The Pitt is a new medical drama created by R. Scott Gemmill, which premiered on Max on January 9, 2025, with its first two episodes. The series unfolds over the course of a single 15-hour emergency department shift at a fictional hospital in Pittsburgh, with each episode covering one hour of the shift. The story is led by Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch, a seasoned senior doctor portrayed by Noah Wyle.

As of this publication, four episodes have aired. After becoming a huge fan of the first few episodes, I reached out to Warner Brothers, and they kindly granted me early access to each episode—up to two days ahead of their official release. I’ll be posting my reviews every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. EST, a full 24 hours before each episode premieres on Max at 9 p.m. EST on Thursdays. With Episode 5 premiering this week, I’ll be releasing my review later this Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST. In the meantime, here are my reviews of the previous episodes to catch everyone up on my thoughts so far.

Episode 1

The first episode of The Pitt immediately throws you into the madness. Fans of 24 and ER will have plenty to enjoy here. ER is especially fitting here as it not only comes from the Gemmill who worked on the show, but also stars Wyle who starred on the show. I was really curious about Wyle, because he seems like someone I’ve seen before, but to be honest, I think I am getting him mixed up with Thomas Jane. After learning more about Wyle, though, it’s clear he’s the perfect fit for the role. His dedication to the medical field is evident—beyond his time on ER, he’s been deeply involved with organizations like Doctors of the World, among others. It’s clear he’s the ideal person for the role.

I don’t know much when it comes to understanding the terminology the show throws around. Yet, it does a great job at simplifying it to help us better understand. To be fair, I didn’t even think this would be a show for me, which says a lot with the praise I am giving it. Between the intensity and character development, there is more than enough to keep viewers invested.

Even though the show covers an hour in real time, it’s still short of an hour in runtime. We learn a lot about so many characters. Since I am now covering the show, I have seen this episode twice and I am picking up on even more, because the show is throwing a lot at you, and it’s easy to miss things the first time around. It’s a show you want to watch immediately, but watching it at 9pm EST might be too late. It will give you a lot of anxiety, which might keep you up at night. With so many storylines unfolding, there’s plenty to get invested in.

The show doesn’t hold back on the graphic scenes either. Someone comes in from a possible hate crime that leads to a resident passing out (I don’t blame them). A patient makes herself sick to protect their child from hurting other people. A child consumes drugs. A doctor steps a little too close to the edge on the top of a roof. Most of these situations involve Wyle’s character. It’s quite remarkable how collected and knowledgeable he is throughout, even when he’s still reeling over something traumatic. While it doesn’t show what happened during the pandemic exactly, we get glimpses of what it was like for them during that time. I really respect how the show covers how the pandemic still gives the employees trauma. On top of that, he’s also dealing with the possibility of the hospital shutting down with a higher up consistently pestering him.

The only setback I have with this episode involves a patient who speaks a foreign language that no one understands. It takes a while for everyone to understand where the patient comes from. Personally, I don’t quite understand why no one decided to use Chat GPT to figure it out. That would have resolved that issue immediately. It could have not even been Chat GPT. I am just throwing that out there as an example. It just felt like it was a conflict that could have been resolved easier.

VERDICT: 4.5/5 (Amazing)

Episode 2

The show keeps up the momentum all thanks to stellar direction and a tremendous performance from Wyle. Wyle’s performance as Robby is intelligent, cool, collected, and always knows what to say and do. He’s the perfect mentor to everyone around him. He’s not arrogant, but he won’t be afraid to be honest. With the amount of things he’s multitasking, it’s impressive how good he is at his job.

There’s a particular side story involving an older patient where Robby has to be real with the patient’s adult children. The children give Robby more problems, but he’s still patient with them, because he knows what they have to decide is not an easy choice. The fact that he rarely gets mad shows how much he cares for people and for his job.

This episode fleshes out its characters and storylines more. You can see where nothing is ever rushed, which is helped by its hour-by-hour format. You become more and more invested with these stories that you want to see resolved. The show lays out plenty of mystery as well to reel us in to see what happens in the end. At the same time, you just know things are going to only get worse since these employees still have 13 more hours to go. It’s hard to believe this show won’t release its final episode until April 10th.

All the side characters are also relatable and admirable. Most notably, the female characters are well written with some amazing performances. Taylor Dearden as Dr. Melissa “Mel” King is likable as a socially awkward individual. Fiona Dourif is great as Dr. Cassie McKay who has more experience with life over the other ones she works with. She’s a lot more socially aware and it’s clear in this episode that she has quite a bit of personal problems she has to deal with. Then, there is Shabana Azeez as Victoria Javadi who is trying to prove that she’s worthy of her job and not because her parents work there.

Gerran Howell plays as fourth-year medical student Dennis Whitaker who lacks confidence even when he is incredibly smart. The way his character ends this episode will surely set the tone for his character for the rest of this season.

While these storylines continue to progress, the show has a realistic tone to it all. Everyone is consistently busy dealing with people’s problems, but the show still finds time to have heart & humor. It’s quite remarkable how much is jam packed into each episode. You really feel everything with these characters in real time.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)

Episode 3

Picking up right from the last episode, the show wastes no time getting you back into it. The way this show flows so far can either make you binge watch it or anxiously anticipate for the next episode. This is the equivalent of a weekly episodic show where you can talk about it with your coworkers at the water cooler. You could also binge watch it, but binging all 15 episodes in one sitting sounds overwhelming, which is why I’m okay with the episodic format. Plus, I wouldn’t recommend missing out on this show. The fact that it also releases at a specific time makes it an event worth watching.

Starting where the last episode ended, Gerran Howell’s character as Dennis Whitaker continues to try to revive someone he felt close to. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end well. You’d think he’d give up afterwards, but he keeps going. There’s even a comedic side plot involving him having to get new clothes. That’s the reality of people who work in this field. They have to make their best judgement and keep going. It has to be draining and traumatic at the same time. It’s no wonder Wyle’s character as Robby is still reeling from the pandemic.

You’d think with the amount of arrogance Robbie exudes, he’d show no sympathy. That continues to not be the case. He takes the time to respect those who passed. He checks in with those around him. He’s genuine with everyone around him. Given what his colleague almost went through in the first episode, I hope he doesn’t try to do the same at the end of this season.

More and more madness ensues. Not only are prior storylines still going, but new situations arise. Someone with a nail in his chest comes in. A girl who won’t wake up also comes in who has a connection with a comatose patient from the prior episode. There’s an open heart surgery. An EMT gets their shoulder hit by a truck. The anxiety doesn’t stop.

Other notable characters in this episode are Dr. Trinity Santos, played by Isa Briones, and Dr. Frank Langdon, played by Patrick Ball. Santos has a lot of arrogance that needs to be checked. People might be annoyed by her. Similar to Squid Game’s Thanos, Briones does a great job at playing a character that is not meant to be completely liked. The difference is that what she does is a result of a coping mechanism. Langdon could be arrogant, but it’s clear his arrogance is in check. He does have experience that makes him an effective right hand for Robby. Whenever he has down time, he’s always concerned about getting his kids a dog, which shows how he can keep going with the amount of things he has to go through.

Dr. Samira Mohan, played by Supriya Ganesh, has a notable scene with Robby. Robby calls her out on going too slow. She tries to reassure him by saying that she has the highest success rate, where Robby argues that the slower she goes, the less people they can treat. He snaps her out of it, persuading her to do more. I’m really interested to see what she does next.

There is so much more that occurs that I won’t even spoil it. There are twists and turns at every corner that will keep you engaged. The episode concludes with Robby helping a grieving woman with a connection to a patient from the first episode. Robby didn’t deal with the patient directly. It’s interesting to see the person who tried to help the patient versus the person having to deal with the fall out.

I could see where the daughter of the older patient might be a little much or even selfish to some people, but I believe the actress played the character perfectly. It makes complete sense to want to hold onto your loved ones longer. Considering how much time is spent with this storyline, it’s going to be interesting to see how it ends.

Now I just need to know if Robby gets that bathroom break in the next episode. At least there’s more reality to that over 24.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)

Episode 4

Episode 4 continues to solidify the fact that this is one of the best shows out now that you don’t want to miss. It’s actually impressive how production is able to pick up right after the last episode as though there was no break in between.

We see the conclusion of the older man with his two kids. At what first seemed like it wouldn’t amount to much, ended up bringing together some of the show’s core themes. We see his children reach peace with the decision, but we also see where Robby has flashbacks from the pandemic that took place in the same room. It shows how the scars never go away. It’s incredibly poignant. The talent who played the son and daughter of the dad were incredible.

This episode slows down quite a bit. There’s a trans character who gets their arm cut who finds some respect from the people treating her. Robby finally gets that bathroom break. A grumpy patient finally gets the treatment he needed from the first episode. Whitaker goes through something comedic that’s going to require him to change clothes again. It’s an episode where it felt like a lot of storylines are starting to come to a close. You even get to see Dr. Mohan taking on more responsibilities since her talk with Robby.

Now that I have seen all 4 episodes twice, it’s quite remarkable how I’m catching new details that make more sense. The amount of things everyone has to go through all while staying calm not only shows how well crafted the story is, but also how committed the talent is to their characters. The show is a true love letter to the the heroes that work in this field.

The only thing I didn’t like in this episode was the very end. Just as everything starts to resolve, a brand new issue comes up at a convenient time that makes us wait for the next episode. Personally, it would have been okay if the show ended before that happened to help us breathe a little until the next episode. I understand the point of it is to show the job never stops. It just felt like incredibly convenient timing to keep us wanting to see the next episode. Nonetheless, I’m curious to see how this plays into the next episode.

VERDICT: 4.5/5 (Amazing)