Network television thrives on three styles of genres: police procedurals, legal procedurals, and medical procedurals. “Grey’s Anatomy” is in the midst of its 21st season. “Chicago Med” is in its 10th season, and new shows such as “Brilliant Minds,” “Doctor Odyssey,” and the comedic “St. Denis Medical” are all focused on the medical genre. Of course, the belwether standard in medical shows is “ER,” and before that, “St. Elsewhere.” The one thing that ties all of these programs together is that they are/were prime-time network shows and, on network television, there are standards, practices, and limits to how Hollywood can tell such stories.
It’s surprising how long it’s taken for a hospital-themed program to make its way to subscription television, but with MAX’s new show, “The Pitt,” the well-worn genre gets new life breathed into its plots and tropes.
Noah Wyle, yes, “ER’s” Noah Wyle, stars as a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room senior attending physician, Dr. Michael Robinavitch. He’s as close to his character from “ER” as one might expect, and while the name on the badge may be different, we could consider “The Pitt” a spiritual cousin to Wyle’s previous hit show.
“The Pitt” serves up much of the same classic storylines and plot essentials we’ve come to expect: Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital is an understaffed, over-populated-with patients healthcare facility with doctors and nurses still dealing with the psychological stresses from the COVID-19 pandemic, including Wyle’s “seen-it-all” Dr. Robinavitch. “The Pitt” starts where these shows always begin, on the first day of the arrival of new medical students and interns. So far, so good. I know I’m not making things too enticing for those not already addicted to these types of shows. But here is where “The Pitt” sets itself apart from all of those shows that came before it.
A day in the life of an emergency department
“The Pitt” is a 15-episode season played out during a single day. The action begins at 7:00 a.m. and won’t end until 10:00 p.m. that night at the conclusion of episode 15. This Jack Bower “24” style approach is perfect for the adrenaline junkie. From the outset, “The Pitt” establishes an overwhelmed emergency department waiting room, where people may be waiting several or more hours to be seen. With this endless supply of new patients, “The Pitt” doesn’t need to worry about things getting boring. After 15 episodes, chances are, someone who came into the emergency room that morning may still be waiting.
Each episode (four episodes have aired so far) brings new cases, emergencies, and holdovers from the previous episodes. Slowly, we get to meet the cast. A point of contention from my wife (a nurse practitioner), who noticed all of the doctors and nurses wear their badges at an appropriate mandated level, and all of the interns and medical students wearing their badges on their wastes, is she said that wearing the badge at one’s waste is illegal. I guess this was done purposely to help better establish who is an intern and medical student and who are the established nurses and doctors. However, the way “The Pitt” goes about the protocols, diagnosis, and treatments on the show, she said, was amazingly accurate.
Accurate and gruesome
Another element that sets “The Pitt” apart from other medical shows is its ability to show an emergency room at its bloodiest and goriest. This show is not constricted by the censorship found in a typical network drama. It goes for realism at every turn, making some moments squeamish even when seeing such an approach is refreshing. And swearing and other content that might prove too much for network television isn’t an issue here. So, while “The Pitt” may ultimately not offer much more than those medical shows that came before it, the execution is new, exciting, and reason enough to give the show a watch. It bolsters a fine cast of engaging characters, and Wyle delivers a performance nuanced enough almost to make you think he’s been running an emergency department since he left “ER” in 2005.
There is a lot I’m leaving out here, but trust me, it’s more fun to watch the show cold and enjoy your pulse begin to race as these episodes unfold. With this single-day formula and never-ending patients in wait, “The Pitt” could run for years to come.
“The Pitt” airs Thursdays on MAX.
