Season two of “The Pitt” is over, and let’s get one sentiment out of the way: thank God. No longer do our social media algorithms curse us with seeing take after horrific take on HBO’s hot, new medical drama. And I’m sure that despite seeing fanwork upon fanwork of that sad-eyed twink and his balding, taller boss, you’re wondering: Kavya, you’re so knowledgeable about television! What do you think about this new season of “The Pitt?” Firstly, awww, thank you! And secondly: it’s bad. Like, seriously bad.
How could we let this happen to us? How have we been duped into thinking someone else could replace the wildly inaccurate but incredibly tantalizing phenomena that cable television calls “Grey’s Anatomy?” Because, reader, you let Noah Wyle of all people scam you. That’s the TV equivalent of giving your money to an AI deepfake of your grandma. You just don’t do it. Here’s what went wrong.
A Gimmick or a Novel Format?
For those who haven’t seen it, the gimmick novelty of “The Pitt” is its form. Unlike every other television show that has ever existed, “The Pitt” makes the form a really, really annoying part of the narrative. Every season of “The Pitt” is one shift and every episode is one hour of that shift. Since doctors tend to work 40-60 hour work weeks, the show aims to have around 12 episodes. Not this season, though! We get a whole double shift, meaning we get 3 more episodes. What a bargain, right? Right? Not really, since the format only really works for shows that are meant to be one season. The “every episode is one hour of a 12-15 hour shift” idea is fine for a limited series as it leaves the future of the characters up to the interpretation of the viewer. However, when you renew the show for multiple seasons, you run into the problem of not being able to develop the character’s interpersonal dynamics between seasons in a meaningful way. For instance, season two takes place close to ten months after season one. Since we’re dropped into these characters at work, we’re left virtually in the dark about the dynamics and how they’ve changed — save for a character essentially turning to the camera and saying, “And This Is What Has Changed.”
Revolving Door Cast* (For WOC Only!)
I have nothing against changing ensemble casts. I’ve seen Shonda Rhimes write deaths for “Grey’s Anatomy” characters that would make George R.R Martin ask her to chill out. It’s par for the course on medical dramas. However, in “The Pitt” universe, the only people who ever seem to move out of the Pitt are the women of color residents who have the gall to threaten Robby’s (the protagonist played by Noah Wyle) sainthood-status in the show. After the first season premiered, Heather Collins (Tracy Ifeachor), who was originally postulated to be Robby’s primary love interest, was axed to distance Robby from any humanity. After the third-to-last episode of the second season premiered, Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) was also axed, despite initially being implicated in having a larger role in the show. However, the white counterparts of the ensemble cast seem to have immunity from the curse of the revolving door. For instance, Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) is going to be in the third season, despite his presence at the hospital being a major point of contention since he stole drugs from the hospital. From a show that lauds itself on its realism, I find it so hard to believe that someone who’s committed a crime, which the show recognizes, is still on the show. Especially since for the duration of the season, there isn’t really a single character who wants him there.
George (Clooney), So Confusing
Back in the nineties, Noah Wyle was in a very famous TV show called “ER.” Don’t act like you don’t know (you probably don’t; this show was “Grey’s Anatomy” before “Grey’s Anatomy”). And for those who vaguely know of “ER,” you probably don’t remember who Noah Wyle was anyway. Noah Wyle was the guy that people tangentially liked. The second favorite guy. How could he not be? George Clooney was on this show. This upset Noah Wyle greatly, as well as the fact that he’d been out of work since his TV movie series “The Librarian” finally came to an end. In a desperate attempt to revive his dead career, he went to the Crichton estate (the same guy who wrote “Jurassic Park”) and said, “Heyyyyy guys, let me write John Carter fanfiction and put it on TV!” They replied, “What? No.” Then, Noah Wyle stormed off, and some years and a global pandemic later, he essentially just changed the names of the settings and characters of his “ER” fanfiction. Thus, “The Pitt” was born with a hefty lawsuit attached to its premise.
The Noah Wyle Show
I’m sure you’re thinking: cool story, but why should I care about medical drama lore? Well, the reason I bring it up is to give context for why this season of “The Pitt” was so dogshit. You’re not watching a medical drama; you’re watching the Noah Wyle show. Season one had the decency to lie and say that this show had a strong, equal-player ensemble cast. Season two pulls the rug on you and says “LMAOOOO actually everything that happens to any of these characters is supposed to be supplemental to Robby’s suffering!” You care about Langdon coming back to work after rehab and want to see how he navigates a once-familiar space with uncertainty? TOO BAD. Let’s see what ROBBY thinks about this. You care about Mohan and her patient-forward approach to medicine and how that could change the footing of the show? TOO BAD. Let’s see how that makes ROBBY feel. Who cares about the characters we told you to care about? Let’s just watch Robby vaguely hint at killing himself on his sabbatical for a whole season and then pretend to be shocked when that doesn’t happen. Because again, this is the Noah Wyle fanfiction show.
So, what can you do? Watch anything else. I’m begging you. Please God watch anything else. You’re looking for an edgy and compelling HBO drama about a really suicidal man? Watch “Succession.” You’re looking to watch a medical drama that fits all of those boxes? Watch “ER.” It’s on the same platform. If I were you, I’d trust the genius behind “Jurassic Park” over real-life Bojack Horseman.
