Pittsburgh’s emergency rooms are about to get the spotlight, and a familiar face is leading the charge. The Pitt, a new medical drama already racking up awards, offers a raw, unflinching look at the daily grind of healthcare workers—and it’s sparking conversations about the state of medicine in America.
The series, which has already won five Emmys and three Critics Choice Awards, returns this week for its second season.
- The Pitt focuses solely on the action *within* the hospital walls, eschewing the traditional “doctor goes home” storylines.
- Noah Wyle, best known for his role on *ER*, stars as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch and is also involved behind the camera.
- The show is currently embroiled in a copyright lawsuit with the estate of *ER* creator Michael Crichton.
For those who remember 1994, it was the year *ER* revolutionized the medical drama. Now, three decades later, *ER* alum Noah Wyle is back in the emergency room, but this time, the landscape is drastically different. “Things have changed dramatically in American medicine from that time,” says John Wells, who served as the original showrunner for *ER* and is now an executive producer on The Pitt.
Wyle starred in ER until season 11 in 2005, when he left to focus on fatherhood and pursue new opportunities.
The Pitt, set in a Pittsburgh hospital, unfolds over a single 24-hour period each episode. It’s a deliberate choice, according to Wells. “It meant that there were some other kinds of stories that we could tell, in a different way [than ER].” The show doesn’t follow doctors home; it stays focused on the intense, often chaotic reality of the emergency department. This approach has resonated with medical professionals, who say it accurately reflects their experiences.
“Medical professionals tell us they feel seen,” says R Scott Gemmill, the show’s creator and a former *ER* writer. “Some of them realised that they have more PTSD than they realised and they’re going to get help now.”
Wyle, who plays attending physician Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, admits he initially felt conflicted about revisiting the medical drama genre. “I think I was as distrustful of being called a heart-throb at 23 as I am at 54,” he jokes. But he’s now energized by the show’s relevance. “I’m thrilled to be part of the conversation again, doing work that seems to have relevance again.”
Wyle (centre) with The Pitt co-stars and fellow Emmy winners Katherine LaNasa and Shawn Hatosy.
The show doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. Season one tackled a mass casualty event, treating 112 patients in a single shift, and explored issues like gun violence—a reality in the United States where more than 1,728 people have been killed and 2,697 injured in mass public shootings since 1966—and the impact of social media on young people. Season two delves into the financial pressures facing healthcare workers and the consequences of cuts to Medicaid, which covers 71 million low-income Americans.
However, The Pitt’s success hasn’t been without complications. The show is currently facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from the estate of Michael Crichton, the creator of *ER*. The suit alleges that The Pitt is a “derivative work” stemming from a previously proposed *ER* revival spearheaded by Wyle, who envisioned a “darker and grittier” return to his role as Dr. John Carter. After negotiations with the estate stalled, Gemmill created The Pitt, with Wells and Wyle on board as executive producers.
Wyle also works as a writer and director on The Pitt and says it’s “extremely gratifying and really intoxicating” to be able to work behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.
Despite the legal challenges, Wyle emphasizes the importance of shining a light on the realities of modern healthcare. “The feeling of the need for this kind of show and the spotlight to be put back on this community brought this to fruition,” he says. Wells agrees, noting that the show facilitates crucial conversations. “They can let them watch and see what it is they do,” he says of healthcare workers and their families. “Because you can’t really come home from these days and talk about what you do.”
The Pitt is streaming on HBO Max.
