What happened to Pratt on ‘ER’? Explained

With the estate of Michael Crichton suing Warner Bros. Television over its new Max medical procedural series The Pitt, let’s look back at one of the great characters of ER, Crichton’s creation. So, whatever happened to Gregory Pratt, M.D.?

Portrayed by Mekhi Phifer, Pratt first appeared as a recurring character in the eighth season, as an arrogant intern in the episode “Orion in the Sky” (2001). The producers shovel in his character with plenty of racialized stereotyping, and problematic but the talented doctor’s archetypical behavior. However, he shows himself as a ready and willing leader, though he is occasionally reckless when his ego moves to the fore.

In the course of his character arc, Pratt deals with his estranged father, a live-in mentally disabled brother, a tragic relationship with Dr. Jing-Mei “Deb” Chen, and his brother’s homosexuality. He found himself in Darfur in western Sudan after his loyalty to a friend forced Dr. Luka Kovač (Goran Visnjic) to push for his travel to join Dr. John Carter (Noah Wylie).

During season 13, Pratt discovers a church running an illegal prescription drug exchange program. After failing to reason with the pastor about the safety issues, he elects to participate in the program by donating ER narcotics. When an investigation ensues following the death of a church member, Pratt tells Kovač of his involvement, as it keep the ER department out of the investigation’s crosshairs. After the pastor and the congregation unexpectedly support Pratt in his board hearing, he is allowed to keep his license and job. Later, in acknowledgment of a friendship that grows through the seasons, Kovač asks Pratt to be his best man at his wedding, and he accepts.

What happened to Dr. Pratt?

At the end of the Season 14 finale, “The Chicago Way,” Pratt enters the ambulance with an uneasy character portrayed by Steve Buscemi, who is nearly killed at the beginning of the episode. He later explains he is a government informant in a witness protection program, as he’s wanted by Turkish mobsters. The episode implies he would soon be named chief of ER, and he was planning to get engaged to Dr. Bettina DeJesus (Gina Ravera). After treatment, a government employee creates a way to move him to a secure facility. On transport to the ambulance, a decision on who will ride with the informant appears to be made but never shown to the audience. The closed ambulance explodes just as the episode ends resulting in a cliffhanger.

In the first episode of season 15, after appearing to survive his injuries from the explosion, he dies of a probable air embolism. Pratt is pronounced dead after his brain shows no signs of recovery. After the funeral, DeJesus is given the engagement ring and it is found that he was going to become chief of ER. The ER crew goes to a local bar and honors Pratt with kind words and a deep-friend mozzarella stick he loved.

Why Phifer left ER

Phifer had a clue he would be killed off in such spectacular fashion because he planned it. In fact, he wanted to go out “with a memorable bang.”

“I had a great run on the show,” he told Vulture. “But by the time I even got on the show, all the accolades were gone. ER had already won all the Emmys, been the most Emmy-nominated show, all the Golden Globes, so by the time I got there, even though the show hadn’t lost any of its quality, it just wasn’t getting recognized anymore. It’s one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. But it’s time to move on and do something fresh.”