These stories fly by, swirling in and out of the four acts of each episode. Other stories are more fully developed but ER smudges the old rule of a beginning, middle and end. Open-endedness is as much a part of the show as conclusion. We have an appealing cast. While the Times mentions TV dramas in the same breath with Dickens, Woodward declares her preference for television based on freedom.
Television also affords writers the opportunity to develop characters over time.
There is space for growth and change which doesn't exist in feature films or, McGrath argues, in today's novels. I'm working with wonderful people, with good friends, whom I trust, whose opinions I trust. It's also incredibly fun to be on a show that is doing this well. Even though a tape of the finished show is delivered to my office Wednesday morning, there's just something about seeing the broadcast. Millions of Americans agree.