Michael Crichton Hated the Quentin Tarantino "ER" Episode and Nobody Knows Why

The new book“ER: The Oral History”by Lynette Rice is full of behind-the-scenes stories, but one stands out. Michael Crichton, who co-created“ER,”reportedly got“all bent out of shape”over the Season 1 episode“Motherhood,”which Quentin Tarantino directed. The kicker? Nobody seems to know what set him off. Former writer Neal Baer remembers the moment clearly and still defends the episode as fantastic.

Here’s what makes it wilder. Tarantino was a genuine“ER”fan who personally asked to direct an episode. Writer Lydia Woodward, who wrote“Motherhood,”called him“quite possibly the easiest director to work with in my entire career.”He made one small change during production involving a clapper device, and that was it. The episode aired May 11, 1995, and drew 33.3 million viewers, so audiences were clearly on board.

So why the cold shoulder from the guy who built the show? Maybe creative ownership runs deep, or maybe Crichton saw something the rest of us never will. Either way, it’s the kind of Hollywood mystery that keeps oral histories flying off the shelves. What’s your favorite“ER”episode of all time?