Former ER executive producer John Wells opened up about battling with network executives over some of the medical drama's hard-hitting story lines. "I really appreciate not dealing with Standards and Practices on a daily basis anymore," Wells, 69, admitted to The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Thursday, August 7. "It's fear-based and doesn't respect the audience's intelligence and sophistication." NBC's Peabody Award-winning medical drama earned a reputation for pushing the boundaries of what could be shown on prime time TV in the 1990s.