Don't expect a lot of fireworks Thursday night when "ER" loses yet another of its original cast members. Eriq LaSalle exits the series pretty much the way regular viewers expect — and the way his storyline has been aiming the character of Dr. Peter Benton for much of the season.
Benton is embroiled in a custody battle that forces him to choose his son or his job. And, given that LaSalle is leaving the show, which do you think he's going to opt for?
The details of that custody battle are yet another indication of just what a soap opera "ER" has become. Benton's young son — who is deaf — turns out not to be his biological son at all. But Benton has been a father to the child since he was born, sharing custody with the boy's mother. She was killed in a car accident, and her widower (Vondie Curtis-Hall) has sued for at least partial custody.
Predictably, Benton lost control in an earlier court hearing. And don't be surprised if he loses it again while in the courtroom.
He's either got to give up custody or cut back on his work schedule. But to do that, Benton has to get permission from that nasty ol' Dr. Romano (Paul McCrane). And nobody who's ever watched the show would expect Romano to suddenly turn into an ol' softy.
As much as "ER" is not the show it once was, the producers, writers, even LaSalle himself, deserve a good deal of credit for never really softening Peter Benton's rough edges. Oh, there were moments when he proved he had a heart, but, basically, for some 7 1/2 seasons he has remained abrasive, arrogant and difficult.
Too often on television, there's pressure — often from the actors themselves — to take a character and make him more likeable. Which doesn't necessarily serve the audience well.
Indeed, the big criticism here has to be of NBC's flawed publicity machine, which is trying to pump up the ratings for LaSalle's exit with touchy-feely ads that make Benton sound like some sort of beloved character. He was many things, but beloved isn't one of them.
And that's not criticism. I take my hat off to LaSalle for his portrayal and the writers for their courage to go against the TV grain.
NO GREAT LOSS: When LaSalle leaves, he's taking Michael Michelle with him. The actress, who has played Benton's girlfriend, Dr. Cleo Finch, for the past couple of years, is also exiting "ER."
It's no great loss there. Michelle isn't by any means a great talent, but she was also handicapped by the fact that the writers never really seemed to figure out what to do with her character.
TRIVIA TIME: "ER" was actually the second time LaSalle played an intern in an hourlong network medical drama that aired Thursdays at 9 p.m. Two years before that NBC hit premiered, he co-starred on the short-lived CBS flop "The Human Factor" playing a similarly intense character.
(And, oddly enough, John Mahoney — who started playing "Frasier's" father a year later — starred as LaSalle's mentor.)
Curtis-Hall also has some experience in network medical dramas — and not just because he starred as Dr. Dennis Hancock on "Chicago Hope" from 1995-99. He also appeared in a first-season episode of "ER" (November 1994) as a completely different character — a transvestite who killed himself by jumping off the roof of the hospital.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com