When Maura Tierney joined the cast of "ER," the show had already been on the air for more than five seasons. And she had absolutely no clue that she would end up being on it for more than all of the original cast members except one.
"No, I didn't," Tierney said in a conference call with TV critics. "But then it worked out that it was such a great job. And the show kept going on, and they kept wanting me to stay there. So it was really a very, very fortunate thing for me."
Although a comment from a reporter interviewing her not long ago took Tierney aback.
"He called me one of the more elderly cast members," she said. "I was, like — Wow! Elderly."
Certainly not elderly, but Tierney's character, Dr. Abby Lockhart, has been through more than her share of drama since November 1999. She's dealt with a ne'er-do-well ex-husband; broken romances; alcoholism; a mentally ill mother; a mentally ill brother; an unexpected pregnancy; an extremely difficult birth and the near-death of her son; an unexpected wedding (to Dr. Luka Kovac, played by Goran Visnjic); Luka being taken hostage and threatened with death; not to mention all the enormous drama surrounding the hospital.
All this drama is in no small part because of Tierney's talents and what "ER" executive producer John Wells calls "writer Darwinism."
"Writers write to people who can really act, and Maura's an extraordinarily talented actress," he said. And so you know that whatever you bring to the character, she's going to give you something that's unexpected and moving and wonderful. So Maura has sort of created that for Abby's character by being so terrific. ...
"Truthfully, like in any business or sport, you go to the person who can really deliver for you, and Maura proved, really right from the beginning, that she was never going to take the easiest choice in the scene. (She) always was working hard to try to find something interesting to do with the character, which is no small feat over the number of episodes that we do."
Tierney certainly isn't complaining about everything her character has been through.
"The writers, I feel like, have taken great care of this character," she said. "I mean, it's hard for everybody when you're on a show for a long time to keep it interesting. And I think always Abby was really protected by the writers because, you know, they were always interested in keeping it real."
And all the trials and tribulations in Abby's life actually make work more fun, she said.
"You get tired because it's sort of demanding and it's a little exhausting to sort of be that emotional all day," Tierney said. "But honestly, you have a lot of fun at work no matter how grim the material may be. And sometimes even when it is especially grim — the more we kind of have to have a sense of humor about it."
Thursday (9 p.m., Ch. 5) marks Tierney's 185th episode of "ER"; the only original cast member to do more episodes is Noah Wyle (Dr. John Carter), who will return to the show before it ends in February 2009.
Tierney won't be riding the "ER" train to its last stop, however. The show will end its 15-year run in February 2009, but Abby's story lines will be resolved about 15 episodes before then.
"I'm not exactly sure how many episodes I'm going to be doing next season. ... It has not been worked out yet," Tierney said.
It's "complicated" because of the writers' strike that interrupted this season, Wells said, adding that it will be "in the first episodes" of Season 15 — possibly the third, fourth or fifth to air. "We're trying to kind of figure it out."
And while he wouldn't get specific, there will be a resolution — for good or ill — to Abby and Luka's relationship.
Tierney guaranteed a tear-jerking send-off, but "they might be tears of joy."
"That's good, whatever it is," she said. "I mean, that's what's great about having the ability to work with another actor for so many years, because it's such a great relationship that we have as humans and the characters have. So there's a lot for the writers to work with.
"I don't even know exactly what it's going to be, but I'm excited."
Wells didn't exactly promise a happy ending, but he seemed to be hinting at one.
"We like to send people off whole when they leave this show," Wells said. "And as Maura's time on the show sadly is coming to an end, I think we'd like to see that she's found a little peace in her life."
"And I'd like Abby to go off physically whole as well," Tierney interjected.
In other words, without getting stabbed to death or having a helicopter fall on her, as has happened to other characters.
The ratings of "ER" aren't what they once were, but a show that was a giant hit and lasted 15 years will certainly go down in TV history as a landmark series. Tierney was a big part of it — but that's something she has yet to "entirely wrap my mind around."
"I mean, I don't think about it so globally because I'm an actor and, therefore, narcissistic and more self-involved," she joked. "But, yeah, there are moments I'll be on set and you get this sort of glimpse that I was part of this huge sort of phenomenon on television. ... There are moments — just odd, random moments where I'm on Stage 11 and I go 'Wow, this is a very big deal."'
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com