I said at the time we were shooting, This is a cheat. For me, it was a cheat. In a way that actually sucks most of contemporary-set American scripted TV into the inside of a snow globe? 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. Elsewhere characters got the business from Carla while drinking at Cheers, the bar from, uh, Cheersand therefore, Frasier, a spinoff, must also exist somewhere in that snow globe. Because of the number if cross overs that involved St Elsewhere characters (or their mention) and the cross overs those other shows had with other 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. At least that's the most widely held interpretation of St. Among Lloyds favorite sequences was one in which a stoned Dr. Auschlander, treating the side effects of chemotherapy with marijuana, stumbled into a 7-Eleven store with a case of midnight munchies. ERIC LANEUVILLE (Luther Hawkins): I look back on it now and say Well, it kinda worked. When I first saw it, I had some real reservations about it. This is more interesting than interrogating the deeper philosophical or metaphorical meaning behind the very last scene of a six-season show! Elsewhere, Paltrow, Fontana and the several cast members interviewed all said they would have been willing to continue indefinitely. Gow, a resident of Melbourne, Australia, spent time in pubs and online wondering what Tommys scene meant for every show connected to St. The Tommy Westphall universe hypothesis is an idea discussed among some television fans, it makes the claim that not only does St. One prominent critic, Professor Brian Weatherson, argues that just because St. Theyre more interested in the colossal mind-fuck that is the Tommy Westphall Universe. Specific to the Westphall Hypothesis, even if we accept that St. The Ending Of St. Elsewhere Explained - Looper And none of MTMs shows better defined quality television than St. And because I cant tell you I have a better idea of how it couldve ended, I can live with that one. 2023 Paste Media Group. And I was very upset. Arrow is also included, which means all subsequent Arrowverse shows also tie back to Westphall. NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff is fond of defining quality television as something that starts with low ratings and ends with a cat meowing--a reference to programs produced by MTM Enterprises, which end with a kitten logo in a sly takeoff on MGMs roaring lion. Thus, it does not follow that because one person, place, or thing is present in two or more works of fiction that those works are necessarily related. [1] As characters from St. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Ambiguous cut to black! Marriage! When NBCs hour-long hospital drama St. Elsewhere 's characters appear in Tommy's dream doesn't mean they don't also Elsewhere production team are at work on Tattingers, a new NBC series from MTM slated for St. As they leave the living room, Tommy's father places the snow globe upon a television set. Elsewhere very often in your life. Tommy's father, still being portrayed by Ed Flanders (aka "Donald Westphall") arrives at the apartment wearing a hard hat. Fontana was the executive producer and showrunner for Homicide for its entire seven years. St. Elsewhere - Wikipedia The suggestion is that the entire series was a product of Tommy Westphall's imagination but if that's true, then what it implies is nothing short of jaw-dropping. We never answered any of the questions we posed. At least that's the most widely held interpretation of St. Elsewhere 's final moments. The ending has become an infamous example of the "it was all a dream" conclusion that's appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. CHAD ALLEN (Tommy Westphall): I remember the script arrived, I read it, got to the end, and I was stumped. Television these daysor rather, television that jerks like me actually bother to write aboutbasically falls into two categories now: Heavily scripted and serialized prestige TV or reality show stuff that sounds like a made up show on 30 Rock. St Elsewhere 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 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Canceled. If it were just a solid hospital show, it would be a popular back catalog binge watch, but its a part of TV history for two reasons: its novel approach to the hospital drama, and. The last year, I put in a rug and a lamp. According to the duo's notes, the only other non-US shows in the "Tommyverse" are "The 'Degrassi' shows (Canada), 'The Office' (UK), the 'Doctor Who' shows (UK), 'Luther' (UK), 'Jo' (France) and 'Paris Section Criminelle' (France)," which "is the only show not in English in the Tommyverse.". Elsewhere. The one where EW follows up with the cast. Contemporary television writers have even bought in to Gow and Crowe's theory. Elsewhere take place within Tommy's mind, but so do numerous other television series which are directly and indirectly connected to St. I didnt dislike it. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Over time, it began to look something like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Elsewhere carries a shocking implication NBC St. That is the actual ending, a strange world-within-a-world. If the theory holds, then a large chunk of television is the direct result of one childs formidable imagination. The attitude was, Nothing can get us down, as bad as it is. And it was bad all the time.. I felt it wasnt serious. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. (referring to Tommy) He give you any trouble? Tell me if you think it means what I think it means! My mom read it, and she looked at me sort of puzzled too and said, I think it means its all in your head? I said, Thats what I thought it think it means! So I knew that it was really cool, and I loved that. The fictional Morley cigarettes are particularly pervasive, as is Hudson University, an institution of higher learning mentioned on The Cosby Show, Law & Order, and Murder, She Wrote. Its been observed that much of American primetime TV has been about cops and the sex lives of doctors. Elsewhere was the father of the modern medical drama, establishing a format that's been followed by pretty much every serial fitting of that description to come after it. I really had very little to say about that episode because I thought it was a letdown. 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. Elsewhere is Westphall's dream, it does not imply that all of the characters on the show exist only in his mind. 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. Elsewhere have dropped out of the cultural lexicon entirelyexcept for one. You can make up your own line what it means. 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. What positional accuracy (ie, arc seconds) is necessary to view Saturn, Uranus, beyond? 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. It made me smile when I heard about what they did because it was so them. It was a show that never did amazing in the ratings, but it held on because it was always pressing the boundaries of what was okay on TV, bringing up issues that werent even being discussed. John Hemingway of The John Larroquette Show once called into Frasiers talk show; Tommy runs to see the snow falling outside the window, and that's when everything changes. CYNTHIA SIKES (Dr. Annie Cavanero): Part of me likes that whole thing because its sort of an Orson Welles-ian Rosebud [ending]. Movies & TV Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for movie and TV enthusiasts. And Ed Flanders, who portrayed Dr. Donald Westphall, made his last appearance before leaving the regular cast early this season (he returns in the final episode) by mooning the camera. wouldnt exist in the form they did without. New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition. "I prefer character connections, myself," Gow says. That's the nature of a hospital drama, that's why we tune in. Elsewhere was an aberration. If the show were not great, if we had not had as many nominations, we probably wouldnt even be talking about it. [3][4] The following exchange occurs: Grandfather: "Good. What world is Tommy imagining inside that snow globe, he wonders aloud. I sure heard about it. If it were just a solid hospital show, it would be a popular back catalog binge watch, but its a part of TV history for two reasons: its novel approach to the hospital drama, and, Nobody is too interested in that, though. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. Its simultaneously a lot of what I find fun about the inside baseball or meta commentary on TV, and also most of what I hate about it. In the moments before hes expected to announce the fate of the hospital, Auschlander suffers a catastrophic stroke off-screen and is discovered dead, with the cast gathering for a mournful goodbye. The full list includes 419 shows as of 2016, the last time the curators of the Westphall theory updated its website. Not necessarily Since Dr. Turner and Dr. Ehrlich are figments of Tommys imagination that means when they visit the Homicide universe, that it too is part of Tommys world. Elsewhere" that the whole show had been in the character And in the end, Fiscus patient does finally sing. I went, Wow. In the last episode's final two scenes, Donald Westphall having just returned to St. Eligius is shown in Dr. Auschlander's office pondering the recent death from stroke of his colleague and mentor. Thanks to the phenomenal success of the MCU, shared universes now dot the pop culture landscape, including the DCEU, The Conjuring universe, the Godzilla and King Kong MonsterVerse, and many more. I was pretty happy with it. 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. is not a great place to work or convalesce. Although you may have never noticed the connection, there's a compelling case that "Friends," "Breaking Bad," "Seinfeld," "I Love Lucy" and just about every other popular American television show exist within the same universe. While the doctors of St. St. It is underfunded, understaffed, crowded, and running on fumes. was never a huge ratings hit, but it had a loyal following, won awards, and remained well-regarded in the years following its final curtain call. The notion that appearances by the same character in two or more series tie those series together in the same fictional universe is also problematic. Web359. St. This 40-year-old show looks like that nurses job in that ER, and the characters coping mechanisms and responses to trauma may be dramatized, but they arent implausible. In 1988, though, St. What's he thinking about?". St Elsewhere Elsewhere. Because a lot of autistic children are withdrawn, it seems as though they're in their own world. It was highly unpredictable, just like every episode. Though they remain philosophical about the loss of St. Would you ever say "eat pig" instead of "eat pork"? And most of the connections on the grid are characters, even though something like Morley cigarettes (a fictional brand) has a lot of individual connections, they just add to the connective tissue in certain ways. Elsewhere's final moments. I knew there would be an uproar. Elsewhere signed off after six seasons on May 25, 1988, more than a few viewers were saddened. 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. Elsewheres Wednesday night time slot in the fall. Elsewhere's final episode, "The Last One", one interpretation of which is that the entire St. I thought I knew what it meant, but it was so weird, especially for my younger mind, so I went running down the hallway and grabbed my mom and I was like, You have to read this. If NBC had started paying us more money, they would have had to start giving a lot of other people more money, too. If you've ever been riveted by the human drama ofE.R. Mimsie the Cat has seen better days. 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. I think other people will find it puzzling, odd, maybe unfulfilling in some way.. CLARIFICATION: This article originally included a quote that incorrectly stated all of the non-American shows in the list.
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