Perks and perils go hand in hand when it comes to long-running shows that go on for years, and so for better or worse, there was no stopping this logic from being applied to the famous medical drama ER and its widely adored characters, especially Dr. Greg Pratt.
The series ran long enough to introduce us to the bold rule-breaker Pratt in season 8 and elevate him to a series regular in season 9, ensuring that the good doctor became one of our many favorites on ER. That was the perk — watching him test the patience of the likes of Dr. Carter and Michael Gallan while also gaining tremendous growth along the way — so there was bound to also be a disadvantage.
Greg Pratt’s time on ER ended with a tragedy
From season 9 to season 14’s last episode, Pratt remained an integral part of the drama, with high hopes of his return in the next season. But that possibility got a rather cruel reality check in the season 14 finale, “The Chicago Way,” where he was seen sitting in an ambulance that was rigged to explode in order to kill his patient ⏤ a government informant being targeted by the mob. The finale ended with an explosion, but fans still thought, “They wouldn’t kill off Pratt, now would they?”
Every lingering hope was subsequently dashed when the premiere episode of season 15 confirmed that despite all the efforts that were made to save Pratt’s life, he succumbed to his injuries and died. To further rub salt in our wound, it was later shared that Pratt was going to be offered the role of Chief of the ER, a position he had been passionately eyeing for some time, so much so that he almost resigned when he didn’t get it initially in season 14.
Why did Mekhi Phifer leave ER?
Even though Phifer considered ER to be a major milestone in his career, he was sure that his character needed to die. In fact, in a chat with Vulture, he shared that he joined forces with the show’s writers to ensure that Pratt went out “with a memorable bang” instead of just leaving because of something mundane like switching jobs.
“I had a great run on the show. But… by the time I got there, even though the show hadn’t lost any of its quality, it just wasn’t getting recognized anymore.”
Phifer’s reason does match the general sentiment — that ER should have ended after season 8, instead of dragging the storyline that showed visible cracks after many main characters left the show, including Anthony Edwards’ Dr. Greene and Eriq La Salle’s Dr. Benton. The show’s ratings took a major hit and sadly, it never really managed to get back on its feet again.
Do we understand Phifer’s reason for leaving? Yes. Does the reason make us any less sad about the unceremonious goodbye? Nope.