Unlike “Grey’s Anatomy,” season two of “The Pitt” subverts typical stereotypes of a medical TV show. It follows the differing cases of a Pittsburg emergency room department, with each season depicting one shift and every episode being one hour of the shift. It is co-written by Noah Wyle, who also starred on “ER,” a 1994 medical TV show, as a medical student. Wyle also stars on “The Pitt” as a chief attending physician in the emergency room, Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch.
The second season, which takes place on the Fourth of July, aired on Jan. 8, featuring many beloved medical experts from the first season. It also introduced two new medical students, James Ogilvie, played by Lucas Iverson, and Joy Kwon, played by Irene Choi. Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, played by Sepideh Moafi, is learning the ropes with Robby to be his replacement while he goes on a sabbatical.
I find that “The Pitt” depicts stories in the ER that do not dramatize patient experience, but humanize it to resonate with the bigger picture. One instance that stood out to me was in episode four, when a man fainted and had to get a mass in his brain scanned. When it turned out to be a threat, the hospital called his emergency contact, his ex wife, who then realized that the newfound short temper near the end of their marriage may have been due to the tumor in the man’s brain. Like season one, the patient actors never fail to amaze me, as they always make a lasting impression on screen with such little time.
Going into the new season, it is obvious that Robby’s attitude and reflexive kindness has been drained. This is expected, since his original protege, Frank Langdon, played by Patrick Ball, was caught stealing drugs from patients in the previous season. Now, Robby seems to have picked another student to mentor, Denis Whitaker, played by Gerran Howell. This change seems indicative of the draining nature of the ER, or medical work in general. .
Not only do the characters and their charm bolster the show immensely, but the structure as a whole adds to it as well. 10 months have passed since the events of season one, where the ER helped victims of a mass shooting at a music festival in the area, so we see incredible character development from returning doctors. For example, Howell’s portrayal of Denis in season two contrasts his timid performance in season one, when he was a medical student. Now that he is a resident, we see that he knows his way through the ER and can teach medical students with ease.
Overall, “The Pitt” is not another theatrical medical show, but a system of interconnected stories that show us how good things would be if we showed up for our neighbors rather than shutting down, which is something we all need right now.