The Pitt (Season 2)

Creator: R. Scott Gemmill
Starring: Noah Wyle, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Sepideh Moafi, Shawn Hatosy, Laëtitia Hollard, Alexandra Metz, Ayesha Harris, Tal Anderson 
Original Airdate: 2026

**This Review Contains Plot Spoilers**

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

In its sophomore season, the creator and writers of HBO Max's The Pitt provide an answer as to whether it's possible to improve on perfection. And still with just thirty episodes in the can, it feels as if we've past the point of calling it TV's best ever medical drama, easily clearing the bar set by its own executive producer John Wells' pioneering E.R. Instead, this occupies an entirely different realm reserved for only the upper echelon, putting to bed whatever lingering genre bias still remained.

What sets this apart isn't just the pressure cooker format of each episode being set in real time, covering the entirety of an emergency trauma center shift. Or even the onslaught of patients hovering between life and death as doctors attempt to treat them in the face of insurmountable overcrowdedness and staff shortages. 

While it all contributes, what stands out most is the show's commitment to letting these cases do the talking, each new catastrophe revealing more about these characters than any manufactured storyline could. But that isn't to say this lacks heightened drama, as the show's frenetic pacing and non-stop action makes it impossible to turn away. 

With its shaky-cam documentary style immersing us in the chaos, this season's tension is hammered home by a ten-month time jump, distinguishing it from shows that force viewers to wait three year for the next chapter. And since there's bound to be high turnover in a teaching hospital where new faces come and go, we get our first glimpse at how showrunner R. Scott Gemmill handles it, with one major departure and an influx of med students coming in to replace those moving up. But if frequent staff changes are business as usual in this kind of setting, it's still a scripted series where even the slightest shake-ups can upset the balance. The writers use this to prove that no character is bigger than the hospital or series itself, save for maybe just one. But now, even that's in doubt. 

It's July 4th weekend and Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) is starting his last shift before a planned three-month sabbatical when he'll embark on a cross country motorcycle trip. Taking his place as senior attending in the interim is Dr. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), a VA physician and supporter of using AI technology to treat patients. Working alongside Robby, the two clash over their differing methods as he becomes increasingly skeptical of her ability to run things while he's gone. Meanwhile, Langdon (Patrick Ball) makes his long waited return from rehab, discovering certain colleagues aren't thrilled that he's working in this hospital again. Topping this list is feisty second-year resident Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones), who notably turned him in for stealing drugs, leading to his suspension.

Farm boy Dr. Whitaker (Gerran Howell) comes into his own as a more confident, capable intern, emerging as a protege and potential successor to Robby as a new crop of students arrive, including overconfident know-it-all James Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson) and sarcastic but highly intelligent Joy Quan (Irene Choi). And still carrying the trauma from last year's assault, charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) is shows trainee Emma (Laëtitia Hollard) the ropes on a first day she definitely won't forget. 

As a stressed out Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) and overwhelmed fourth-year med student Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) are distracted by their overbearing mothers, Dr. Cassie McKay (Fiona Dourif) treats a woman dying from cancer while Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden) panics over her malpractice deposition and autistic sister Becca's (Tal Anderson) burgeoning independence. But when a technological catastrophe forces the entire staff to improvise, it's all hands on deck when Robby's frustrations simmer, his planned road trip looking unlikelier by the minute. And if he does go, there's no telling whether he'll come back.

If an emergency department is comparable to a revolving door, Dr. Al-Hashimi could either be viewed as the temporary replacement for Robby while he's away or an attempt to fill a crucial gap left by the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's senior resident Dr. Heather Collins. Or maybe a bit of both. Either way, she and Robby have a very different dynamic from the start, with him immediately questioning her expertise, judgment and ability to lead.  

Aside from Al-Hashimi's controversial AI fixation, she's a controlled, unshakeable and observant physician with flexibility Robby often lacks, especially during this shift. But if any mutual respect develops between them, it's mostly one-sided since the prideful, stubborn Robby would likely find fault in anyone temporarily chosen to take his spot, regardless of their skills or qualifications. 

As Robby's attitude worsens, we're introduced to the idea he's a martyr, intolerant of watching anyone fail at reaching the impossible standards he sets for himself. There were signs of this last season, but now the job's eaten away at his psyche, partially because he has no existence or purpose outside of it, making the decision to leave for a few months that much more agonizing. And while his instincts about Al-Hashimi are correct, it's not for the reasons he assumes, but rather a secret she's holding that becomes increasingly impossible to suppress.

The returning Langford is also waging an inner battle as the former cocky hotshot comes back significantly humbled and apologetic, fearing he'll no longer be the doctor he once was. But if the rehab stint changed him, Santos doesn't want to hear it, far preferring he be dismissed than get help or a second chance. And that few know the full extent of his actions is only more infuriating, as she's again forced to  work alongside a doctor who treated her like dirt on day one.  

With the show's accuracy continuing to earn high marks from those in the medical community, it again shows how massive cracks in the healthcare system affect doctors and patients alike. That's especially true for the mental well being of providers driven to burnout, addiction and far worse over the course of the season. There's also an emphasis on the violence many endure from disgruntled patients due to a lack of security and other protective safeguards.  

If there are any quibbles about what happens over these fifteen hours, it's the sheer volume of bizarre, once-in-a-career cases that take place consecutively within a single shift. But it's not as if any viewer could complain given the tension it generates, hardly allowing the characters to come up for air before another crisis hits, each more challenging than the last.

Though the show's whole rhythm and structure is built around the idea we never see or find out what happens to these patients once they're discharged (or flat out leave), some reappear. Whether it's last season's beloved regular Louie Cloverfield (Ernest Harden Jr.) continuing to drink himself to death or construction worker Orlando Diaz's (William Guirola) inability to afford coverage, we're reminded just how much is out of the physicians' hands. That reality is further reinforced when a few month old baby is found abandoned, becoming a representation of the hope and helplessness that defines their jobs. 

There's no better example of that than in the pivotal "1:00 PM" hour, when Dana and her trainee Emma collect evidence for a rape kit from victim Ilana Miller (an outstanding Tina Ivlev). Difficult to watch and feeling almost tortuously long, there's never been such a sensitive and precisely detailed depiction of this examination on television before. The silences are deafening as we watch a calm, understanding Dana walk this rape survivor through the most emotionally grueling process of her life. 

While Dana was already established as the glue that holds this trauma center together, the material LaNasa gets to work with is even better this time around, with her character desperately trying to provide compassionate care, even as the memory of her own attack remains, along with everyone else's safety. This is especially true when masked ICE agents arrive with an injured detainee, causing immediate hysteria throughout the hospital.  

Dana's mentorship of Emma is the season's most rewarding storyline, with actress Laëtitia Hollard bringing this sweetness and vulnerability to her character that nicely contrasts with Dana's no-nonsense, "tough love" approach. It's fascinating to watch the young nurse gradually win over her boss simply by listening, following instructions, doing the best she can and simply persevering. 

Though Emma's green and understandably intimidated, you can tell Dana's proud of this girl for powering through, already displaying many of the traits that should make her a skilled nurse. And in Dana, Emma gets a glimpse into her possible future once the naivete fades and she's hardened by the profession's cruelty, as scary as that seems. 

Whenever Shawn Hatosy's attending physician Dr. Jack Abbott appears, it's a safe bet business is about to pick up. After scrubbing in early last season for the PittFest shooting, he makes an even more impactful entry alongside an injured member of his SWAT team when a regional cyberattack forces the hospital to go offline. 

With everyone suddenly transported back to the stone ages with written charts and dry erase boards, Hatosy again makes a huge impression in short bursts, his character the only one capable of getting through to Robby at his worst. Abbott doesn't want him going on this trip, but not because he thinks his friend doesn't need a break. He's more worried what he'll do once he gets there, noting how therapy is preferable to him being left alone in his own thoughts. 

Robby proves Abbott right during this whole shift, as nearly every interaction he has is punctuated by either anger, sarcasm, harsh judgment or some combination of all three. Half a step away from blowing a fuse for hours on end, his lowest moment comes when he mocks Samira's "mommy issues" following a panic attack, yelling about how her personal issues are interfering with the patients' treatment. 

As usual, Robby's right, but his clumsy handling of the situation is an embarrassment that the more level headed, empathetic Al-Hashimi rightly calls him out on. Even his later apology to Samira is accompanied by a backhanded insult about her being better suited to the slower pace of elder care.

While she's she's strong enough to put up with Robby, Samira becomes his proverbial punching bag this season, a development that'll leave her with one foot out the door by the finale. Of course, we know now this fan favorite isn't returning, becoming the second in what's sure to be a longer list of departures that test our appreciation of sacrificing cast members for realism. As one of the show's standouts, Ganish goes out at the top of her game, while unfortunately leaving viewers with a sense there was more Samira story left to tell.  

None of Robby's behavior suggests he doesn't still have his favorites, like Victoria, who's just as distracted as Samira by her attending surgeon mom's expectations, but hardly faces any of the same criticism. This despite Victoria still buckling under pressure, making nervous errors that expose the hypocrisy of Robby's glowing endorsement. His respect for Whitaker's work is more understandable, with "Huckleberry" providing valuable guidance to the med students, most notably a shell shocked Ogilvie, whose hubris eventually results in a crucial mistake.

If the fates are conspiring to prevent Robby from departing on his road trip, he still has selfless moments, like his insistence on treating ornery biker buddy Duke Ekins (Jeff Kober) before leaving. Though this, Wyle adds new dimensions to a character more broken by life and his own perceived shortcomings than anyone suspected. He doesn't resent Langford for stealing drugs, but how he fears it reflects on him. When the two finally do have that long delayed "talk," the remorseful Langford correctly assesses that Robby's in as much need of counseling as he is, before it's too late.

You can't help but wonder what Al-Hashimi expects to hear from Robby when she reveals her medical condition. Surely it can't be reassurance or an encouraging pep talk to get back to work as he leaves his department in the hands of an attending who could have another seizure at any minute. Still, he manages to extend his streak of being totally right while still managing to sound incredibly wrong, throwing  another fit during the most sensitive of circumstances. 

Confiding in the only person she can, it briefly seems as if Al-Hashimi connects with Robby on the human level she intends, at least until he reminds her how she's jeopardizing the safety of patients and staff. But unless Robby clears his head and deals with his issues, he could find himself in a similar boat, unable to effectively perform his duties. With both their futures in doubt, a small glimmer of hope comes in the final scene when Robby finds comfort from an unlikely source, hinting at the possibility he could be going away for a bit after all, whatever form that takes.

Throughout this season, the show's damaged hero slides down a slippery slope, revealing himself to be more fallible and self destructive than he'd ever admit. The series also takes a big swing by presenting him as a ticking time bomb who affects every member of a staff already stretched far past their limits. But even as each shift feels like an endless loop in hell for these physicians, all that really matters is the next life that needs saving.                                                                               

The Pitt (Season 1)

Creator: R. Scott Gemmill
Starring: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Shawn Hatosy, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Kristin Villanueva, Joanna Going, Deepti Gupta, Michael Hyatt, Jackson Kelly, Krystel V. McNeil, Alexandra Metz, Drew Powell, Brad Dourif
Original Airdate: 2025

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

It's a safe bet that once you've seen a single episode of The Pitt you'll find it impossible to watch another medical drama again. Of course, this might not be much of a surprise considering how tired the genre's become since executive producer John Wells and writer R. Scott Gemmill broke new ground in the mid-90's with ER. But while introducing a formula that would be cribbed by most major network police and legal procedurals, it slowly became a victim of its own popularity, straying further from the life and death stakes the series was originally built on. 

Watching The Pitt, it's easier to believe this is the show those two always wanted to make, sharing more in common with the prestige TV we've been spoiled with over the past decade than Michael Crichton's original creation. How much Gemmill's series resembles a scrapped ER reboot the late author's estate is now suing over is anyone's guess, but in terms of look, pacing, structure, and even how it's shot, this doesn't recall any medical show that's ever aired. 

Unlike so many others in the genre, it isn't a soap opera, but a suspense thriller focused on the ongoing crises faced when treating a litany of patients in an emergency trauma center. That's not to say these doctors don't have personal lives, just that we only see them through their work in the tumultuous confines of this overcrowded, underfunded facility.  

A hospital in every sense, the latest batch of rookies check expectations and medical textbooks at the door to endure a trial by fire on their first day. Risky procedures are shown in agonizing detail, doctors clash over protocol, mistakes are made and lives are lost and saved. And with enough Emmy-worthy turns to fill entire categories, there's an unpredictability that accompanies the discovery of a largely unknown cast of talented actors. Or in the case of one notably brilliant exception, a familiar face returning to give the performance of his career. 

On the fourth anniversary of his mentor Dr. Adamson's death during the COVID pandemic, senior attending physician Dr. Michael "Robby" Rabinavich (Noah Wyle) starts his shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital's ER, better known as "The Pitt." As friend and senior resident Dr. Heather Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) expresses concern about him working that day, he insists on it, meeting the four new faces he'll be supervising.

Panicked third-year med student Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez), fourth-year student and Nebraska farmboy Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell), sarcastic, overconfident intern Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) and socially awkward second-year resident Dr. Melissa "Mel" King (Taylor Dearden) all arrive green as grass for their first day. Immediately thrown into the fray, they're shown the ropes by arrogant senior resident Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) "slow poke" Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) and beleaguered single mom Dr. Cassie McKay (Fiona Dourif). 

Charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) is the ER's den mother, holding this department together as doctors face off with disgruntled patients, family members and even each other over how to best provide life saving care while red tape and funding issues hinder resources. And as Robby gradually unravels by the hour, he'll also have to deal with chief medical officer Gloria Underwood (Michael Hyatt) badgering him over low patient satisfaction scores. But just when everyone thinks this shift can't possibly get any worse, it does, in the form of a catastrophic mass casualty event.

Each episode unfolds in real time, playing out over the span of 15-hour shift that, despite a breakneck pace, actually seems longer because of the attention given to every character. As the physicians persevere to treat one life threatening case after another, patients come and go, some sticking around for what amounts to a season long arc over the course of this single chaotic day. The gripping format allows cases to be depicted from the moment of a patient's arrival to completion, no matter how tragic or uplifting the result.

After different physicians exhaust a variety of options in attempting to pinpoint a diagnosis, deciding on the best possible treatment often leads to blowups among staff and uncooperative patients. But some of the most explosive confrontations take place in the packed waiting room filled with fuming patients who go unseen for hours, taken in order of priority. The show's structure also toys with our perception of time, like when Robby just can't get to the bathroom for an episode and a half. Amidst the mayhem, we've already forgotten along with him, until he finally makes it, only to be interrupted again.

The most memorable cases are serious, complicated ones that span multiple hours. They include an elderly man with pneumonia whose adult children are trying to override his DNR request, a mother who made herself sick in order to get psychiatric help for her troubled teen son, a woman suffering from sickle cell disease, a college student left brain-dead after overdosing on Xanax laced with fentanyl, a man drugged by his wife after she suspects him of molesting their teen daughter and a little girl battling to survive after saving her drowning sister. And while that doesn't cover nearly an eighth of it, all usually involve ethical dilemmas that extend well beyond the parameters of strict medical care. 

As senior attending, everything goes through the seemingly unshakeable Robby, who has final say, or as much of one as possible under the circumstances. A great teacher, he'll also listen to conflicting viewpoints before putting his foot down, occasionally falling prey to his own stubbornness. And while he won't hesitate to bend or break the rules to save a life, he'll discourage others from doing the same if it carries unnecessary risks. This is especially true of new residents needing protection from their own worst impulses. 

None of the patients they lose are merely tagged and shipped to the morgue without thought or reflection as the ramifications of their deaths are respectfully acknowledged by Robby and his team. While these experiences can serve as teachable moments, more often than not, it's no one's fault, even if that rarely stops the doctors from blaming themselves or each other. 

If Robby's day is rough, the quietly confident Collins has it worse as she attempts to keep her pregnancy a secret in the middle of an increasingly stressful shift. The charismatically rebellious Langdon plays favorites, forming a warm bond with one resident while mercilessly riding another, kicking off a feud that could lead to his own undoing. Singled out by Robby for her slowness, Mohan must balance his criticisms of her pace with an emotional desire to comfort and reassure her patients. And as McKay butts heads with Robby over his handling of a potentially dangerous teen, her own legal challenges become an open secret, rearing its head at the worst possible time. But these physicians are constantly jumping from case to case, shutting out external distractions to effectively perform complicated procedures under extreme pressure.

Much of the show remains fixed on these newcomers, each of whom brings something different as they try to find their sea legs. Briones's Santos emerges as the most abrasive, her insults and pushiness masking an insecurity that propels her to go over superiors' heads and take wild chances. But she'll find a valuable backer in strict, hard-nosed surgeon Dr. Yolanda Garcia (Alexandra Metz), who likely sees her younger self in this brash, eager resident with poor bedside. 

It's only after Santos is humbled by a humiliating error does she dial back the attitude and impulsiveness long enough for us to appreciate her instincts. She may carry a lot of baggage, but Briones takes her controversial resident on a journey that finishes in a better place than it started. On the other hand, prodigal med student Victoria is intimidated by the shadow cast by her mom, a respected senior attending at the hospital. Nervously searching for the "special sauce" that will distinguish her as a doctor, she displays an almost comic knack for saying or doing the wrong thing at the most inopportune moment. But even while radiating a relatable goofiness in social situations, her skills are plainly obvious.

The underconfident Whitaker isn't only the most likable of the four, but shows the most potential, even earning Robby's early endorsement. And Howell is superb in a role that sees his character pulled in every direction, partially due to understaffing, but also because they know he can do this, whether or not he realizes it yet. Gaining courage as the shift wears on, he proves adept at connecting with patients on a basic human level, especially the ones you'd least expect. And him having to constantly change scrubs after each new encounter covers him in a different deluge of bodily fluids is the season's best running gag. 

Despite or maybe partially because of her awkwardness, Taylor Dearden's neurodivergent resident Mel is a walking medical encyclopedia, meticulously focused on coming up with the right solutions and implementing them without hesitation. As the caregiver for her autistic sister, she also listens intently to patients, displaying an astounding level of knowledge and sensitivity that leaves an impressed Langford scratching his head. It's an unusually nuanced part Dearden already seems to have mastered, with her character justifiably emerging as a fan favorite.

The series reaches explosive, pulse pounding heights in episodes 12 and 13 when an active shooting sends an influx of patients into the ER, forcing the hospital to implement mass casualty protocols. With all hands on deck, multiple stories converge as Robby's trauma finally bubbles over, bringing him to the brink. With painful personal ties to this tragedy, he'll find himself at his lowest point, until rescue comes from a surprising source. In a season full of them, this is Wyle's most shattering moment.  

If Clooney was immediately tagged as ER's next big movie star, most know that Wyle and Anthony Edwards carried it from the jump. But Wyle was always the show's character actor in disguise, reaffirming that here with a deeper, more intensely complex role that has little in common with his Dr. John Carter other than a stethoscope. The beating heart of this series, he's a down-to-earth, flawed, but honestly empathetic everyman struggling to save every life and maintain his own sanity in the face of overwhelming odds. 

Though Robby's the captain, he won't dare ask for help, but gets it anyway in the form of close friend and colleague Dr. Abbot (a terrific Shawn Hatosy), who has some tricks of his own to show these overwhelmed residents. As critically wounded patients flood The Pitt, it transforms into a war triage unit equipped with a very specific system for assessing the severity of injuries. 

If the series was already moving at an impossibly fast clip, these two hours are its apex. And before it's over, the widely beloved Dana and far less popular Langford will find themselves at a career crossroads for entirely different reasons. Even Robby's beaurocratic nemesis Gloria isn't treated as a one-dimensional villain, but a person also trying to do her job, as thankless and unwelcome as it is.    

When it's over we're in disbelief that any of these doctors somehow survived the shift. A few don't want to leave while others just can't physically or emotionally bring themselves to. But once they do, we get the tiniest glimpse of their outside lives as they attempt to unwind. It's just enough, but not too much, as the show earns this with writing and acting that goes beyond anything else currently on TV. Left with more than a twinge of disappointment that our time with these characters has to end, it's softened by the realization all of them will return to do it again. And we'll still be watching.