# Chicago Hope

Chicago Hope is an American medical drama television series created by David E. Kelley, that originally aired for six seasons on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000, with a total of 141 episodes. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

## Overview

The show starred Mandy Patinkin as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, a hot-shot surgeon with emotional issues stemming from the psychiatric condition of his wife (played by Kim Greist), who drowned their infant son. Adam Arkin plays Dr. Aaron Shutt, a world-renowned neurosurgeon and Geiger's best friend. Thomas Gibson played Dr. Daniel Nyland, a promiscuous ER doctor and trauma surgeon who was later suspended due to his having an affair with a patient's family member and later was injured in a car crash. Dr. Keith Wilkes played by Rocky Carroll, often clashed with Nyland and was known for his back-to-basics and rough demeanor. He was good friends with Peter Berg's character, Dr. Billy Kronk. Kronk was known for his cowboyish demeanor and known to be very cocky, as showed in an episode where he cuts off a man's injured leg with a chainsaw in a scene where Kronk helps out at an accident site. Peter MacNicol, Alan Rosenberg, and Héctor Elizondo feature as the hospital's in-house attorneys and chief of staff, respectively. Christine Lahti joined in the second season as Dr. Kate Austin, a talented heart surgeon with a chip on her shoulder, vying with Geiger for the chief of surgery position. She was known fighting in a custody battle with her malicious ex-husband and businessman, Tommy Wilmette, played by Ron Silver. Mr. Wilmette did everything he could to get Austin to lose custody of their daughter. He purchased the hospital at the end of Season 2. Dr. Austin is suspended because she and her daughter go AWOL on a trip to New Zealand. Mr. Wilmette was upset because it took him three months to find his ex-wife and daughter. In Season 3, the doctors want Mr. Wilmette to sell the hospital and the doctors would run it. The doctors viewed that Wilmette did not know how to run a hospital and cut too many costs that involved patient care. Mr. Wilmette later met with Senator Kennedy at the White House to talk about Healthcare Reform. In Season 2, Geiger resigns from Chicago Hope after trying to save Alan Birch from a deadly gunshot wound to his heart.
Geiger adopted Birch's baby daughter. Geiger later rejoins the doctors at the end of Season 5 when he becomes Chairman of the Board and fires half of the doctors. In Season 4, Dr. Shutt became a psychiatrist and temporarily loses his ability to operate after suffering from a brain aneurysm. In Season 6, Shutt returns to Neurosurgery and works alongside Carla Gugino's character, Dr. Gina Simon.

## Episodes

Chicago Hope ran six seasons, airing a total of 141 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 22 | 22 | September 18, 1994 (1994-09-18) | May 22, 1995 (1995-05-22) |
| 2 | 23 | 23 | September 18, 1995 (1995-09-18) | May 20, 1996 (1996-05-20) |
| 3 | 26 | 26 | September 16, 1996 (1996-09-16) | May 19, 1997 (1997-05-19) |
| 4 | 24 | 24 | October 1, 1997 (1997-10-01) | May 13, 1998 (1998-05-13) |
| 5 | 24 | 24 | September 30, 1998 (1998-09-30) | May 19, 1999 (1999-05-19) |
| 6 | 22 | 22 | September 23, 1999 (1999-09-23) | May 4, 2000 (2000-05-04) |

### Crossovers

Fyvush Finkel and Kathy Baker appeared as their Picket Fences characters in the first season. Likewise, Mandy Patinkin and Héctor Elizondo brought their Chicago Hope characters to Picket Fences that year. Both Adam Arkin and Lauren Holly had previously appeared on Picket Fences as a lawyer and as a deputy sheriff, respectively.
Mandy Patinkin appears in an uncredited role as Geiger in a 1995 episode of NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street. Chicago Hope producer John Tinker shot this footage as a favor to his St. Elsewhere colleague Tom Fontana.
Chicago Hope characters crossed over to Early Edition early in that show's run. Rocky Carroll, Jayne Brook, and Héctor Elizondo all guest-starred in scenes taking place in the hospital.

## Characters

| Name | Portrayed by | Occupation | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season |
| Name | Portrayed by | Occupation | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Aaron Shutt | Adam Arkin | Neurosurgeon | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main |
| Phillip Watters | Hector Elizondo | Hospital Chief of Staff | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main |
| Jeffrey Geiger | Mandy Patinkin | Cardiac Surgeon | Main | Main | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Main |
| Danny Nyland | Thomas Gibson | E.R. surgeon, chief of trauma | Main | Main | Main | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Camille Shutt | Roxanne Hart | Nurse | Main | Main | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Alan Birch | Peter MacNicol | Hospital Attorney | Main | Main | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Arthur Thurmond | E. G. Marshall | | Main | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Angela Giandamenicio | Roma Maffia | | Main | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Billy Kronk | Peter Berg | E.R. Doctor | Guest | Main | Main | Main | Main | Does not appear |
| Dennis Hancock | Vondie Curtis-Hall | Clinic Physician | Guest | Main | Main | Main | Main | Does not appear |
| Diane Grad | Jayne Brook | Internal Med/Research Scientist | Guest | Main | Main | Main | Main | Does not appear |
| Kate Austin | Christine Lahti | Cardiac surgeon | Does not appear | Main | Main | Main | Main | Does not appear |
| John Sutton | Jamey Sheridan | OB/GYN | Does not appear | Main | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Keith Wilkes | Rocky Carroll | E.R. Doctor | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main | Main | Main | Main |
| Jack McNeil | Mark Harmon | Orthopedic Surgeon | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main | Main | Main | Main |
| Lisa Catera | Stacy Edwards | Neurosurgeon | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main | Main | Does not appear |
| Robert Yeats | Eric Stoltz | | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main | Does not appear |
| Gina Simon | Carla Gugino | Neurosurgeon | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main |
| Francesca Alberghetti | Barbara Hershey | Cardiac Surgeon | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main |
| Jeremy Hanlon | Lauren Holly | Plastic Surgeon | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main |
| Stuart Brickman | Alan Rosenberg | Hospital Attorney | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Main |

## Production

With the exception of some infrequent on-location scenes, the vast majority of Chicago Hope was filmed on sound stages at the studios of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, located in the Century City area of Los Angeles. Three of the cast (Harmon, Carroll and Holly) would later go on to star together in NCIS.

### Firsts

The series broke a network television taboo by showing a teenager's breast after her character underwent reconstructive surgery. This was generally seen as relevant to the subject matter and went relatively uncriticized.
On November 18, 1998, Chicago Hope became the first regular series episode to be broadcast in HDTV. The episode was entitled "The Other Cheek".
Mark Harmon's character uttered the word "shit" during a trauma. Little criticism was made, although it did inspire the South Park episode It Hits the Fan.

## Broadcast
### Domestic reruns

Reruns of Chicago Hope aired on Pop (then the TV Guide Network) from 2010 to 2012. OWN also aired reruns of Chicago Hope on a semi-regular basis.

### International

In the UK, seasons 1 and 2 originally aired on BBC One. More recently, all seasons of the show have been shown on ITV3. Starting on September 3, 2007, it began airing on Zone Romantica in the UK and Ireland. It was also shown on Sky One in the UK and Ireland in its prime-time slots. In Australia, the series originally aired on the Seven Network. In Germany the first seasons were shown in the 1990s. In Hungary, the series aired on Viasat3. In Indonesia, the series originally aired on RCTI, starting from October 1998 ended from July 2002. As of November 2013, it was airing on British channel True Entertainment. In New Zealand, the series originally aired on TV2, now TVNZ 2.

## Home media

Revelation Films has released all 6 seasons of Chicago Hope on DVD in Region 2 (UK) for the first time.
| DVD Name | Ep# | Release dates | Release dates | Release dates |
| DVD Name | Ep# | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
| Season One | 22 | N/A | March 5, 2012 | N/A |
| Season Two | 23 | N/A | July 23, 2012 | N/A |
| Season Three | 26 | N/A | November 5, 2012 | N/A |
| Season Four | 24 | N/A | March 18, 2013 | N/A |
| Season Five | 24 | N/A | September 16, 2013 | N/A |
| Season Six | 22 | N/A | July 21, 2014 | N/A |
| The Complete Collection | 141 | N/A | December 14, 2015 | N/A |

## Reception

The pilot episode of Chicago Hope aired the day before NBC's ER in a special Sunday, 8 p.m. time slot. After the first week, however, the two Chicago-based hospital dramas went "head to head" in their primetime 10 p.m. Thursday night slot. ER was the victor: its first season proved a ratings winner. Despite receiving critical acclaim, Chicago Hope was shifted to 9 p.m. Thursdays, and ultimately to Monday nights in 1995 in a bid for higher ratings, while ER remained in its time slot.
Chicago Hope remained in the Monday slot and performed well, with ratings peaking at 11.9, with a 20 share. In the second season, however, Kelley and Patinkin decided to leave the show. The show was moved to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. in 1997 to make room for the Steven Bochco drama, Brooklyn South, on Mondays. In 1999, both Kelley and Patinkin returned, with a revamped cast now including Barbara Hershey and Lauren Holly, but excluding Lahti, Peter Berg, Jayne Brook, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Stacy Edwards. CBS also moved the show back to Thursday nights, against NBC's Frasier and ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The show was canceled in May 2000.
In 2008, former co-stars Rocky Carroll (Dr. Keith Wilkes); Mark Harmon (Dr. Jack McNeil) and Lauren Holly (Dr. Jeremy Hanlon) worked together on the series NCIS. Holly left the show after three seasons, while Carroll remains with the cast today. Harmon would depart in 2021. In addition, Carroll has a recurring role as his NCIS character, Director Leon Vance, on that series's spin off, NCIS: Los Angeles. Jayne Brook (Dr. Diane Grad) and Stacy Edwards have also guest starred on NCIS as well.
Thomas Gibson would later star alongside Patinkin in the highly successful Criminal Minds, as well as Shemar Moore who was a guest star on Chicago Hope during Season 4. Patinkin later left the show early in its third season.

### Nielsen ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Chicago Hope.
Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May Nielsen ratings.
| Season | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions of households) |
| 1st | Thursday, 10:00 p.m. | September 18, 1994 | May 22, 1995 | 1994–1995 | 29 | 11.2 |
| 2nd | Monday 10:00 p.m. | September 18, 1995 | May 20, 1996 | 1995–1996 | 24 | 11.4 |
| 3rd | Monday 10:00 p.m. | September 16, 1996 | May 19, 1997 | 1996–1997 | 30 | 10.2 |
| 4th | Wednesday 10:00 p.m. | October 1, 1997 | May 13, 1998 | 1997–1998 | 39 | 8.9 |
| 5th | Wednesday 10:00 p.m. | September 30, 1998 | May 19, 1999 | 1998–1999 | 73 | 9.9 |
| 6th | Thursday 9:00 p.m. | September 23, 1999 | May 4, 2000 | 1999–2000 | 62 | 9.4 |

### Awards and nominations

Over its six seasons, Chicago Hope was nominated for many accolades and won several, including seven Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards.

#### Emmy awards

| Year | Award | Recipient | Result |
| 1995 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1995 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Mandy Patinkin | Won |
| 1995 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Hector Elizondo | Nominated |
| 1995 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Lou Antonio for "Life Support" | Nominated |
| 1995 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Series | Tim Suhrstedt for the episode "Over The Rainbow" | Won |
| 1995 | Outstanding Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production | Lori Jane Coleman for "Pilot" | Nominated |
| 1995 | Outstanding Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production | Randy Roberts for "The Quarantine" | Nominated |
| 1995 | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series | David Kirschner, Robert Appere, and Kenneth R. Burton for "Internal Affairs" | Nominated |
| 1995 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Mark Isham | Nominated |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Series | Debi Manwiller | Won |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Nominated |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Hector Elizondo | Nominated |
| 1996 | Priimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Jeremy Kagan for the episode "Leave Of Absence" | Won |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Richard Pryor | Nominated |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Michael Jeter | Nominated |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Rip Torn | Nominated |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Carol Kane | Nominated |
| 1996 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Series | Kenneth Zunder for "Leave of Absence" | Nominated |
| 1996 | Outstanding Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production | Jim Stewart for "Leave of Absence" | Nominated |
| 1996 | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series | Mary Ann Valdes, Dione Taylor for "Right to Life" | Nominated |
| 1996 | Outstanding Makeup for a Series | Norman T. Leavitt, Coree Lear, Bari Dreiband-Burman, & Thomas R. Burman for "Quiet Riot" | Nominated |
| 1996 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Mark Isham | Nominated |
| 1996 | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series | Russell C. Fager, R. Russell Smith, Greg Orloff for "Quiet Riot" | Nominated |
| 1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Nominated |
| 1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Héctor Elizondo | Won |
| 1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Adam Arkin | Nominated |
| 1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Alan Arkin | Nominated |
| 1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Isabella Rossellini | Nominated |
| 1997 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Series – Single Camera Production | James R. Bagdonas for "A Time To Kill" | Nominated |
| 1997 | Outstanding Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production | Alec Smight, Mark C. Baldwin, Augie Hess for "Days of the Rope" | Nominated |
| 1997 | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | | Nominated |
| 1998 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Won |
| 1998 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Bill D'Elia for "Brain Salad Surgery" | Nominated |
| 1998 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Hector Elizondo | Nominated |
| 1998 | Outstanding Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production | Alec Smight for "Brain Salad Surgery" | Nominated |
| 1998 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Series – Single Camera Production | James R. Bagdonas for "Brain Salad Surgery" | Nominated |
| 1998 | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series | Russell C. Fager, R. Russell Smith, and William Freesh for the episode "Brain Salad Surgery" | Won |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Nominated |
| 1999 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Mandy Patinkin | Nominated |
| 1999 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Series – Single Camera Production | James R. Bagdonas for "Home Is Where The Heartache Is" | Nominated |

#### Golden Globe Awards

| Year | Award | Recipient | Result |
| 1995 | Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama | | Nominated |
| 1995 | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Mandy Patinkin | Nominated |
| 1996 | Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama | | Nominated |
| 1997 | Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama | | Nominated |
| 1997 | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Christine Lahti | Nominated |
| 1998 | Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama | | Nominated |
| 1998 | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Christine Lahti | Won |

#### Screen Actors Guild Award

| Year | Award | Recipient | Result |
| 1995 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1995 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Mandy Patinkin | Nominated |
| 1995 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Hector Elizondo | Nominated |
| 1996 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1996 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Nominated |
| 1997 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1997 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Nominated |
| 1998 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | | Nominated |
| 1998 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Nominated |
| 1999 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Christine Lahti | Nominated |

#### Other awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Work | Result |
| 1998 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role | Hector Elizondo | | Nominated |
| 1999 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | | | Nominated |
| 1999 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role | Hector Elizondo | | Nominated |
| 2000 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Hector Elizondo | | Won |
| 1998 | American Choreography Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Television – Episodic | Kenny Ortega | | Won |
| 1995 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television | Lori Jane Coleman | "Pilot" | Won |
| 1996 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television | Alec Smight | "Love and Hope" | Nominated |
| 1996 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television | Randy Roberts | "The Quarantine" | Nominated |
| 1997 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television | Randy Roberts | "Transplanted Affection" | Won |
| 1999 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television | Alec Smight | "Gun With The Wind" | Nominated |
| 1995 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series | Tim Suhrstedt | | Nominated |
| 1996 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series | Kenneth Zunder | "Leave of Absence" | Nominated |
| 1997 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series | James R. Bagdonas | "Time to Kill" | Nominated |
| 1998 | American Society of Cinematographers | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series | James R. Bagdonas | "Hope Against Hope" | Nominated |
| 1995 | Casting Society of America | Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic | Steve Jacobs | | Nominated |
| 1996 | Casting Society of America | Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic | Debi Manwiller | | Nominated |
| 1997 | Casting Society of America | Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic | Debi Manwiller | | Nominated |
| 1997 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Series | Greg Orloff, R. Russell Smith, Russell C. Fager | "Quiet Riot" | Nominated |
| 1998 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Series | R. Russell Smith, William Freesh, Russell C. Fager | "Brain Salad Surgery" | Won |
| 1999 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Series | R. Russell Smith, William Freesh, Russell C. Fager | "100 and One Damnations" | Nominated |
| 1995 | Directors Guild of America Award | Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series | Michael Pressman | "Pilot" | Nominated |
| 1997 | GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding TV Drama Series | | | Won |
| 1999 | GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding TV Drama Series | | | Won |
| 2001 | GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding TV Individual Episode (In a Series Without A Regular Gay Character) | | "Boys Will Be Girls" | Nominated |
| 1997 | Satellite Awards | Satellite Award for Best Television Series – Drama | | | Nominated |
| 1997 | Satellite Awards | Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Christine Lahti | | Won |
| 1997 | Satellite Awards | Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Hector Elizondo | | Nominated |
| 1999 | YoungStar Award | Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama TV Series | Mae Whitman | | Nominated |