I don't really care for the genre of "doctor" TV shows, but to give Chicago Hope credit, it does have more appeal than the majority of them. I was once a faithful viewer in its first season, after seeing the characters played by Mandy Patinkin and Hector Elizondo on a brilliant "cross over" episode of Picket Fences. Back then, Chicago Hope was admirable for its "quirky" plots and great character development, but over the years it has adapted more of the "formula" doctor show(6 thousand subplots and little chance to "bond" with the characters)and I have moved on. I still catch an occasional rerun on the show, and while it would not convert me back to being a regular viewer.I do enjoy the characters of Adam Arkin and Hector Elizondo and the others aren't bad, except Christine Lahti's "feminist" character gets tiresome, and tends to overuse and ugly word that is a part of the male anatomy. Nevertheless, even an episode consisting of her, Jayne Brook and Stacy Edwards going to the mountains that I thought I would loathe did not turn out to be too bad, considering. Mark Harmon and Peter Berg's characters bring a slight amount of life, but as I said, it's still not enough to make me watch the show regularly and I hope it does not steal viewers away from Frasier, as it prepares to face against it in the 1999-2000 season. It's not THAT great.

Sorry you had to read that one line summary, but it's my sincere opinion. Chicago Hope is an excellent show. I've seen most of it since 1994. But it can't stand up to ER, which's the best medical drama ever created (by Michael Crichton himself). Chicago Hope was the first David E. Kelley series I've seen. It's just as good as Ally McBeal or The Practice. The stories got a lot better this season. I liked Eric Stoltz's Dr. Robert Yeates. The live episode about the angel show (probably related to CBS's Touched by an Angel) was EXCELLENT. Yeates was incredibly funny. But Christine Lahti's Dr. Kathryn Austin is my favorite character so far. She definetely deserved the Emmy and the Golden Globe for best actress. The theme song is the best part of the show. It's as good as James Newton Howard's ER theme or the NYPD Blue theme.As I said, Chicago Hope can't match ER, but it's definetely worth watching. Well done David E. Kelley, John Tinker and Bill D'Elia!

Started off great with Mandy Patinkin in the lead, but when he left and Christine Lahti stepped in, the quality got lost. While Hector Elizondo still gives great performances episode after episode, the show doesn't have its original punch. Peter MacNicol and E.G. Marshall were wonderful members of the original cast while Berg annoys incessantly. Harmon isn't really in the show much; he just sticks his head in once and a while. One more year and it'll be gone.

When Chicago Hope first came on the air in 1994, the cast was superb, it starred Adam Arkin, Mandy Patinkin and Hector Elizondo, what a shame that Mandy Patinkin Left. I really thought he made the show work out well and gave it humor and excitement. I hope he returns.