The Pitt Review: Noah Wyle’s Superb New Medical Drama Is No ER Reboot
You may experience déjà vu when you first see ER’s Noah Wyle in pair of scrubs again. But once you enter The Pitt — the nickname for Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s emergency department — you’ll see that there’s no mistaking the Max medical drama (premiering Thursday, Jan. 9 at 9/8c) for its iconic predecessor, ER.
I’ve seen 10 (out of 15) episodes, and this is no reboot. Though the series hails from fellow ER grad R. Scott Gemmill, and counts Wyle and John Wells as executive producers, The Pitt does not feel derivative. If anything, The Pitt is the first medical drama since ER to prioritize medicine over melodrama — a welcome change of pace after years of Grey’s Anatomy and House clones. It also feels like a gigantic step forward in the evolution of a genre that ER creator Michael Crichton revolutionized 30 years ago. That pilot, which ran 87 minutes, chronicled 24 hours inside Chicago’s County General, while The Pitt, with its real-time format (à la 24), invites you to scrub in for a full, 15-hour shift, with each episode accounting for a single hour.
More from TVLine
ER changed the game when it first brought viewers into a trauma. The adrenaline in the room was contagious, and you felt it at home. It was unlike anything audiences had been exposed to before. Thirty years later, The Pitt takes it to a whole new level, maintaining that sense of urgency in and out of trauma rooms. You truly feel like you’re in the trenches with Wyle’s Dr. Robby and his underlings, regardless of whether they’re making rounds, consoling next of kin… or just trying to get to the bathroom before the next gurney is rolled in from the ambulance bay.
All told, every second counts. If Dr. Robby doesn’t get a moment to catch his breath, neither do you.
Wyle, meanwhile, hasn’t lost a step since he last played doctor in 2009. Viewers will take comfort seeing him in a familiar role, lording over a new generation of healers, but Robby has his own distinct challenges that set him apart from Carter. Season 1, for instance, takes place on the fifth anniversary of his mentor’s death; former ER chief Dr. Adamson was one of the pandemic’s earliest victims, and Robby is still haunted by visions of that fateful day. Wyle is particularly excellent in Episode 4 (which he also wrote), as Robby helps adult siblings work through the pain of losing their elderly father, and he himself is reminded of the father figure he lost to COVID.
While the five-time Emmy nominee will surely get folks to tune in, it’s the supporting cast, I suspect, that will keep them coming back. Tracy Ifeachor (Quantico) and Patrick Ball (Law & Order) portray senior residents Collins and Langdon, respectively — and while Ball has the showier role, bumping heads with an intern in a storyline that will keep you guessing, Ifeachor stands out in quieter moments, as Collins contends with a major life change. You also have Katherine LaNasa (Truth Be Told), who brings warmth and levity to the proceedings as charge nurse Dana, while recurring guest star Shawn Hatosy (Animal Kingdom), who thus far appears only in Episode 1, makes a lasting impression as Robby’s peer, Dr. Abbot, a fellow attending who struggles to dissociate at the end of a particularly gnarly shift.
Supriya Ganesh (grown-ish) and Fiona Dourif (Chucky) also hold their own as third- and second-year residents McKay and Mohan. The former’s compassion for her patients, coupled with her research on racial disparity in the E.D., hinders her ability to clear beds in a timely manner, which puts her at odds with Robby; the latter’s past struggles with substance abuse, and her current struggles as a single mother with limited custody of her son, influence her approach to patient care. Then, rounding out the ensemble, are The Pitt’s four, fresh-eyed trainees: Taylor Dearden (Sweet/Vicious) is sure to win audiences over with her portrayal of genial second-year resident Dr. King; Isa Briones (Star Trek: Picard) excels whenever arrogant intern Dr. Santos lets her guard down; and Gerran Howell (Catch-22) and Shabana Azeez (In Limbo) provide a surprising amount of comic relief as med students Whitaker and Javadi.
The Pitt’s release comes at a time when pretty much every network (and streaming service) is trying to deliver the next great medical drama. In addition to ABC’s Doctor Odyssey, which bowed this fall, you have CBS’ Watson (starring Morris Chestnut), Fox’s Doc (starring Molly Parker) and Netflix’s Pulse (starring Justina Machado) on the horizon — but I’d be shocked if any of those entries aim for as honest a depiction of our nation’s broken health care system as Wyle & Co. attempt (and accomplish) here.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: No, The Pitt is not an ER reboot, but it may just be TV’s best, most authentic medical drama since the one that made Noah Wyle a star.
Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
