Chicago Hope

Chicago Hope is a hospital show with amazing cast.Hector Elizondo plays the boss Dr. Phillip Watters.Other doctors include Dr. Aaron Shutt (Alan Arkin), Dr. Jack McNeil (Mark Harmon), Dr. Keith Wilkes (Rocky Carroll) and so on.Mandy Patinkin plays Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, who was gone for a few years but came back in 1999.He fired a few doctors, like Dr. Kathryn Austin (Christine Lahti) and Dr. Robert Yeats (Eric Stoltz).They were replaced by some others, like Dr. Gina Simon (Carla Cugino) and Dr. Jeremy Hanlon (Lauren Holly).To be honest I kind of miss the old characters but these new ones are doing a nice job.Chicago Hope is a great TV show, that is often very touching.It's amazing to watch these people saving lives, but it's sad when they don't succeed in it.Watch Chicago Hope if you want to see TV drama at it's best.

I don't really care for the genre of "doctor" TV shows, but to give Chicago Hope credit, it does have more appeal than the majority of them. I was once a faithful viewer in its first season, after seeing the characters played by Mandy Patinkin and Hector Elizondo on a brilliant "cross over" episode of Picket Fences. Back then, Chicago Hope was admirable for its "quirky" plots and great character development, but over the years it has adapted more of the "formula" doctor show(6 thousand subplots and little chance to "bond" with the characters)and I have moved on. I still catch an occasional rerun on the show, and while it would not convert me back to being a regular viewer.

I do enjoy the characters of Adam Arkin and Hector Elizondo and the others aren't bad, except Christine Lahti's "feminist" character gets tiresome, and tends to overuse and ugly word that is a part of the male anatomy. Nevertheless, even an episode consisting of her, Jayne Brook and Stacy Edwards going to the mountains that I thought I would loathe did not turn out to be too bad, considering. Mark Harmon and Peter Berg's characters bring a slight amount of life, but as I said, it's still not enough to make me watch the show regularly and I hope it does not steal viewers away from Frasier, as it prepares to face against it in the 1999-2000 season. It's not THAT great.

When Chicago Hope first came on the air in 1994, the cast was superb, it starred Adam Arkin, Mandy Patinkin and Hector Elizondo, what a shame that Mandy Patinkin Left. I really thought he made the show work out well and gave it humor and excitement. I hope he returns.

Jeffrey Geiger, played exquisitely by Mandy Patinkin, was the heart and soul of the show. He added depth and realism to a melo-drama. In the times of fix it and get out, like its predecessor ER, Hope added just that hope. This show added something deeper than excitement it added warmth to the over worked doctors. Allowing us to sympathize with the hardship they go through everyday, not just in their work lives, but with their personal ones as well.

Chicago hope is an absolute classic. David E Kelley triumphed again with this one. Although even I must admit the show grew a little tiresome at the end of its' run, it was still streets ahead of the opposition. The first few years, particularly 94,95, and 96 were just amazing eps', with great true to life (mostly!), well-rounded and heartfelt characters like the eel, camille , schutt and geiger, keeping me tuning in week after week. An awesome show, with such amazingly talented writers and actors! Although not always action packed, the shows deep and subtle storylines would get you hooked, whether 11 (like I was) or 111! I used to love this show so much that i used to beg permission to stay up until 10.30 on a school nite to watch this, and i am sure there were many others just like me! If there are repeats on, please catch them if you can, it will be well worth it! Oh and look out for cameos' by the likes of Julia Styles, Ryan Phillipe, Mena Suvari etc.