‘ER’ May Have Had George Clooney, but ‘The Pitt’ Wins on Accuracy

TV and film veteran Noah Wyle is no stranger to starring in fan-favorite big and small screen staples, having first skyrocketed to prominence in 1994 when he appeared alongside Hollywood great George Clooney in the medical drama classic ER as Dr. John Carter, a role he steadily played for eleven seasons and nabbed him numerous Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. Wyle has since gone on to star in popular shows like Falling Skies, The Librarians, and Leverage: Redemption, as well as in films like Donnie Darko, Enough, W., and Shot.

In 2025, Wyle once again embraced the medical genre and began portraying the brilliant senior attending Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch in The Pitt, who oversees a team of ambitious interns and students in the emergency room at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. The riveting series has been lauded for its refreshingly realistic depiction of what it’s truly like working in both the ER and a hospital, and currently holds a phenomenal 93% Rotten Tomatoes score. Let’s take a closer look at the engrossing drama.

TV Alum Noah Wyle Headlines the Thrilling Medical Drama

The talented Noah Wyle is known for having starred in a slew of unforgettable television knockouts throughout the course of his illustrious career, famously appearing in small screen hits like Falling Skies, The Librarians, and Leverage: Redemption, though his most iconic performance was as Dr. John Carter in the ’90s juggernaut medical drama ER. Wyle famously appeared alongside familiar faces like George Clooney and Julianna Margulies in the pop culture phenomenon, portraying the ambitious Carter for 11 seasons and nabbing multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his exceptional work on the trailblazing series.

In January 2025, Wyle made a spectacular return to his medical show roots and joined the cast of Max’s The Pitt, in which he plays senior attending Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch, who returns to the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital to train a group of earnest interns and medical students and show them how to navigate the intense and overwhelming world of the ER. Still reeling from the devastating loss of his mentor due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Robby attempts to cope with his own PTSD while trying to train his young and talented peers and help them become capable doctors.

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‘The Pitt’ Authentically Captures Life in the Hectic ER

When The Pitt premiered on January 9, 2025, the gripping medical drama left quite the positive impression on fans, critics, and real-life healthcare workers, with many lauding the series for its extremely realistic and accurate depiction of the emergency room and all the chaos, heartbreak, and touching triumphs that come with working in the often underappreciated medical department. Each episode of the streaming hit covers one hour of a single 15-hour shift, with lead star Noah Wyle reuniting with ER writer and producer R. Scott Gemmill for the show, who created The Pitt and serves as its showrunner and executive producer.

Wyle is right back in his element as Dr. Robby Rabinavitch, having skyrocketed to stardom on ER during his dazzling tenure on the TV classic, steadily appearing from 1994 to 2005 and making guest appearances before officially returning for its series finale. Wyle worked closely alongside future Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney in the enduring series, who famously portrayed pediatrician and ER physician Dr. Doug Ross for five seasons before departing the show to pursue a career on the big screen. Widely regarded as one of the greatest medical dramas of all time and a touchstone in the genre, ER helped launch the careers of its decorated ensemble cast.

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Though there may be no Clooney running around the halls of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, The Pitt has nonetheless captivated audiences because of its painfully realistic examination of the ER and the many sacrifices and hurdles the frontline heroes experience while on their noble quest to save lives. According to Dr. Bobby Kapur, the chair of the AHN Emergency Medicine Institute at Allegheny General Hospital (where parts of The Pitt are filmed), the series hits the nail on the headwhen depicting life in the emergency room. Kapur told Pittsburgh Magazine shortly after its release:

“Unfortunately or fortunately it really shows what’s going on…the emergency department is a microcosm of what’s going on around us. There’s access to care issues, substance abuse, mental health issues, homelessness. I think they do a really good job in depicting what goes on.”

The Pitt has garnered widespread praise since it made its spectacular debut, with viewers being blown away by Wyle’s vulnerable portrayal of a doctor struggling with devastating PTSD as he also tries to successfully help his interns and students become well-rounded and capable medical practitioners. The series currently holds a fantastic 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and a solid 78% on the Popcornmeter, with Globe and Mail writing in their glowing review of The Pitt: “Departing from real-time reality, this is an engrossing ride — and a relentlessly emotional one, dealing as it does with life-and-death stakes from minute to minute.”