Editor’s Note:
The following article contains discussion of media that includes graphic depictions of violence, gore, profanity and nudity. No mention of any explicit content will be included in this review, but reader discretion is advised.

“Welcome to the Pitt. Let’s go save some lives.” – Dr. Micheal Robinavitch

Premiering in early 2025 on HBO Max, “The Pitt” has risen to major popularity since its release, becoming one of the most talked about shows on the platform. The Emmy award-winning medical drama takes place in the fictional Pittsburgh Medical Trauma Center, more commonly referred to as “The Pitt” by the doctors within it. One of these doctors, Senior Attending Physician Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, serves as the central figure of the show’s narrative and the main perspective throughout the series. He has seen a lot in his time in the ER and uses his experience to guide the new residents, the other main cast members, in The Pitt.

When I first heard about the show last fall, it was rare to get through a week without someone asking, “Have you seen ‘The Pitt’ yet?” I admit, I was curious. Medical dramas weren’t something I usually enjoyed. The idea of witnessing blood, gore and potential death on my screen as a form of ‘entertainment’ did not appeal to me.

However, there were a few factors that eventually pulled me into watching “The Pitt”, one of which being its unique structure. I was intrigued by the concept of each episode covering one hour of a shift within the ER. I mean, with each season centered around just one day, how could the writers come up with a plot both enticing and believable? Still, the videos I saw on TikTok about the show appealed to me as I was able to see the strong performances of the actors. I also saw people just as averse to blood as me talk about their positive experiences watching the show despite their fears, which left me hopeful that I could be the same. All factors considered, I decided to watch “The Pitt” with one question in mind: between the medical accuracy, direction, and casting, what exactly made it so popular?

Medical Accuracy
Even as someone with little medical knowledge, it was clear to me that the series prioritizes realism over drama. It addresses topics that are often overlooked in medical dramas, like racial bias affecting patient treatment, language barriers and the restrictions that healthcare professionals face in their work such as abortions and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) agreements. For example, in one episode, a Black patient’s sickle cell disease symptoms are initially taken less seriously than they should be, leading to a delayed response and forcing the staff to reconsider their own assumptions. Additionally, there are multiple cases where patients struggle to communicate their symptoms until translators are brought in, showing how language barriers can directly affect the outcome of a patient’s condition. These elements weren’t added just for dramatic effect, instead reflecting the very real challenges that exist within the healthcare system.

According to a report by KQED, this accuracy has also been recognized by medical professionals, many of whom have commended the show for how well it depicts the pace, teamwork and emotional strain of working in a chaotic ER environment.

There is one criticism with the show that I have, which is that the insane amount of critical situations packed into a single day does feel somewhat exaggerated. I doubt any ER could face that amount of chaos every single day without collapsing. However, at the end of the day, “The Pitt” is still a TV show and I understand that it does need to include some form of suspense to keep as large of an audience as it does.

Despite its slight exaggeration, it doesn’t fall as much of a victim to overdramatization common within its genre, seen in shows like “Grey’s Anatomy”, “ER”, “House M.D.”, etc.

Compared to other shows, “The Pitt” maintains a stronger balance between standard cases and life or death emergencies, even if it’s occasionally overdramatic for the sake of plot. Personally, the exaggeration of the chaos didn’t bother me too much, but I can also understand where critics of “The Pitt” are coming from regarding this point. My rating for the medical accuracy is a 9/10, since the small inaccuracies were apparent, but nothing I cared much for.

Direction
The direction of “The Pitt” is one of its strongest characteristics. The footage in a lot of scenes came across as incredibly raw and realistic. The shots were short and changed quickly, creating a tense atmosphere in each episode and allowing the audience to really feel the pressure that the staff was under. Each episode picked up almost exactly where the last one left off, catching my attention and leaving me wondering, “It’s over already?” when the credits inevitably began to roll. What I found to be a major pull factor to continue watching was the simple fact that the show did not use cliffhangers to keep viewers watching. The storyline was enough of a draw itself, so I felt like the writing team did not need to ultimately rely on suspense.

In addition to the abrupt endings and scenes, it was interesting how the audience learned of new emergencies and concepts in the same way and at the same time that characters did. For example, a patient was brought into the Pitt and presumed brain dead due to a drug overdose. His parents were unsure of the diagnoses, and asked for more tests to truly prove that he was gone. The audience, the patient’s parents and Dr. Robby, who was assigned to the case, didn’t know if the patient was going to make it until his test results came back. The added tension of having so many people waiting for results (myself included) just made me feel like I was really there with them.

There’s also an interesting comparison to be made between the writing of “The Pitt” and other medical drama-esque shows. In shows like “House M.D.”, the plot focuses more on the mystery of rare, unexplainable conditions that the main doctor, Dr. Gregory House, seemingly magically diagnoses perfectly time and time again after deliberating for the whole episode. “The Pitt” takes a different approach though, recognizing the actual intricacies of patient care and the reality that most cases happen under somewhat normal circumstances. It reflects an actual ER setting, where doctors constantly switch focuses rather than dedicating all their time to one patient.

Another aspect that I loved about the writing was the dialogue, for two main reasons. Despite the absolute chaos surrounding the main cast at all times, the interactions between characters never left me feeling like something was missing. Characters would often have their conversations interrupted in order to tackle new emergencies, but even with their unfinished conversations, the story never felt incomplete. I think that the script had the characters say enough without being too dialogue heavy as well. With the context of the plot being set in the ER, it made sense when interruptions happened.

Additionally, the conversations between the healthcare workers in “The Pitt” felt so natural. It wasn’t strictly professional in the way that people expect coworkers in such high pressure scenarios to be. One of my favorite examples of this was with Dr. Santos, a second-year resident, giving her fellow residents nicknames on just their first day on the job. These included “Huckleberry” for Dr. Whitaker—to jokingly mock that he was from a small town in Nebraska—and “Crash” for Dr. Javadi—since she passed out after witnessing a gory procedure. These same people though, when encountering complex medical procedures, were able to switch tones and be completely serious. These medical professionals who are forced to be comfortable with the uncomfortable would be desensitized enough to joke around during difficult times, which I thought was an entertaining detail.

Overall, I would rate the direction a 9.5/10. The dialogue never made me feel like the characters weren’t fully real. I think that also lends itself to the phenomenal acting done in the series as well, as the cast took the phenomenal script and writing and brought it to life.

Casting
I really enjoyed the casting done on this series, as the effectiveness of the series and its messages relied heavily on the people who acted it out.

Noah Wyle, who plays the lead, Dr. Robby, is a phenomenal actor. He brought emotional depth and realism to his role, genuinely making me care about the character he was embodying. This was especially clear in scenes where he was forced to make hard decisions under a lot of pressure, such as prioritizing one critical patient’s needs over another or when delivering bad news to a patient’s family. The pain he experiences while doing so feels controlled yet visibly strained, making his character feel human rather than overly clinical.

Other notable performances include those by Tracy Ifeachor as Dr. Collins, Gerran Howell as Dr. Whitaker and Isa Briones as Dr. Santos. Dr. Collins is steady and authoritative, and her actor did an amazing job depicting this by speaking in a straightforward tone and using her eyebrows and eyes to seem stern. Dr. Whitaker’s performance also serves as brief comedic relief as Dr. Santos adds empathy in patient-focused scenes. Each actor brings something distinct and really impactful to the show. “The Pitt” would not be what it is now without this exact cast, and as with every actor, these characters could not be played the exact same by any other people. I also think it’s really neat that a majority of the cast has a background in theater acting, which makes them able to place emphasis on their characters in a unique way.

The dynamic of all of the actors in “The Pitt” was one of my favorite parts of the show overall. The collaboration and disagreements that they went through felt especially realistic and not forced. I think that the chemistry that the actors had offscreen really helped their relationships feel more believable on screen, as many members of the cast joke around with one another during interviews and on social media.

The diversity of the cast also contributed to the show’s realism. I think that it reflects the construction of an actual hospital environment without making it the central focus, which helps the show feel like it exists in the real world more effectively. Pittsburgh, where the show was filmed, isn’t known for being an incredibly diverse city, so I really appreciated that the casting team added this aspect to the show without drawing unnecessary focus to it. All of these factors combined, I’d rate the casting a 9/10.

Final Thoughts + Rating

While watching season one, the one constant comment that I had was that this whole show feels like a labor of love. A noticeable level of research and care was apparent in every aspect of the show, from the relationships between the doctors and their lives outside of “The Pitt”, to the nature of each case, to the awful, very realistic prevalence of death and to the overall bustling, nightmarish chaos that never truly stopped.

I would highly, highly, highly recommend “The Pitt” to anyone coming across this review, even those who do not typically enjoy medical dramas like me. Overall, I’d rate the show, based on the first season, a 9/10. While it can be an intense viewing experience, its realism and execution make it a really worthwhile series to watch.