The Pitt - (Max) 

By: Rachel Brodeur

Thirty years after his television debut on the hit series ER, Noah Wyle returns to the emergency room in Max’s new show The Pitt. No longer the rookie student of medicine, Wyle plays Dr. Michael Robinavitch, senior attending doctor in a Pittsburg public hospital emergency room.  Dr. Robinavitch is a master of controlled chaos. His experience, skill and cool proficiency are immediately evident, as is his care for both the patients and staff on his floor. 

The format of The Pitt is what makes the show special. Much like the series 24 changed traditional dramas by outlining the minutes leading up to a potentially catastrophic event, The Pitt, delivers its hour-long episodes in real time. The first episode is simply titled, “7:00 A.M.” The effect, much like in 24, is a build up of tension. There is an added intensity to episodes because the timing adds an element of unpredictability. In other medical dramas, a patient enters a scene, and there is an expectation that, if the audience is seeing them, they’ll be a significant part of the story, and that their part will be mostly resolved through the episode, but this is not the case with The Pitt. Four episodes in, and there are characters still waiting to be seen by a doctor, because in real life, sometimes people wait for hours when seeking treatment at an ER. Working alongside these doctors, audiences are forced to weather the drama of the building as some rooms are routine and others are tragic. 

A show so centered on healthcare in the United States can never be free of social commentary. It is often the most marginalized members of society that rely on emergency services, especially in an urban area like Pittsburgh. The Pitt delivers its social commentary in a measured way. Characters do not have time to proselytize about issues of abortion rights, transgender healthcare, the housing insecure, the fentanyl crisis, or a number of other issues facing service providers on the front lines with the American public, but all of these issues and more are present between moments of medical intensity, achievement, and loss. The Pitt strikes the right balance of authentically dealing with real world issues, without being heavy handed or preaching at their audience. 

Rachel’s Rating: 9/10  Gritty yet restrained, The Pitt (Max) seamlessly integrates pressing social issues into its storytelling, reflecting the everyday struggles of both doctors and patients. Its real-time hour by hour format, sets it apart from traditional medical dramas by embracing the raw, unfiltered reality of healthcare in the United States.