Untold Stories of the ER is the medical dramatization of bizarre cases that actually happened in the hospital. The hit TLC series initially premiered in 2004 and has kept the viewers captivated by the stories presented on the show. 

However, after 15 seasons and over 140 episodes, the fans have always wondered if all the ER stories are real. 

Is ‘Untold Stories of the ER’ Real?  

Untold Stories of the ER usually show distinct problems existing in the hospital emergency rooms such as medical vandalism, strangely behaving patients, and life-threatening accidents. Sometimes, it also shows professionals being overwhelmed to handle the caseload but cannot pass on the responsibility of the patients to others.

The show also features first-hand descriptions from medical staff who were involved during the surgeries. Along with it, some victims themselves have appeared on the show.

Recently, a fan pointed out how to differentiate between actual footage and a recreated one. The List via In Touch Weekly reported in 2020 that a fan noted, it is the actual video during the surgical sections when the camera is directly above them, and it changes from HD to something else.

The perfect blend is perhaps what kept the viewers glued to the screen for over fifteen years despite the criticisms that the show received. 

Real Life Doctors Comment on ‘Untold Stories of the ER’

Dr. Anthony Brutico of Newton Medical Center in Newton, New Jersey, who featured on Untold Stories of the ER published an article on his experiences and spoke about the TLC series.

According to December 2020 reports from The List via In Touch Weekly, he said that the entire process from audition to final screenplay took roughly two weeks to complete.

Dr. Brutico explained the makers transformed his two-page case description into a script for the show after they finished the interview. He even claimed that they spiced up the incident to make it more entertaining for the television. He added,

The patients were younger and were trying to go on a second honeymoon, and what the patient took for his ailments also was altered. The main points of the case, however, remained the same.

In a  2020 interview, Emergency Medicine Specialist, Dr. Robert Slay also discussed his experience on sets. Talking about how he got his first role in 2005 by chance, he revealed one of the show's producers saw him perform in a storytelling contest during the first year of the show and approached him.

According to him, the health professionals who appear on the show do it for a variety of reasons, but he encourages it for one major reason. 

"We are all toiling away in the ED, seeing incredible human suffering, salvation, and hope." He continued. "We need to tell the world. Do your kids know what you really do?" 

Similarly, in a September 2019 YouTube video uploaded by Dr. Mike, he reacted to different cases of the first episode of Season 5.

He mentioned the situations depicted in the series are like what he faces in the hospital. According to Dr. Mike, there are much fewer discrepancies and inaccuracies to point out considering the fact that real-life doctors are telling the stories.