TCA press tour: NBC gives ‘ER’ three more episodes

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‘ER’ fans: If you’re having separation anxiety issues, NBC may be providing a small antidote.

The Emmy darling will get three extra episodes so that executive producers John Wells and Christopher Chulack can get their new NBC series off the ground. The series finale will air April 2.

Wells, Chulack and Ann Biderman have created a new police drama, ‘Southland,’ which NBC has scheduled for April 9. The show will portray the emotional lives of police officers, following how they personally respond to the crimes they encounter instead of how they solve them.

‘It’s about their emotional arcs through the course of the day rather than the individual things they get involved with,’ Wells said during a TCA press tour panel. ‘How does it affect what they do or who they are as human beings?’

‘As a police officer, you go through all these experiences and at the end of the night you have to shut it off,’ added Kevin Alejandro, one of the stars. ‘How do you shut off everything you’ve experienced and be a normal person?’

NBC has ordered six episodes in addition to the pilot, which was already shot. The additional ‘ER’ episodes will allow the writers and producers to begin production on ‘Southland’ without the pressure of producing the finale of ‘ER,’ which has won more Emmys than any other series in history.

Asked if George Clooney will be a part of the ‘ER’ finale, Wells responded: ‘We’re going to have a lot of people coming back to the conclusion. George is very busy. He’s very handsome. And he’s just finishing up in Puerto Rico on a film. We’ve talked about it a couple of times. You know, it’s George. We’ll be shooting down at the end, and if he wants to come by, we’ll do something. ‘

— Maria Elena Fernandez