Why you should binge-watch all 331 episodes of 'ER' on Hulu

I woke up Sunday morning, fired up my PlayStation 4 and nearly hit the ceiling when I saw the homepage of the Hulu app.

"ER" had, at last, come to a streaming platform.

The brainchild of "Jurassic Park" author Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg and current "Shameless" showrunner John Wells, "ER" was the ultimate medical drama and, in many ways, the ultimate network show of the pre-"Lost" era. It premiered in September 1994 and had all the trappings of network dramas - famous guest stars, gimmicky episodes, soapy plot twists, huge cliffhangers - but did it with a cinematic flair uncommon for the time. (Only "The X-Files" could match it for technical prowess.) "ER" launched careers, anchored NBC's Must-See TV lineup with ratings that averaged more than 30 million live viewers in its third and fourth seasons, and crossed the finish line 15 years later with its head held high.

So. Back to Sunday morning. I didn't hesitate in choosing which episode to watch first - it had to be Season 2's "Hell and High Water," the exciting episode that made George Clooney a superstar. An audience of 48 million people watched Clooney's Dr. Doug Ross rescue a boy trapped in a storm drain. (By comparison, the most-watched TV episode in cable history, the fifth-season premiere of "The Walking Dead," drew 17.3 million viewers.) "Hell and High Water" is a microcosm of everything that made "ER" great: a gutsy performance from Clooney, a Steadicam flying between County General's two trauma rooms as doctors and nurses breathlessly work to save lives, humor in the form of a stoned patient played by Ellen Albertini Dow ("The Wedding Singer's" rapping granny), personal redemption, personal loss and borderline ludicrous setpieces - Doug decides the ambulance will take too long, and starts working on his patient inside a Channel 5 News chopper!

Wait, did I say Channel 5? Oh yes, "ER" is set in Chicago, and the show would film exteriors there when it wasn't shooting inside its Los Angeles hospital set. "Hell and High Water" includes a cameo from WMAQ's beloved anchor Warner Saunders. Saunders and his co-anchor, Joan Esposito, also appeared in Season 1's "Blizzard." Season 14's "Gravity" features a trip to Wrigley Field and a cameo by then-Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. (Those later seasons, the ones you probably didn't watch, are worth a look, by the way. John Stamos - need I say more?)

All those episodes I mentioned are worth your time, as are these:

• "Motherhood," Season 1 - Quentin Tarantino directed this in the afterglow of "Pulp Fiction's" success.

• "Ambush," Season 4 - Who would dare stage a live episode of a medical drama? "ER" did, with a mockumentary film crew replacing the series' cinematic visuals. Also, Alex Kingston, aka River Song from "Doctor Who," makes her first appearance as series regular Dr. Elizabeth Corday.

• "Be Still My Heart" / "All in the Family," Season 6 - A two-parter with a shocking cliffhanger involving Kellie Martin's beloved medical student character, and another "ER" trademark: effective use of pop songs. This time it's "Battleflag" by Lo-Fidelity All-Stars.

• "Such Sweet Sorrow," Season 6 - Julianna Margulies' Nurse Hathaway says goodbye to County General, and a certain movie star makes a surprise appearance.

• "On the Beach," Season 8 - The show leaves Chicago for Hawaii as the series' main protagonist, Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards), spends his final days with his daughter before succumbing to cancer.

• "The Honeymoon is Over," Season 13 - Guest star Stanley Tucci strides into "ER" as the emergency room's new boss and lays down the law in an electrifying scene.

Those are just 10 of the 331 episodes now streaming on Hulu. Better get crackin'.

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. He and his mom used to stand up during the opening credits of "ER" and perform Eriq LaSalle's triumphant kung fu move on cue. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.