There aren’t many TV shows set in my hometown of Pittsburgh. Honestly, it makes sense. There are about 67 cities in the country bigger than the ‘Burgh and if you’re looking for a place in PA, Philly is usually the safe choice. It’s okay though, we’ve still got Mr. Rogers, My So-Called Life, and the flashbacks on This is Us. I say all of this because there is a new program in town and it is appealing to our base desires by including half of the city’s name in the title.
The Pitt is a medical drama that looks and feels like E.R. Which might be because of the creator R. Scott Gemmill, who worked on that series. It could also be the series lead Noah Wyle who famously played E.R.’s John Carter. Most likely, though, it’s the all-but-confirmed rumor that this is a reworked version of a sequel series.
Despite the throwback feel, The Pitt is more committed to realism than the medical dramas of yesteryear. No helicopters crushing anyone in this show. The basic concept is that each episode follows an hour in the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. By season’s end, we’ll have experienced a single 15-hour shift. It’s a fun concept that creates some interesting ways to break up the usual medical drama formula.
The show’s structure takes the usual “case of the week” and divides it into pieces. Each episode contains parts of each case, all unfolding at different rates throughout the hour. It’s a tricky balancing act, but one the show pulls off remarkably well. Where it gets clunkier is in the doling out of backstory. It’s a necessary part of writing. You need to understand and relate to these characters and that’s tough to pull off when you can’t show us what they do off the clock. Instead, the program falls back on scenes where characters share a lot of information with one another immediately. The success or failure of these scenes largely depends on the actors involved, but there have been more than a few clunkers in the episodes I’ve seen.
By and large, The Pitt introduces us to a diverse and engaging cast of characters in a short amount of time. Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch is the glue that holds the entire show together. There is a weariness to Robby that you only see in his brief moments of downtime. He is a man barely holding on, but still trying to do his best for those in need. Wyle sells you on every bit of it. Other standout performances include Taylor Dearden as the awkward but charming Dr. Mel King and Gerran Howell as medical student Dennis Whitaker. It’s Dennis who gets the first lesson in how quickly things can go south in a hospital, and Howell imbues that moment with incredible emotion.
Not every plot beat or character moment lands, but just wait, there’s another right around the corner. The pace keeps you on your feet just like the show’s medical professionals. The Pitt proves to be a refreshing take on the standard medical drama thanks to making the most of its premise. It borrows from the classics but still manages to be unique. The results are hard to argue with.
The Pitt is currently streaming on Max. New episodes release on Thursday.