Every season there’s a massive accident that causes widespread panic in the ER.

Warning: Some mild spoilers ahead!

First, everyone in the hospital has slept with everybody else and the secret relationships cause DRAMA every season.

ABC

There’s always a group of BFFs that are trying to defy the odds and become the best doctors at the hospital.

ABC / NBC

From the beginning, one intern appears to be a surgical prodigy and gets put on a ton of surgeries by the residents.

ABC

Every season, there’s one favorite patient that appears to be getting better until there’s a complication no one sees coming.

ABC / NBC

There’s always one doctor who comes from a family of surgeons, but they’re trying to escape their family’s legacy.

ABC / NBC

More often than not, there’s a massive accident, like a chemical spill or a ferry boat crash, that causes widespread panic in the ER.

ABC / NBC

The hospital on-call rooms never function as a place for doctors to sleep, but rather as a perfect hook up spot.

ABC / NBC

A new doctor inevitably arrives to cause trouble at the most inconvenient moments.

ABC / NBC

At some point, one doctor defies the odds and saves a patient in a crazy way, whether it’s rescuing them from a storm drain or performing surgery in a stuck elevator.

NBC / ABC

Once an episode, a doctor yells, “They’re coding” and/or “Clear,” while trying to save a patient.

ABC / NBC

At some point, a beloved intern tragically dies and their death leaves a lasting impression on their fellow doctors and the TV series.

NBC / ABC

Every season, there’s one medical mystery that causes the doctors to go into a frenzy.

Fox / ABC

There’s sometimes one doctor who is hiding something that could keep them from operating, usually a hand tremor.

ABC / Fox

One doctor in a position of power has a “tough love” attitude that eventually softens as the series progresses.

ABC / NBC

At some point, a parent of one of the doctors is revealed, and we learn about their strained relationship.

NBC / ABC

All of the doctors hang out at the same bar after work because nobody seems to have any friends outside of the hospital.

ABC / NBC

And finally, a family member of a doctor will unexpectedly arrive and shock everyone who works there, making for the perfect episode cliffhanger.

ABC / Fox