Anyone else fallen into the pitt these days? 

After years of (voluntarily watching) CW shows and boring pseudo-realism exercises completely devoid of Noah Wyle, HBO’s “The Pitt” is a breath of crisp air. We are so back. Television is so back. I love media that is good. I love media that does not shy away from depicting nuance. Everything is coming up me. 

Following a fire first season that left me with statements such as “I should watch ER (1994)” and questions like “Is it possible to quickly invent time travel so I can watch season two right now?”, “The Pitt” has returned to my screen with a follow-up season that, in my opinion, is hitting all the right notes of authenticity and complexity. We are two episodes away from the culmination of this second season and so far, my “pittpassion” has only grown. 

Everyone in the world has sung Noah Wyle’s praises for both conceptualizing “The Pitt” and executing it so well, and I will add my praises to that pile. His portrayal of Dr. Robby, a longtime ER practitioner struggling with burnout, depression, PTSD and how to act professionally around a topless Shawn Hatosy, is so. I don’t even have a word for it, really. It’s just SO. One of the points of “The Pitt,” as expressed by Wyle himself, is to showcase the humanity of its characters, the nuances of their behaviors and their environment’s impact on their lives. Dr. Robby is perhaps one of the central examples of all of those layers: he is at times misogynistic, whilst also still inarguably acting as a strong mentor and supportive coworker to his residents and fellow doctors. His own frustrations—with himself, with the current culture of emergency medicine and hospitals’ treatment of doctors and nurses—are internalized and externalized in ways that may or may not be intentional and are sometimes more effective than others. His mental health struggles manifest in unprofessional outbursts (something that has gotten more externalized and obvious in season two, as that aspect of his life continues to decline). He is having a bad day; he is not a bad person. This is the nuance “The Pitt” asks us to consider, analyze and accept in the age of topical Twitter fights and out-of-control polarization. 

In fact, I would argue that all of the central characters on “The Pitt” (which is to say, those employed at the hospital, not as much those patients physically assaulting doctors and nurses) are depicted in that same manner. Nuance is the core of the creation. Hypocrisy is a natural extension of how people act and react— Dana Evans, played by the brilliant Katherine LaNasa, holds a friend-slash-coworker to a different standard than an unfamiliar patient and Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) harbors grudges against that same coworker that shift with her own cyclical processing of the offending incident(s). This is the nitty-gritty of “The Pitt” and what keeps me so enthralled and compelled. Life is messy (sometimes physically so, as “The Pitt” does not shy away from showing you). Relationships are messy. We are all human, trying our best, even if that best is, like, super annoying to some other guy on your shift. 

I love that “The Pitt” prioritizes its nuclear characters being shown for all of their ups and downs. Dr. Samira Mohan is everything an ER doctor should be—empathetic, knowledgeable, intelligent, skilled, passionate—and a few things they shouldn’t—slower at treating patients, which has textually endangered some of them in past episodes and occasionally remiss at operating up the chain of command. Supriya Ganesh, Mohan’s actress, balances an incredible portrayal of a woman whose life is not fully going the way she thought it would. Mohan is respected by her colleagues and looks up to Dr. Robby; in Mohan and Robby’s actions this season, both approach the other with flawed perspectives (that hopefully will be resolved eventually), another great example of a multifaceted dynamic landscape with which “The Pitt” invites its viewers to engage. 

I am very excited for the remainder of this season two and even more excited for the already-greenlit upcoming season three. I will not be climbing out of the pitt anytime soon.