“The Pitt” is taking the TV show industry by storm. The 15-episode series gives viewers a realistic look at what it is like to be a doctor or nurse on a 12-hour shift in the ER, as well as how they deal with their own personal lives, work relationships, and the emotional toll of treating critically injured patients. The show has been praised by critics and medical professionals alike for its realism and depiction of events in a hospital. The ratings of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.9/10 on IMDb further cement the fact that this show is legit.
Overall, the show focuses on the conflicts of doctors’ trusting of instincts and knowledge, and the struggle behind being open to learning. “The Pitt” reflects the bravery and courage of everyday modern heroes: the doctors and nurses who take care of us when we cannot do so ourselves.
The pilot episode came out on January 9, 2025 and brought the audience right to the hospital at 7:00 am: the first hour of the shift. We get introduced to one of the main characters, Dr. Michael “Robbie” Robinavitch (played by Noah Wyle), who is the chief doctor of the ER at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The episode also introduces characters such as Victoria Javadi (played by Shabana Azeez), a 3rd year med student, and Dr. Heather Collins (played by Tracy Ifeachor), a senior resident doctor.
Interestingly enough, leading actor Noah Wyle has also played the acclaimed part of Dr. John Carter in the 1994 show ER, where he played the doctor from the pilot to the 11th season’s finale. Additionally, the creator of “The Pitt,” R. Scott Gemmill, was also a writer and producer on ER.
Many may regard “ER” as a soap-opera type show with its medical inaccuracy, steady decrease in quality over the course of its 15 seasons, and unrealistic portrayal of nurses and doctors. While “The Pitt” and “ER” may seem similar, I assure you that they are vastly different and have their defining characteristics. For example, the “ER” is more centered around the patients’ experiences and stories, while “The Pitt” focuses on the healthcare workers and the hardships and everyday struggles that arise in the field. Another difference is that “The Pitt” provides a more realistic portrayal of events, with each of its episodes covering one hour in a 15-hour shift. While, on the other hand, “ER” covers a larger period of time at the hospital, including all the events occurring during a shift in its entirety.
With a rating of TV-MA for its use of profanity, violence, and nudity, “The Pitt” is not for the faint of heart. It realistically depicts injuries as well as medical procedures like surgeries, which means that it shows exactly what the doctors are doing as they work on a patient. I found these points of the show disturbing and frequently looked away from the screen. During certain moments, it felt like I was on the shift with the characters. “The Pitt” could be emotionally overwhelming at times — as I’m sure it is actually on the job — and sometimes I even had to stop watching because I couldn’t mentally handle it.
I would recommend The Pitt to anyone who is curious about what the medical field is really like and to anyone who appreciates shows that are detail-oriented. The season finale came out on April 10th, 2025, so make sure to tune in on Max, Hulu, YouTube TV, Roku, or Amazon Prime and join the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital team as they work through the final hour of their shift.
