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By Barbara Card Atkinson, Special to MSN TV

Michael Crichton wrote a screenplay based in an emergency room in the mid-'70s; it bounced around for years, never finding enough momentum (or enthusiasm) for ... moreproduction. Then Crichton's novel "Jurassic Park" was made by Steven Spielberg into a movie that was a somewhat (ahem) commercial success. Spielberg was willing to produce this neglected script as a TV pilot so, in 1993, "ER" was unenthusiastically green-lighted by NBC. Little did they know what a good call that would turn out to be. By its second season, "ER" had more than 30 million viewers each week. Fifteen seasons in, it is still amongst the most watched dramas on the network, while simultaneously becoming the longest running American primetime medical drama in TV history. It has won 22 Emmy awards, and has been nominated over 100 times over the course of its run. "ER" also won the George Foster Peabody award in 1995, and four Screen Actors Guild awards for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a Drama Series. Here are our picks for favorite moments from each season, recognizing full well that we can't encapsulate everything and everyone (Frank! Jerry! Chuny!) along the way.

Related gallery: 'ER' Stars: Where Are They Now?