Surprised to see in this article in my free copy of the National Post (I'm always attacked by National Post distributors as I exit the subway in the morning)
Survival of the most compelling
Katrina Onstad
December 13, 1999...Two storylines with big-name stars Alan Alda and Rebecca de Mornay have already played themselves out halfway through the season, and some of the new characters remain fairly enigmatic (Erik Palladino's "Dr. Dave" and Michael Michele's Dr. Cleo Finch seem defined so far only as, respectively, "blustering jerk" and "babe pediatrician"). For the first time, the show has taken a critical slagging: Entertainment Weekly says it has "OD'd on characters."...
...In the early days, the battle for the star mantle was waged between gentle Noah Wyle and brash George Clooney, and Clooney won the crown with his portrayal of Doug Ross, macho good guy. Now, Goran Visnjic and Palladino seem to be the next generation's yin-yang -- the sensitive and manly sides of the E.R. Says Palladino, perched on a stool in an operating room: "Dr. Dave doesn't care for rules. You'll find out what's behind the bravado eventually."...