I think the viewing figures for things like Big Brother and Deal or No Deal confirm once and for all that there is no link ata ll between quality and numbers of viewers.

What I find disturbing is that the bizarre ratings system in the US allows advertisers to decide what people will have the chance to see.

I was listening to a podcast and heard that ER is contracted to run until 2008 so we might still ge a season 14

I would like to think that we are getting a season 14, but I think a lot will depend on which actors they got in the bag to make another season. As it stands GV's contract ends at the end of S13. Far as I'm aware there is still no confirmation that he is definitely going but from what he was saying not so long ago he is keen to move on. And I'm not 100 pct sure but I think MT is only under contract for one more series and there is a lot of speculation about LI leaving too. ER has lost major characters in the past and Imo they have successfully regrouped. Question is will they take the gamble for one more season ?

I will be sad to see it go if the producers decide to call it a day. I think that despite being 12 seasons old and undergoing lots of changes Imo ER is still a great show and I believe it has lots of life left in it.

It's still a great show after 12 seasons but there is only so far you develop the characters and when you can't take them any further then you need to call it day.

I think ER has 2 years left it because the writers have taken it as far as they can and there is only so much you can do with medical drama.

If ER dies out with 4 million viewers then it wouldn't have done it justice. It's better to go out with bang than a wimper.

I'm more concerned about the quality of the show then the viewing figures. Should TV bosses decide that we can only watch programmes that top the ratings then Imo it would be time to chuck the telly out.

Amen.

The problem with US networks is that it can be a great quality show but if the viewers don't watch it'll get cancelled. Invasion is good example

I have no idea how US TV stations operate but ER is also sold to a lot of other countries, even places where people don't speak English. Local TV stations simply stick subtitles in the program. ( Which is how I learnt English ). Or depending on where you are in the world they may voice it over in whatever language is spoken there. If ER falls out of favour in the US it might make sense to move it to a different and maybe less popular time slot but for as long as it sells to foreign networks and keeps their bank balance healthy it wouldn't make sense to pull the plug on it... Lets just hope that the makers of the show realize that there is life outside the US.

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Originally posted by Si4175:
The problem with US networks is that it can be a great quality show but if the viewers don't watch it'll get cancelled. Invasion is good example

ooh has invasion been cancelled?? no 2nd series???

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I have no idea how US TV stations operate but ER is also sold to a lot of other countries, even places where people don't speak English. Local TV stations simply stick subtitles in the program. ( Which is how I learnt English ). Or depending on where you are in the world they may voice it over in whatever language is spoken there

I've seen ER dubbed in French a few times when I go over there, and the problem is they don't get to hear the real voices of the actors. They put a sort of foreign accent on the voice dubbing Luka so they know he is Coation, but Elizabeth, for instance just had an ordinary French accent, so some French people I chatted to , who hadn't followed all the epis, were surprised when I told them that she was English. They assumed she was American like all the others. Also, they gave Carter this really young voice, which made sense at first, but they didn't change it for ages, so it sounded daft in later seasons. Subtitles would be better, and , as you say, more educational.

I don't know about other countries, but France is still behind the US, UK and Ireland in terms of seasons, and lots of countries are even further behind, so if sales keep on abroad, they are sales of old seasons in many cases. No one knows yet if season 12 will pull in as many viewers as in the past in those countries where it hasn't been shown yet .

Personally, I found Invasion a bit slow, and some of the effects a bit unlikely, although the acting was good, none of the males were really dishy and the blond mutant wife was very soporofic. Her acting sent me to sleep. I agree though. Some shows get pulled too soon, before they're given a chance. It might have improved. It was an interesting idea.

However, ER isn't a new show that has yet to prove itself. It's a very old show, which does have to justify itself either through ratings, if it's just entertainment, or artistically, if it's meant to be more than that. HBO shows don't pull in top ratings , but they have had artistic praise e.g. The Sopranos, Six Feet Under etc. ER has to do one or the other, i.e. pull in ratings, or pull in good artistic support (reviews, prizes etc). It is doing less of either these days.

I started watching ER Years ago before I moved to the UK and I can safely say that we were getting the episodes at abt. the same time as they go out here. In fact my friends back home had seen some episodes from S12 before they went out on E4/C4. They do however only get half a season before the summer and the next episodes go out in October after which they get the first half of the series that has gone out in the US. Auntie Annie in Mexico and auntie Pam in Switzerland are fairly up to date too.
As far as the difference in accent goes ( Luka / Elizabeth ). People who's first language is not English may pick up that Luka's mother tongue is not American English but they may not find it straightforward to hear the difference between American and British English. This may sound daft but it really isn't. This might explain why Elizabeth speaks French without a strong accent. Also I think that if too many people would have a distinct accent the French ER would become a bit like ' Allo.. Allo..'
Personally I don't know what it is like to watch ER dubbed in French but I don't think I would recommend it to someone who is used to watch the originals..
ER is still very popular with my generation in my home country and as far as I'm aware ER goes out to more then 20 different countries.

when i was in amsterdam last week i saw an old episode of er - that wasnt dubbed thankfully but did have subtitles.

was an old one with maria bello (sp?) in it

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ER is still very popular with my generation in my home country and as far as I'm aware ER goes out to more then 20 different countries.

Just curious. I hope I don't seem to nosey, but where are you from?

Sorry, I expressed myself badly. Elizabeth dubbed in French, just had an ordinary French accent, not especially strong, but like all the other characters. Only Luka has a bit of a foreign accent when dubbed into French. Therefore French listeners assume Elizabeth speaks American English like everyone else. I've never heard Neela dubbed, so I don't know what they make her sound like. I take your point, though, it is harder for non English speakers to pick up different accents in English, although English English and American English are quite different, and as a non native French speaker (though admittedly one who lived in France for quite a while) I heard French Canadians speaking and they sounded quite different to me from other French speakers.

Generally subtitles are better anyway, because you can hear the real voice of the actor, and that low fruity sexy George Cloooney voice for instance is not to be missed. Ahhh!

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Originally posted by wyle away:

Just curious. I hope I don't seem to nosey, but where are you from?

Antwerp, Belgium.

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Antwerp, Belgium.

Thanks. I have been to Belgium, but not to Antwerp. Nice to know that ER fans come from all over the place.

I saw the episode where Alex is still missing, in Bulgaria that was dubbed and it sounded so bad but it on one of the major channels over there so it must be popular.

I hope it is just a rumour that there is only one more series because i agree that it does keep getting better. I dont like some of the new characters but the story lines are still brilliant.
The last episode of this series was fantastic - and all the episodes they shot in africa were amazing. I hope it continues forever!