NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Medical dramas have always been big ratings for television. HBO has had a long history of turning out quality television. When the two worlds collided, the end result was The Pitt. Right now, it’s one of the most talked about shows on social media. So how did The Pitt avoid being just another run-of-the-mill medical drama?
The Plot:
This one is pretty simple. It’s a medical drama in an ED (emergency department) set in Pittsburgh (hence the name). The ED shares the nickname as the title for the fast paced paced environment that’s full of chaos like a mosh pit at a heavy metal concert.
The concept of the show veers away from the typical medical drama as instead of a case by case structure for each episode, the entire season plays out with each episode being a new hour of the same shift in order. 15 episodes in the first season which means a 15-hour shift for our cast of characters. Think back to the show 24, then put it in a hospital, match the intensity, or amp it up a bit, and that’s the gist.
The Characters:
Noah Wyle returns to the medical field as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, long removed from the days of John Carter on ER so there should be a familiarity from the start.
The med students share the spotlight as your leads. Plenty of hospital shows have your main cast of characters, and then everyone falls in as background or is there for familiarity in a scene. In The Pitt, however, it’s obviously a teaching hospital so the med students are learning from the senior staff.
There are too many good characters to name, but early on lines will be drawn for the characters you like and dislike. There’s the sense of humor that takes the pressure off and there’s the cocky arrogance that pulls out that negative reaction as well. The actors do a great job in those roles and no character feels miscast.
Sense of Familiarity:
That’s one of the biggest sticking points for this show. Not only are the characters relatable but there’s also the sense that these are the types of doctors and nurses you’d see at your local ER. One of the best ways they pull this off is by shifting focus from the doctors to their chosen storylines. They don’t doll them up to be the “dreamboats” you see in some of the other medical shows.
They don’t look like the actors have been in hair and makeup most of the morning to come out and shoot their scenes. Not that the actors don’t have attractive qualities about them, I’m talking strictly about their characters. They give off the impression of the everyday lives of hospital workers, not love interests that have the rest of the characters drooling. The focus stays on the characters and their work. Will those stories pop out at a later date? Probably, as they always do. However, the intensity of the ED on the Pitt is what draws you in from the beginning, not the other way around.
HBO has a hit on their hands with this one. Maybe that’s why The Pitt breaks their usual 8-12 usual episode order. With how long shows take for their follow up season, having the extra 3 episodes each season could cut down on that separation anxiety. Hopefully without the CGI of a show such as Game of Thrones, they can turn this one over much quick for season 2. The season finale of The Pitt airs this Thursday at 9pm, on Max.
