Inevitably, comparisons have arisen between Noah Wyle’s new medical drama, The Pitt, and the beloved ER. Both series star Wyle and take place in a bustling big city emergency room (ER in Chicago, The Pitt in Pittsburg). But that’s not all: along with Wyle leading the series, ER executive producers John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill are attached to the project. The latter who serves as showrunner for The Pitt and also served as a writer during ER‘s sixth to 13th seasons. What’s more, the estate of ER creator Michael Crichton is suing Warner Bros. Television, claiming the new drama is an unauthorized reboot of ER. As reviews trickle in for The Pitt, critics are agreeing on one thing: it’s not ER. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Pitt lands on Max over 15 years after ER signed off, in which Wyle starred in the critically-lauded and award-winning show as Dr. John Carter (undoubtedly his most memorable role). Wyle was a familiar face on the medical drama during its entire 15-season run, appearing from 1994 to 2009. He earned three Golden Globe Award nominations and five Emmy nominations for his work.
In The Pitt, which premieres on January 9 with two episodes on Max, Wyle stars as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, the chief attendant of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital’s emergency room. Per the show’s logline, The Pitt follows the “daily lives of healthcare professionals in a Pittsburgh hospital as they juggle personal crises, workplace politics, and the emotional toll of treating critically ill patients, revealing the resilience required in their noble calling.”
The Pitt currently holds an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and while that may seem impressive, there are only six reviews currently accounted for, so that number will likely change. Initial reviews have been generally positive: The Hollywood Reporter labels it an “effective ‘ER’-adjacent medical procedural.” The publication notes that if The Pitt were actually an ER spinoff, it likely wouldn’t start as slowly – due to having to deal with introducing new characters and storylines:
“Once it gets going, though, The Pitt emerges as a well-executed medical procedural made by people who know from well-executed medical procedurals, boasting a structural twist that’s occasionally very effective and sometimes just a bit annoying and distracting.”
TVLine calls it “superb” and says it’s the first medical drama since (you guessed it) ER to “prioritize medicine over melodrama — a welcome change of pace after years of Grey’s Anatomy and House clones.” The publication also praises the real-time format (each episode follows an hour of Dr. Robby’s 15-hour shift), which will make viewers feel like they’re “in the trenches with Wyle’s Dr. Robby and his underlings.”
‘The Pitt’ Divides Critics
Collider’s review by Maggie Boccella is the current outlier, slamming The Pitt as a total knockoff of ER, claiming “it’s easy to see why” Crichton’s estate would file a lawsuit:
“Much like police procedurals, it’s tough to come up with a medical drama that stands out in a sea of them that all seem largely the same, and there’s nothing to suggest that ‘The Pitt’ isn’t just a relabeled ‘ER.’ The constant shuffle of emergency cases combined with personal drama feels like a near-exact mirror of the long-running, beloved series, and Wyle looming over everyone’s shoulders as attending physician doesn’t exactly help anything.”
Boccella goes on to critique the show’s setting as she has “lived in the area for twenty-six years, with a mother who’s spent even longer than that working as a nurse for two of its major hospitals, it’s impossible to overstate how unlike the real thing ‘The Pitt’ feels.”
Along with Wyle, The Pitt stars Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Marron Ball, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, and Katherine LaNasa. It premieres January 9, on Max, with two episodes.
So, is The Pitt a worthy ER successor? Early reviews indicate yes; just don’t get too hung up on the similarities – or differences – between the two.
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