HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — George Clooney rose to fame portraying Dr. Doug Ross on the hit NBC medical drama "E.R.," and if the show's producers have their way, he'll be back in the emergency room again.
Since the networks faced a shortened development season due to the 100-day long writers' strike, shows like the long-running "E.R." still have a pulse. With NBC expected to renew the series for a 15th and final season, the show's executive producers, John Wells and David Zabel, would love to go out in style by bringing back some familiar faces like Clooney and Julianna Margulies.
"We want to revisit characters that have existed on the show over the years and say where they are now," Zabel reveals to Entertainment Weekly. "We'd love to get them all back in some way, but that doesn't mean we're going to. But we're gonna try."
One former star who definitely will return is Noah Wyle, once again playing the part of Dr. Carter for four episodes next season. Others expected to return are Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic.
"The toughest will be getting Tony Edwards because his character is dead," jokes Zabel. "That's a little tricky, but there are ways to do it that we've thought about. Even if it were like a lost episode from 1996 featuring him and Wyle."
Since leaving "E.R." in 1999 after five seasons, the 46-year-old Clooney has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Most recently, he received a best actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "Michael Clayton," a film he also served as an executive producer.
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