Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Pitt.The Pittis one of the most immersive shows currently on television, medical or otherwise. It takes the real-time structure made iconic in24and transports the drama into one location, creating an enveloping and intense experience for the audience.This format elevates both the story and its characters, transforming the series into a fascinating depiction of a day in the life of an emergency room.
As you follow medical staff from room to room, the show’s fast pace capturesthe energy of a working hospital. We’re dropped into the deep end, to witness the kind of issues the staff face on a typical day of work.The main characters are fleshed out through the lens of their jobs, exploring the toll the work has on them, and examining what kind of people would be able to work in such a high-pressure career in the first place.
‘The Pitt’s Real-Time Format Captures the Energy of a Working Hospital
The real-time format ofThe Pittemphasizes the show’s premise of showinghow modern healthcare issues affect both staff and patients,painting a portrait of the experienceand characters, rather than telling a linear story. Because of the hourly format of an episode, the pace of the show feels fast as well as immersive, depicting the chaos of a busy ER. As doctors treat patient after patient, we get a good idea of all that’s happening across the entire department floor — from the waiting room to the operating room. We also earn a sense of how patients and staff deal with the burdens put upon them, whether it be a patient waiting uncomfortably for hours to be treated or a doctor not even having enough time to use the restroom.
This narrow view ofThe Pitt’s characters amplifies their personalities, exploringwhat makes people who work in the healthcare industry tick to succeedinthis fast-paced, high-stress workplace. We don’t have to deal with a lot of backstory or legacy drama as details about the main characters unfold piecemeal, only from within the context of their work. Hints about their lives come out through how they deal with their patients and the pressures of the job.
“This Is a Totally Different Acting Exercise": Noah Wyle Isn’t Comparing ‘The Pitt’ To ‘ER’
The actor got his start on the classic medical drama as Dr. John Carter.
We Only Know About ‘The Pitt’ Staff Through What They’re Like at Work
It’s intriguing to slowly learn aboutThe Pitt’s characters from the confines of their job, withelements of their lives being revealed ata steady and realistic pace. We’re given hints about how Dr. “Robby” Rabinavitch (Noah Wyle) suffers from PTSD from the COVID pandemic, likely building to some sort of climax, as he’s put under pressure on the anniversary of his mentor’s death. There’s also a romantic history between him and the secretly pregnant Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor), but we don’t know the full extent of what transpired off-screen. Meanwhile, Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif) is shown to wear an ankle monitor, but it’s not until Episode 5 that we get an inkling of why, as she bonds with a patient over similar life issues. In the same episode, we discovers that Dr. Robby has a young son, nowbringing into focus why he’s been more emotionally sensitiveto the teenagers who’ve come in with overdoses.
Whileeach character has at least one defining featureto draw us in, the student doctors have subtleties of their own that make us curious about them. Dr. Santos (Isa Briones) comes across as aggressive and has clear issues with authority, yet we have no idea why. Dr. Javadi (Shabana Azeez) is clearly smart, but it remains to be seen if she wants to be a doctor of her own accord or to please her surgeon mother. The list goes on as each doctor, student doctor, or nurse reveals tidbits about themselves through their interactions or challenges at work.
Everything aboutThe Pitt’s structure heightens how effective it is,building a harrowing portrait of what it’s like to work in healthcareand the effect it has on the people who’ve made a career of it.We’re drawn in, wanting to know moreabout what makes them thrive in this difficult and demanding environment. The breadcrumbs have been laid, but we have to follow them to get a wider picture of who these people are — which is howThe Pittultimately keeps us tuning in week after week.
