Why The Pitt Runs For 15 Episodes Per Season

"The Pitt" was originally designed as a 12-episode season — one hour of TV representing one hour in a standard, 12-hour emergency room shift. Speaking on "The Nocturnists" podcast, creator R. Scott Gemmill explained that the 12-episode structure "seemed like a really logical fit." But when HBO Max picked up the series, Gemmill & Co. were asked to deliver 15 episodes.

In an interview with Vulture, Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max content, justified his ask. "Doing just 12 episodes felt like an extension of a streaming show," he explained. "We used to do 12 episodes at HBO when I first got there. It kind of shrank to 10 and then, more recently, eight. 

"The idea here was to really go for it," he continued. "I didn't think 22 was realistic... 15 felt like more than you would typically get, but something where [executive producer] John [Wells] and the team would be able to do something creatively that they felt really good about." 

Making the season longer than your typical streaming series might have meant more of a workload for the cast and crew, but as Bloys went on to explain, it also came with several added benefits for both HBO Max and the viewers.

In that same interview, Bloys went on to clarify the commercial considerations behind the decision to expand each season of "The Pitt" beyond 12 hours. 

"We specifically wanted a show that could go for 15 episodes each season because that's 15 weeks of engagement for us," he said. "We also wanted to be able to do it at a budget that's sustainable." (Whereas an HBO show like "House of the Dragon" typically costs upwards of $20 million per episode, "The Pitt" comes in at $4-5 million per episode.)

Bloys also highlighted what he called "somewhat of a lost art" in that "The Pitt" will return for its second season within a year of its series premiere. "This model of more episodes cuts down on the gap between seasons. On the platform, we have shows like 'House of the Dragon,' 'The Last of Us,' and 'White Lotus,' which, because of how they're made, can take two years to make. What I love about something like 'The Pitt' is, I can get 15 episodes in a year... and I'd like to do more shows in this model."

"The Pitt" Season 2 premieres in January 2026; for additional intel, click here.