Introduction

E-Ring is an American military drama television series created by Ken Robinson and David McKenna and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, that premiered on NBC on 21 September 2005.

Outline

The title of the show refers to the structure of The Pentagon, which is configured in five concentric rings, from “A” to “E”, with E being the outermost ring.

Before any military action can be taken anywhere in the world, the mission must be planned and approved by the most important ring of the Pentagon, the E-ring. This is where the more high-profile work is done, all operations must be legally approved and the green light given by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The show starred Benjamin Bratt as Major James Tisnewski, a former Delta Force operator and Dennis Hopper as Colonel Eli McNulty, as officers working in the E-ring of the Pentagon in the Special Operations Division (SOD) – planning and coordinating covert US special operations actions around the globe.

Cast

• Main:
  • Benjamin Bratt – Major James “JT” Tisnewski, a former Army Ranger and a Delta Force operator reassigned to the Joint Staff’s Special Operations Division after 14 months in the Middle East. Four years prior to the series, he was an Operational Detachments-A Captain (as seen in “Cemetery Wind”). He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in “The General” and was assigned as the SOD Liaison to Delta Force.
  • In “Acceptable Losses” (the series finale), after taking down a Mexican drug cartel leader who had allegedly smuggled Al Qaeda operatives across the border on US soil, LTC Tisnewski was arrested and was last seen in pre-trial confinement at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
  • Dennis Hopper – Colonel Eli McNulty, the principal staff officer of the Special Operations Division. A Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war with two Silver Stars, COL McNulty is still sometimes a little old-fashioned when it comes to dealing with female personnel.
  • In “Acceptable Losses” (the series finale), COL McNulty tendered his resignation after it was publicly revealed that the US Army used FISA warrants to spy on American citizens who had extremely loose or tangential ties to terrorists.
  • Aunjanue Ellis – Master Sergeant Jocelyn Pierce, USMC, a career Pentagon non-commissioned officer who has worked as COL McNulty’s aide for two years. She is a widow; her husband Danny was killed in action.
  • Kerr Smith – Captain Bobby Wilkerson, JT’s former second-in-command who is now a Delta Force team leader. He is married with two kids, but is rarely ever home due to his job.
  • Kelly Rutherford – Samantha “Sonny” Liston, the Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Defence, with whom MAJ Tisnewski has a past with. She was later appointed the Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations after the resignation of Assistant Secretary Algazi.

• Recurring:
  • Joe Morton – Steven Algazi, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations who resigned after MAJ Tisnewski and his team stopped a terrorist attack at the Pentagon station. He is a Marine veteran. (9 episodes).
  • Maurice Compte – Sergeant First Class Charlie Gutierrez, one of JT’s teammates. (9 episodes).
  • Tavis Bohlinger – Mark “Doc” Jones (8 episodes).
  • Kelsey Oldershaw – Angie Aronson, MAJ Tisnewski’s girlfriend and a CIA operative. (7 episodes).
  • Ashley Williams – Beth Wilkerson, Bobby’s wife. (6 episodes).
  • Mitch Morris – Ken Watkins (5 episodes).
  • Andrew McCarthy – Aaron Gerrity, the Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs with aspirations of higher office (5 episodes).
  • Brittany Ishibashi – Ashley Nakahino (5 episodes).
  • Robert Picardo – Larry Kincaid, a reporter who has been working at the Pentagon for over 20 years. He was paralysed during his time as a war correspondent during the Vietnam War (4 episodes).
  • Jaime Ray Newman – Nathalie Hughes, the daughter of General Hughes, the Commanding Officer of United States Special Operations Command, who begins a fellowship in Assistant Secretary of Defence Samantha Liston’s office and a relationship with LTC Tisnewski (4 episodes).

Trivia

• The show struggled from the onset because it was up against ABC’s Top 20 hit Lost, CBS’s Top 30 hit Criminal Minds, FOX’s Top 10 hit American Idol and the network’s Top 30 hit Unan1mous.
• Although NBC gave it an earlier time slot which led to better ratings, the show was pulled from the lineup during the February sweeps and officially cancelled at the NBC upfront on 15 May.
• E-Ring aired in the United Kingdom on FX, as of 28 July 2006.

E-Ring Series

• Episode 01: Pilot.
• Episode 02: Snatch and Grab.
• Episode 03: Escape and Evasion.
• Episode 04: Tribes.
• Episode 05: Weekend Pass.
• Episode 06: Toy Soldiers.
• Episode 07: Cemetery, Part 01.
• Episode 08: Cemetery, Part 02.
• Episode 09: Delta Does Detroit.
• Episode 10: The Forgotten.
• Episode 11: Christmas Story.
• Episode 12: Breath of Allah.
• Episode 13: War Crimes.
• Episode 14: The General.
• Episode 15: Five Pillars.
• Episode 16: Fallen Angels.
• Episode 17: Friends and Enemies.
• Episode 18: Two Princes.
• Episode 19: Brothers in Arms.
• Episode 20: Hard Sell.
• Episode 21: Isolation.
• Episode 22: Acceptable Losses.

Production & Filming Details

• Creator(s): Ken Robinson and David McKenna.
• Director(s): Taylor Hackford, David Barrett, Michael Robison, Fred Keller. Jesus Salvador Trevino, John Showalter, Tim Matheson, Perry Long, Dean White, Alex Zakrzewski, Deran Sarafian, Gloria Muzio, Craig R. Baxley, David Anspaugh, Tawnia McKiernan, Kevin Dowling, Paul Michael Glaser, Steve Boyum, and Kenneth Biller.
• Producer(s): Jonathan Littman, David McKenna, Kenneth Biller, Jerry Bruckheimer, David Barrett, Erik Oleson, Paul Moen, and Ken Robinson.
• Writer(s): David McKenna, Ken Robinson, Erik Oleson, Karen Hall, Laurie Arent, Michael Ostrowski, Cinque Henderson, Scott Reynolds, Lauren Gussis, Kenneth Biller, Larry Moskowitz, John Hlavin, Angela Russo, Matthew Federman, and Stephen Scaia.
• Music: Trevor Morris.
• Production: Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television.
• Distributor(s): NBC.
• Release Date: 01 September 2005 to 01 February 2006.
• Running Time: 42-44 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.