The Pitt Season 1 Review – A Whirlwind of 12 Unfiltered Hours in the ER
The Pitt is a show that everyone is talking about. It’s probably impossible not to have heard so much about the show over the last few months. It is Emmy Award-winning and has also bagged a Golden Globe. And, as someone who is a medical drama newbie, I wasn’t sure whether the show would be of interest to me despite its accolades. But I was thoroughly surprised.
I’ve never watched a show quite like it. Twelve episodes in each season, tons of faces, and a numbing amount of chaos. You experience so much in such a short amount of time. The show is a whirlwind. But on to my review.
Rundown of The Pitt – What you need to know:
- Genre: Medical drama / procedural drama
- Stars: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Sepideh Moafi
- Seasons: 2 (Season 3 confirmed for 2027)
- Episodes: 30 (15 per season)
- Runtime: 41–61 minutes per episode
- Creator: R. Scott Gemmill
- Release date: 2025
- Where to watch (UK): Sky Atlantic and NOW
What is The Pitt about?
The Pitt is set in Pittsburgh. It follows the medical staff at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, from trainees and residents to more experienced doctors and nurses. It is set in the post-COVID era, showing how the medical centre has adapted since the pandemic.
The show mainly focuses on our main character, Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, also known as Robby. He is a senior attending physician at the Pitt. We also have Dr. Frank Langdon, a second-year emergency medicine resident; Dr. Samira Mohan, a first-year emergency medicine resident; and Dr. Cassie McKay, a first-year emergency medicine resident. Other key members of the medical team include Dr. Dana Evans, the chief of the emergency department; Dr. Abbie Marks, a second-year emergency medicine resident; Dr. Heather Collins, a nurse in the emergency department; and Dr. Jake McKay, another member of the emergency medicine team.
What I liked about it:
The characters in the show really make up The Pitt as a whole as well as the strong storylines. But we have so many people in the show, split between the day-shift team and the night shift. This is what you would expect in a normal ER environment. The Pitt is mainly focused on the day-shift team, with staff ranging from young and inexperienced to older and more experienced. Each character brings a breathe of fresh air to the show from their personality, charisma, hope, and fears. As well as watching their closeness towards each other and their conversations shows how much they rely on one another. However, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with everyone’s names. It took me a couple of episodes to put the names to the faces.
The storyline feels very fast-paced. You never know who or what is going to come through the doors. The show doesn’t glamorise the hospital environment; but shares the struggles faced by the staff. There are real issues surrounding burnout, trauma, and life-and-death situations. Each new storyline sees patients being moved around and constant shortages of hospital beds. It all feels very accurate to the real-life world. Meanwhile, towards the end of each season, there is usually a much bigger storyline that is more intense and highly engrossing.
When it comes to friendships in the show, It feels so satisfying to watch. These people grow closer after working tirelessly alongside one another during 12-hour shifts is inevitable. A lot of the enjoyment of the show comes from these shared experiences and the relationships that develop between them. There are also rivalries and tensions within the hospital. It’s also worth bearing in mind the show doesn’t have a romance storyline although lots of fans ship different characters together.
Each character brings unique and interesting character plot to the show. Whether from addictions to pregnancies and homelessness. The Pitt creates a lot of talk on social media.
What I didn’t like about it:
The show can often be overwhelming. It deals with issues from grief, abortion, drugs, panic attacks, etc. Knowing the types of issues that are addressed should be looked into. I didn’t take a break from a moment in between episodes.
Character cuts from the series have been disappointing, as it felt like they could have offered more to the show.
Overall Thoughts:
I enjoyed watching The Pitt Season 1. But like I mentioned, it can be a lot to take on, so it’s worth looking up some of the trigger warnings. The Pitt is a drama that is heavily character-driven. The storylines are eye-opening, and I believe that the show is perfectly written.
