The series finale of the 1980s medical dramedy St. We never answered any of the questions we posed. Weatherson's fifth objection holds that the appearance of a person or event in a dream does not mean the person or event cannot exist in real life. The show was a proving ground for actors you have seen in a million things before or since: Denzel Washington and Howie Mandel were easily the most recognizable, but there were also ringers like Mark Harmon, David Morse, Ed Begley Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Ronny Cox, and not only Mr. Feeny himself (William Daniels), but his wife (real and fictional) Bonnie Bartlett. Hour shows are just not selling into syndication; the market is saturated with them, Paltrow said in a telephone conversation from New York, where he and others from the St. A surprise to everybody. Theres a lot to unpack: is it simply making a statement on the show as a fictional world? St. Eligius is a teaching hospital in Bostons South End (the building that appears in the title sequence is actually an apartment building there). Here on EW.com, read what each of them had to say about the daring and polarizing ending that helped define the WTF? Elsewhere" writer Tom Fontana began writing connections between his shows using fictional products and companies. But because we set a bar, it was just hard to really top that I wish I could say that I loved it. The original decision to include fictional product crossovers actually comes from the origins of the chart itself. St. Elsewhere - Wikipedia MARK HARMON (Dr. Robert Caldwell): I didnt see it live. All Rights Reserved, In the age of streaming in particular, I feel as if this is even more true than its been in the past. Elsewhere. Christina Pickles, whose character of Nurse Helen Rosenthal ended the series triumphantly by kicking a drug dependency, is the only one who believes that St. Revisiting McDuffie's "Six Degrees of St. Elsewhere That is St. Elsewhere, Paltrow, Fontana and the several cast members interviewed all said they would have been willing to continue indefinitely. Elsewhere. It's not every day we see Plucky Comic Relief commit suicide. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? I sure heard about it. The whole circus is overseen by Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders), with Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) and Dr. Mark Craig (Daniels) rounding out the experienced older set of doctors helping the residents learn the ropes. I spent a shift sitting bedside with my daughter in the emergency room during a three-day-long stay once, watching the same sainted nurse come and go as an endless tide of needy patients washed in. According toMental Floss,that series once mentioned a firm called Yoyodyne, which also was a client of a fictional law firm Wolfram and Hart, which appeared in theBuffy the Vampire Slayer spin-offAngel. WebIf the St. The shows one truly lasting and iconic Fox doesnt think hell live to be 80: Every day its tougher. Why did the Fairy Queen have to die for a poor deal? ", This means cartoons and late-night shows are notably excluded, but it gets far more specific than that. Like their small but loyal band of viewers--who have already written at least 300 letters to MTM and the network protesting its cancellation--the St. That fictional firm appears inDoctor Who, Red Dwarf, and of course, theAlien feature film franchise. Elsewhere, Paltrow said he remains hopeful that the reruns will find a home someday, on cable if not on broadcast stations. When NBCs hour-long hospital drama St. Elsewhere signed off after six seasons on May 25, 1988, more than a few viewers were saddened. Not necessarily because the serieswhich had earned 13 Emmy Awards during its runwas ending, but because producers opted for a highly unconventional finale. BTW, in the Wikipedia article about the last episode, someone estimates that "90% of the shows existed in this kid's head" due to the many show crossovers. The Marvel Cinematic Universe might seem like a huge landscape of interconnected shows and TV movies, but the Tommy Westphall universe has it beat. And because I cant tell you I have a better idea of how it couldve ended, I can live with that one. In the age of streaming in particular, I feel as if this is even more true than its been in the past. I really had very little to say about that episode because I thought it was a letdown. Paltrow noted that the shows bleak vision was deliberate. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. St. Brian Weatherson, professor of philosophy at Cornell University, wrote a piece, "Six Objections to the Westphall Hypothesis", which challenges the logical, factual, and philosophical basis for the existence of the "universe".[10]. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow. St All of it, McDuffie said, proved his own Grand Unification Theory that everyone and everything seen on TVexcept for the few minutes viewers spent with Tommy Westphall in May 1988is just a daydream. I went, Wow. Erasing the fiction of an entire medium is not what Tom Fontana had planned. Elsewhere signed off after six seasons on May 25, 1988, more than a few viewers were saddened. The stories speak for themselves. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. The doctors had visited the bar on Cheers in one St. St. Elsewhere" and "Oz," and, as Gow tells it, "It was that little connection that spawned a thousand other connections -- references to fictional airlines, companies, nods from one series to another.". What positional accuracy (ie, arc seconds) is necessary to view Saturn, Uranus, beyond? Quantum Leap is on!). Embedded hyperlinks in a thesis or research paper. That is quite a choice. They did very unusual, bold things and did it regularly. Closing the Curtain on 'St. Elsewhere' Operation - Los Angeles Westphall sits down next to Tommy and says, "I don't understand this autism thing, Pop. St It was all a dream! This means that all of those series and other media thatthey referenced in-universe, which in the case ofThe Simpsons is ridiculously extensive technically take place in the same universe asSt. The series sported a large ensemble cast, with veteran actors Ed Flanders and Norman Lloyd anchoring the proceedings for most of its run as Dr. Donald Westphall and Dr. Daniel Auschlander, respectively, and it made household names of up-and-comers like Howie Mandel, Mark Harmon, and Denzel Washington, as well. Characters from Homicide crossed over with multiple series, including The X-Files, Law & Order, The Wire and Arrested Development, with Richard Belzer's John Munch being the most frequent culprit. Heres how St. WebBasically the theory known as The Tommy Westphall Universe (TWU) begins when St. Share. Howie goes to the morgue, slides me out, says something to me and pushes me back in. The last year, I put in a rug and a lamp. After six seasons of letting those within the hospital doing the hard work of being human and showing humanity it was our turn. Elsewhere. Original Closing Credits From the Series Finale | The St. St. Elsewhere (Series) - TV Tropes Observers of the theory take issue with the idea out of what they deem is a misunderstanding of an authors intent. Web"Cora and Arnie". Beginnings and endings are important in all forms of fiction, but Id argue especially so in scripted television. Elsewhere's finale, titled "The Last One," aired on May 25, 1988, and the bulk of its narrative was concerned with the requisite deaths, departures, transfers, and tying up of loose ends that one might expect. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Most recently, Michael helped launch Screen Rant's new horror section, and is now the lead staff writer when it comes to all things frightening. Are you and I??? I spent a shift sitting bedside with my daughter in the emergency room during a three-day-long stay once, watching the same sainted nurse come and go as an endless tide of needy patients washed in. If you notice any other connections, feel free to join in on the madness. Tommy's father, still being portrayed by Ed Flanders (aka "Donald Westphall") arrives at the apartment wearing a hard hat. Tommy Westphall - Wikipedia CLARIFICATION: This article originally included a quote that incorrectly stated all of the non-American shows in the list. When youre finished, watch the cast reunion on Good Morning America and voice your own opinion on the finale in our poll. Westphall, who is autistic, played an increased role in St. Elsewhere. As the episode comes to a close, Dr. Westphall is sitting alone in the office of his friend and mentor Dr. Auschlander, who has recently died when in runs his son, Tommy (Chad Allen), a quiet, autistic boy whom viewers had met a time or two before. Westphall, Auschlander, and Gideon (Cox) are stressing about how they can possibly keep the hospital open. Through crossovers, spinoffs, cameos, or fictional brands or products appearing in more than one show, everything from Brooklyn Nine Nine and Law & Order to Everybody Hates Chris and Dr. Who were arguably all dreamed up by young Tommy. "That really solidifies things. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Elsewhere, the magic was in the tone, as it was with another show by the same production company, Hill Street Blues. The Show were arguably all dreamed up by young Tommy. [1][6] This hypothesis was originally put forward by comic book and TV writer Dwayne McDuffie in a 2002 blog post,[8] as a reductio ad absurdum argument against making strong statements about fictional continuity based upon guest appearances. The first connection made in the Tommy Westphall universe is from St. Donald Westphalls autistic son, who was gazing into a snow globe containing a miniature version of the hospital. But for others, it was a stroke of inspiration. Elsewhere was a solid drama that gave a boatload of great actors some steady work for a few years, but it will always be a peculiar show for that final detail. The one where EW follows up with the cast. The Tommy Westphall universe hypothesis makes the claim that not only does St. St. Then it could create conversation, so I thought it was kind of brilliant. The common thread running through the last season (besides a consistent plot about a special new artificial heart) is that St. Eligius is probably going to close, right around the same time the hospitals residents (read: the younger main cast members) are all ending their residencies and about to head out into the depressing world of medicine. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Much of the humor between characters is gallows humor. Executive producer Bruce Paltrow explained that the show cost MTM more to produce than what NBC paid to broadcast it--which is common--but that because the outlook for recouping those deficits through syndicated reruns is so bleak, the company didnt consider another year of expenditures worth its while. Elsewhere ' s series finale features momentous changes for several main characters, including the departures of Drs. CHAD ALLEN (Tommy Westphall): I remember the script arrived, I read it, got to the end, and I was stumped. Also, consider that each connection fromSt. For instance, it may be the other way around, and the snow globe scene may itself be the dream. Elsewhere, and I venture to say stuff like House or Scrubs, or even Greys Anatomy would not look or feel the same without its influence and success. St 59K views 4 years ago. Theyre more interested in the colossal mind-fuck that is the. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Jerry Springer kept his aggressive cancer a family secret in his final months, James Corden gets a star-studded send-off on his final Late Late Show, Kim Kardashian is catching shade from Patti LuPone and Sharon Stone for AHS casting, Jonathan Majors accuser gets full temporary protection order ahead of court date, Review: The Russo brothers spy thriller Citadel has plenty of action and little else. We all knew that whenever you do the last episode of any series, the last chapter of any story like that, youre never going to come up with an ending that will satisfy everybody. ", Grandfather: "He's been sitting there ever since you left this morning, just like he does every day. Elsewhere links to Doctor Who [PDF], hypothetically rendering the TARDIS a figment of Tommys imagination: Donald Westphall and two other doctors visited Sam Malones bar from Cheers; this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Elsewhere; by extension this hypothesis can be extended to include the science fiction program The X-Files and the Law & Order franchise (due to various crossovers with characters from Homicide, in particular Det. And then I saw it and I thought, Its too much. Elsewhere" -- the notion of which is a hated cliche, yes, but could it be the reality of almost every story arc you've ever loved on American television? The Birdman of St. Then the Birdman decides he's fed up with being in the mental ward and wants to fly away from the hospital, so he jumps off the roof. They really wanted to kill the show. Both shows took a grittier and more realistic approach to their drama. Behind him stood his father, who was sporting a construction workers wardrobe. ", Tommy, who is shaking a snow globe,[5] is told by his father to come and wash his hands. Elsewheres Wednesday night time slot in the fall. Elsewhere. It wasn't unusual to hear other famous TV doctors and the like paged over St. Eligius' PA system, characters from series likeThe White Shadow, M*A*S*H*, andThe Mary Tyler Moore Show appeared or were referred to, and one season 3 episode even took place partially within another Boston institution the titular bar fromCheers.
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