If you were a fan of ER, you might want to check out a new series on Max that’s also set in a hospital and stars Noah Wyle.
ER was a medical drama that launched on NBC in 1994, and promptly changed television through 331 episodes across 15 seasons.
The brainchild of Jurassic Park scribe Michael Crichton, the show focussed on a Chicago hospital’s emergency room, and the fast pace and quick cuts had a profound influence on how TV was shot and edited.
The show also made household names of its stars, which included George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, and Julianna Margulies. But it’s Noah Wyle who has landed the lead in a new hospital drama that owes much to ER.
How The Pitt connects to ER
The Pitt premieres on Max today (January 9, 2025) and is a medical drama that’s set in the emergency room at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital.
Noah Wyle – who was one of the leads in ER – is the principal lead in The Pitt, playing Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch.
R. Scott Gemmill – who worked as a supervising producer on ER, as well as writing 32 episodes – penned the pilot of The Pitt, and also serves as the show’s creator and showrunner, while it’s also executive produced by former ER executive producer John Wells.
But the connections haven’t all been positive, as Michael Crichton’s widow sued the show over similarities to an ER sequel series, while Warner Bros Television’s lawyers responded by filing for motion to dismiss, claiming The Pitt is completely different.
What is The Pitt about?
The Pitt is a high-concept hospital drama that plays out in real time. The show’s story starts at 7am in the Pittsburgh emergency room, and each hour-long episode covers an hour of that same day, with the final episode kicking off at 9pm.
Over the course of that day, the official synopsis states that ER doctors “juggle personal crises, workplace politics, and high emotions.”
Speaking about that approach, Wyle, Wells, and Gemmill said in a joint statement: “The myriad of challenges facing the doctors, nurses, technicians, patients, and their families who work in the trenches of modern medicine have become only more pronounced in the decade and a half since we last visited their stories.
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“We’re thrilled to be able to return to this world with the support of our partners and are looking forward to pushing the boundaries of dramatic realism and medical accuracy in following the lives of these heroic men and women.”
Who’s in The Pitt cast?
Here’s a list of The Pitt’s principal cast members, alongside the characters they play:
- Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael Rabinavitch
- Fiona Dourif as Dr. Cassie McKay
- Supriya Ganesh as Dr. Mohan
- Taylor Dearden as Dr. Melissa King
- Patrick Ball as Dr. Frank Langdon
- Tracey Ifeachor as Dr. Collins
- Isa Briones as Dr. Trinity Santos
- Shawn Hatosy as Dr. Jack Abbott
- Katherine LaNasa as Head Nurse Dana Evans
- Shabana Azeez as Victoria Javadi
- Gerran Howell as Dennis Whitaker
How to watch The Pitt
The first two episodes of The Pitt stream will exclusively on Max tonight, January 9, at 9 PM ET.
Episodes will then air weekly at that time on Thursdays. So to watch today you’ll need a Max subscription.
As for the UK, The Pitt will be heading to Sky Showcase sometime soon, and therefore available via subscription to Sky or Now TV.
What the critics are saying
Reviews have been largely positive for The Pitt. Variety compares the show to its predecessor, writing: “The Pitt doubles down on the realism that made ER a sensation, working topical issues like opioid abuse and the pandemic into a frantically paced plot that effectively induces the same sense of overwhelm in the audience that its exhausted characters live with every day.”
The Hollywood Reporter is more blunt, saying: “The Pitt emerges as a well-executed medical procedural made by people who know from well-executed medical procedurals.”
While Paste effusively states: “Filled with realism, heart, and just the right touches of humor, this is the best medical drama I’ve seen in years.”
The Pitt launches on January 9, 2024, while for more television, these are the best TV shows releasing this month, as well as new true crime and documentaries.
