Medical dramas are as popular today as they've ever been, ranging from long-running series like Grey's Anatomy on ABC to freshman hits like Zachary Quinto's emotional Brilliant Minds on NBC. No matter how many new series in the genre premiere, however, the legacy of ER with its fast pace, stacked cast, and list of celebrity cameos remains strong after its 15-season run from 1994-2009. Sharif Atkins, who played Dr. Michael Gallant across five seasons, spoke with CinemaBlend about still getting recognized almost two decades after his character's tragic end.
Atkins returned to the world of medical dramas in the fall 2024 TV schedule as a guest star on NBC's hit Chicago Med, and he opened up about the "heartbreaking story" in his episode. He also landed roles on a number of shows between his ER demise in 2006 and arrival in One Chicago, including recurring on NCIS: Hawai'i and starring in all six seasons of White Collar. As a fan of ER from back in the day, though, I had to ask the actor if he's ever still recognized as Dr. Gallant, and he shared:
Yeah, I am! Especially when the episodes are re-aired. I think there's a channel called Pop, that they re-air a number of episodes of ER. Very similarly to some of the other work that I've done – I think Criminal Minds is another show that they replay the couple of episodes that I did on there. You find that when it's replayed, all of a sudden the 'Hey, you're that guy from [ER]!' [reactions] come into play over the next few weeks or months.
Considering that I always think of ER whenever I see Sharif Atkins turn up on another show, I can understand the "Hey, you're that guy!" reactions from fans who encounter him in real life. The actor is credited with 60 episodes of the medical drama, where he starred as a series regular from Seasons 8-10 and then recurred in Seasons 11 and 12.
I noted to Atkins that viewers are also still discovering ER thanks to all fifteen seasons becoming available streaming with a Hulu subscription, and he responded:
They're gobbling it up. They're getting to Season 8, 9, and 10, and then they're like, 'Hey, look at Dr. Gallant!'
Fans who have only seen those seasons with Sharif Atkins as a series regular knew Gallant as a skilled emergency room doctor at County General who was also a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. Alas, his end would come after he was called to serve in Iraq, and Gallant was killed off in the penultimate episode of Season 12. ER had a knack for delivering deaths to break fans' hearts, and Gallant was no exception.
There was a lot to enjoy from the character prior to that heartbreak, though, including one memorable scene between him and Carter (Noah Wyle) in Atkins' first season on the show. Take a look:
Fortunately, for those with Hulu subscriptions, it's not hard to revisit Sharif Atkins' seasons of ER. If you're not a subscriber, reruns also air frequently on Pop TV, as the actor noted. If you want to check out his return to the medical drama genre from earlier this fall, you can find his episode of Chicago Med streaming with a Peacock subscription.
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