, St. Elsewhere<\/em> punched way above its weight in terms of the careers it helped launch and a style that set the template for medical dramas that followed it. The show can also boast one of the more memorable series finales in TV history.<\/p>\n

Read more Michael Wright, Star of \u2018The Five Heartbeats\u2019 and \u2018Sugar Hill,\u2019 Dies at 70<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tCreated by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, St. Elsewhere<\/em> followed the staff and patients at a struggling Boston hospital over six seasons on NBC, from 1982 to 1988. Like its fellow NBC show Hill Street Blues<\/em> (both were from MTM Enterprises), St. Elsewhere <\/em>pioneered a new kind of storytelling. Hospital dramas that came before it focused mainly on a lead character whose personal struggles didn\u2019t interfere with their work and presented the health care system as orderly and well functioning (see Marcus Welby, M.D.<\/em>, Trapper John, M.D.<\/em>). St. Elsewhere<\/em> instead took a grittier tack, with overlapping, serialized stories and medical professionals who had complicated lives and sometimes could not save patients \u00ad\u2014 traits that are recognizable in its successors, from ER<\/em> to Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> to The Pitt<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen the series debuted, that style was seen as a barrier to success: Reviewing the show in November 1982, THR<\/em> critic Richard Hack wrote, \u201cSo real and graphic is the drama being presented here that we cannot believe that 20 million people across this country will find it entertaining enough to flip to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNonetheless, St. Elsewhere<\/em> would win 13 Emmys over its run, including six for its fourth season in 1986. It was nominated for best drama series in all six seasons, though it never took home that honor.<\/p>\n

Read more Janie Bradford, \u201cMoney (That\u2019s What I Want)\u201d Songwriter, Dies at 87<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThree of the show\u2019s regulars \u2014 William Daniels, Bonnie Bartlett and Ed Flanders \u2014 won acting Emmys for their roles. Equally impressive was the show\u2019s eye for emerging talent: It helped kick-start the careers of Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon and David Morse, as well as comedian Howie Mandel, playing against type in a dramatic role.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 1988 series finale cemented St. Elsewhere<\/em>\u2019s place in TV lore by suggesting that the entire show may have taken place inside the imagination of Tommy Westphall (played by Chad Allen), the autistic son of Flanders\u2019 Dr. Donald Westphall. It was perhaps the most audacious choice an already groundbreaking show ever made.<\/p>\n

\nThis story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 Swinging to Fourth Box Office Victory as It Tops \u2018Insidious\u2019 Sequel<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look back at the legacy of "St.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[245,891,869],"class_list":["post-5793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-awards","tag-hollywood-flashback","tag-the-pitt"],"yoast_head":"\nBefore \u2018The Pitt,\u2019 There Was \u2018St. Elsewhere\u2019 - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=5793\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Before \u2018The Pitt,\u2019 There Was \u2018St. Elsewhere\u2019 - US Property Moves\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A look back at the legacy of "St.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=5793\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"US Property Moves\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-22T18:35:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/?p=5793#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/?p=5793\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f6dcb1ef8e64fe67b72b772b81aa822c\"},\"headline\":\"Before \u2018The Pitt,\u2019 There Was \u2018St. Elsewhere\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-22T18:35:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/?p=5793\"},\"wordCount\":443,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/?p=5793#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/21d8e83e414e8d4b12563debb0f572c7.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Awards\",\"Hollywood Flashback\",\"The Pitt\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/?p=5793#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/?p=5793\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uspropertymoves.com\\\/?p=5793\",\"name\":\"Before \u2018The Pitt,\u2019 There Was \u2018St. Elsewhere\u2019 - 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