“This is the job that keeps on giving.”
About a month ago, at the 77th edition of the Primetime Emmy Awards, HBO Max’s 2025 show “The Pitt” won the prestigious prize of Outstanding Drama Series, and three acting awards for its cast. I had not actually seen the show before the ceremony, and then proceeded to binge the entire series in the succeeding four days. I was aware that Noah Wyle and the showrunners had previously worked on NBC’s 1994-2009 procedural show “ER”, and that this was a spiritual successor to it, but taking place in a post COVID-19 world.
The premise of the show is that each season covers a single 12 hour day shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, told in real time and following the perspective of Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinovitch (played by Wyle, who won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for this show). He runs the department with the Charge Nurse Dana (played by the 2025 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmy winner Katherine LaNasa), the night shift attending Dr. Jack Abbot (played by Shawn Hatosy, who won the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for “The Pitt”) and the Senior Residents Patrick Langdon (played by Patrick Ball) and Heather Collins (played by Tracy Ifeachor). They also help coach several students and residents, including Samira Mohan (played by Supriya Ganesh), Melissa King (played by Taylor Dearden), Trinity Santos (played by Isa Briones) and Dennis Whitaker (played by Gerren Howell).
The first time I actually heard of “The Pitt” was when my dad’s cousin Jerod Barnes, who works as a Physician’s Assistant in a local ER (or more accurately, an Emergency Department), started raving about the show to my family through a group chat with his cousins. I reached out to him to be a part of this article, and he accepted. My first question was how watching “The Pitt” changed the way that his friends and family members understand what he and his co-workers go through?
“‘The Pitt’ is by far the most realistic portrayal of Emergency Medicine on TV. When I watched the first few episodes, the show got my attention to how realistic the case presentations are portrayed. Most of my friends/family know the stress of what I’ve told them through the years. But the show gave them a visual. I had some great conversations with my mom and brother after they watched the show. Most of my friends are in medicine in some form. A lot in ED medicine. The show validated what we experience on shifts,” Barnes said over text.
“The Pitt” is also notable for its TV-MA rating and status as a streaming show, enabling it to show much more realistic and medically authentic depictions of events in a hospital. From births, to mass casualty events, substance abuse and so much more, but also having quiet moments where we really learn more about our characters. So I asked Jerod if there was a particular scene that resonated with him.
“I believe it was one of the first scenes where Noah Wyle and his colleague Jack were on the roof of the hospital. Jack was trying to make sense of what had happened on his shift. Only Noah Wyle’s character could help him debrief and talk him down. I’ve known so many amazing ED people in my career. MDs, RNs, PAs, NPs, Techs, Social Workers, etc. All of them giving what they can every shift to meet patients where they’re at,” Barnes said via text. “We absolutely love what we do. But it comes with an emotional toll/cost. We take it home with us most shifts. That scene on the roof was an accurate portrayal of how we try to debrief with each other to make sense of what happens each day. I really enjoy the debriefing chats with my colleagues of all levels.”
He also mentioned the importance of nurses in the ED and how they are the heartbeat of the entire department.
“The episode of the violence against the Charge Nurse gave me a visceral, angry response. Unfortunately, that happens WAY too often. I have zero tolerance for that on shift. If you love the show, hug an ED nurse when you get a chance. They’re the best humans on the planet,” Barnes said over text.
My final rating for Season 1 of “The Pitt” is an incredible 10/10, and I hope that when Season 2 releases in January of 2026, it will be just as electric as ever. I highly recommend the show to anyone who is able to watch it, but I feel like this piece should end with a word from a medical professional, with what he hopes viewers take away from watching the series.
“The drama and intensity of the show draw viewers in. But it’s the real life, accurate development of all the characters that I hope viewers connect to. People who do the job in the ED are just people with real life problems just like everyone else. We are not immune to the real life struggles of anyone else. When we mess up, we’re held accountable and have to take ownership of our wrongs to make things better. I love what I do. I’m so grateful to be employed in a job I love,” Barnes said via text. “ED people are the best of the best. We take a lot of pride in what we do. But we’re also deeply human. “The Pitt” did a great job of showing that humanity.”
