'St. Elsewhere' 30th Anniversary: Fun Facts

On Oct. 26, 1982, "St. Elsewhere" premiered. Many dubbed it "'Hill Street Blues' in a hospital," but creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey went on to prove that they were much more than Steven Bochco wannabes. The series lasted for six seasons from 1982 through 1988 and earned numerous awards for the cast and crew. The staff at St. Eligius Hospital included Ed Begley Jr., William Daniels, Howie Mandel, David Morse, Christina Pickles, Denzel Washington, Norman Lloyd, Ed Flanders, Stephen Furst, Bonnie Bartlett, Mark Harmon, and many more. Here are 20 fun facts about "St. Elsewhere". — Amy and Nancy Harrington, Yahoo! Contributor Network

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12. In one of the most memorable finales of all time, Tommy, Dr. Westphall's autistic son, put down his snow globe depicting St. Eligius Hospital. At that moment, viewers realized that the whole series and all of its characters existed only in Tommy's imagination. It set off a lot of discussion and theorizing, and even prompted college classes about the "Tommy Westphall Universe" -- which assumed that if "St. Elsewhere" was just in Tommy's mind, ... more
12. In one of the most memorable finales of all time, Tommy, Dr. Westphall's autistic son, put down his snow globe depicting St. Eligius Hospital. At that moment, viewers realized that the whole series and all of its characters existed only in Tommy's imagination. It set off a lot of discussion and theorizing, and even prompted college classes about the "Tommy Westphall Universe" -- which assumed that if "St. Elsewhere" was just in Tommy's mind, so were the other shows that crossed over, including "Cheers," "Bob Newhart," "CSI: NY," and "Homicide: Life on the Street." Taking into account all the interconnected offshoots of the crossover shows, the running total of Tommy's imaginary series stands at 280. less