Having witnessed the historic sweep Noah Wyle made at all five major acting awards this awards season, I had no other choice but to watch “The Pitt.” 

Airing in January 2025, season one of “The Pitt” follows healthcare professionals at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Each episode takes the audience through one hour of a single 15-hour day shift in the ER, or the pitt, as it’s nicknamed in the show. The next episode follows the next hour in the day. 

Through the 15 episodes, more than 10 doctors, six nurses and various residents, medical students and other ER workers are introduced. While the show does have a large cast of characters, Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch, played by Noah Wyle, is a central figure. 

Season one takes place four years to the day Robby lost his mentor and fellow doctor to COVID-19. Robby believes he was responsible for Dr. Adamson’s death because he made the choice to remove him from the ECMO machine. He has not worked this day in three years, and most of his co-workers walk on eggshells around him at the beginning of the season so they don’t trigger any painful memories. 

With the release of season two, the show has, as of March 7, hit 50 consecutive days in HBO’s top 10 most-streamed shows in the U.S. But what makes this show so good? 

One of the things the show is praised for is its accuracy in portraying how the real medical field works. While not perfect, it does not prioritize high-stakes drama like many other medical shows, like “Grey’s Anatomy,” do.

Audiences still need to be entertained and intrigued, though, so there is quite a bit of drama. Every day in the ER is incredibly hectic and busy, doctors see everything from drownings, overdoses, mercury poisoning, teenage abortions, an unhoused man with rats and in the final episodes, a mass casualty shooting requiring all hands on deck. The show also portrays real issues healthcare workers face: working with limited resources, the nursing shortage and how those lead to patients often waiting several hours before being seen by a professional. 

The way they’re able to portray everything so close to reality is by talking and consulting with real doctors and medical professionals during the writing process. For season one, seven actual emergency physicians were employed. Four worked on the writing aspects of the show and three served as on-set medical advisors. Not only did they do work off-screen, but six nurses and physician assistants served as background players throughout production. 

Over this past awards season, “The Pitt” won 39 of the 50 awards it was nominated for. It won five awards at the Emmys, two awards at the Golden Globes, three Critics’ Choice Awards, two Actor awards and four Television Critics Association Awards. The show won best or outstanding drama series at the Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and Television Critics Association Awards. The series also won the “Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series” at the Actor Awards, the highest honor a series can receive.

This was a historic run not only for “The Pitt” but for the awards season overall. Noah Wyle also became the first male actor to win best or outstanding performance by a male lead in a drama at all five top major television awards.  Five women had a “clean sweep” of television acting honors before, but this was the first time a male actor achieved the feat.

“The Pitt” season two began airing in January. New episodes air at 9 p.m. every Thursday on HBO Max.

Categories: Arts & Entertainment