The Pitt Season 1 On TNT: Essential Reading For Episodes 1-3

As "The Pitt" makes its basic-cable debut on TNT — rolling out three uncut episodes every Monday in December — TVLine is looking back at the Emmy-winning medical drama's first season and resurfacing key coverage ahead of Season 2's January premiere on HBO Max. To protect first-time viewers, please keep comments limited to Episodes 1-3.

Once upon a time, TNT eased viewers into the day with reruns of "ER." This December, it's sending them to bed with "The Pitt." In between those two series, Noah Wyle battled aliens on "Falling Skies" and tracked down enchanted artifacts on "The Librarians" — so, for TNT devotees, the newly minted Emmy winner is a sight for sore eyes. And Monday's three-episode block instantly reaffirms what made "The Pitt" one of this year's standout freshman dramas.

Before diving into Episodes 1-3, it's worth revisiting TVLine's initial review of "The Pitt." At the time, we noted that while seeing Wyle back in scrubs may spark "a bit of déjà vu," the HBO Max drama is "no reboot." Instead, the series "prioritizes medicine over melodrama" and uses its real-time format to deliver "one of TV's most authentic medical dramas in years." 

Wyle's turn as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch anchors the chaos, but as our review emphasized, "it's the supporting cast that will keep viewers coming back," including Tracey Ifeachor as senior resident Heather Collins, Patrick Ball as senior resident Frank Langdon, Katherine LaNasa as charge nurse Dana Evans, Supriya Ganesh as third-year resident Samira "Slo-Mo" Mohan, Fiona Dourif as second-year resident Cassandra "Cassie" McKay, Taylor Dearden as second-year resident Melissa "Mel" King, Isa Briones as intern Trinity Santos, Gerran Howell as med student Denis Whitaker, Shabana Azeez as med student Victoria Javadi, and recurring guest star Shawn Hatosy — who TNT viewers will also recognize from "Animal Kingdom" and "Southland" — as Robby's fellow attending, Dr. Jack Abbot.

When we first spoke with Wyle, he confirmed that "The Pitt" grew out of a shelved "ER" revival — an idea that ultimately would have "obscured" the point of the story they wanted to tell. Once it fell apart, he says, the team was "forced to pivot," which "unburdened us from narrative limitations that we would have had to adhere to, and pay homage to," had this new show focused on his former character, Dr. John Carter. 

The new direction was rooted in the pandemic, when Wyle's inbox filled with messages from frontline workers — not just praise, but "cries for help," pleas to "hear what I'm going through" and "get the word out." That real-world anguish shaped Robby's arc, too: his grief over the loss of his mentor, Dr. Montgomery Adamson, serves as "a metaphor for that thing that we lost that we can't quite get back," a burden he carries into every hour of the shift.

For those rewatching "The Pitt" ahead of Season 2, you'll find all of our one-on-ones with Wyle in the video embedded at the top of this post. The spoiler-filled Q&A explores the show's origins, Wyle's personal connection to the song that opens Episode 1 (and its possible tie to "ER"), and several key developments from the back half of the series' freshman run.

If you're watching on TNT for the very first time, feel free to press play on the video directly above — this excerpt from our Q&A won't spoil anything beyond this week's marathon. Then, once you've made it through Episodes 1–3, head to the comments and let us know what stood out to you from the series' basic-cable premiere.