The producers of ER surprised audiences countrywide when they broadcasted the 71st episode of ER live. This episode, Ambush, introduces new doctors and their roles in the emergency room.
On this day, September 25th, in 1997, the cast members of ER perform the episode Ambush twice, once for the West coast then again for the East. This live episode is rated as ER’s worst and only 10 million viewers were tuned in compared to its normal 35 million. Every embarrassing moment and technical error was unedited and viewers were not pleased.
Nonetheless, it ran for 15 seasons, making it the longest-running medical drama in history and it also won a number of awards during its long tenure on NBC.