"Santa Claus is Dead" is the Christmas episode of the ABC medical drama St. Elsewhere, aired as the eleventh episode of the show's fourth season.
Synopsis[]
Katherine Auschlander heads a program in which a group of children visit Santa Claus at St. Eligius. He has a heart attack, but not until the Auschlanders' grandson, Max, calls him a fraud. The doctors all swap Christmas gifts and cheer except for Dr. Ehrlich; Dr. Fiscus claims he is incapable of being a friend and therefore can't have friends. Dr. and Mrs. Craig host a Wassail party. The Westphalls celebrate at home. The time of year causes a lot of grief and emotion to fester and brew. As Max watches and Dr. Axelrod labors, Santa dies. Will poor Dr. Axelrod be forever known as the man who killed him?
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Ed Flanders | Dr. Donald Westphall |
| Norman Lloyd | Dr. Daniel Auschlander |
| Ed Begley Jr. | Dr. Victor Ehrlich |
| Stephen Furst | Dr. Elliott Axelrod |
| Eric Laneuville | Luther Hawkins |
| Howie Mandel | Dr. Wayne Fiscus |
| David Morse | Dr. Jack Morrison |
| Denzel Washington | Dr. Phillip Chandler |
| William Daniels | Dr. Mark Craig |
| Bonnie Bartlett | Ellen Craig |
| Jane Wyatt | Katherine Auschlander |
| Sagan Lewis | Dr. Jacqueline Wade |
| Kavi Raz | Dr. Vijay Kochar |
| Aaron Fletcher | Santa Claus |
| Judyann Elder | Elodie Haber |
| Byron Stewart | Warren Coolidge |
| Dana Short | Elizabeth Westphall |
| Chad Allen | Tommy Westphall |
| Casey Siemaszko | Rick Messina |
| Bernard Kuby | Richard Lesniak |
| Ian Fried | Jeff Rosenthal |
| Danny McMurphy | Max Auschlander |
| Alison Sweeney | Chrissy |
| Harold Ayer | Minister |