The Heartbreaking The Pitt Season 1 Story An ER Doctor Says Is All Too Real

According to a real-life medical professional, an early plotline in Season 1 of "The Pitt" involving two siblings and their ailing father is as authentic as it gets. Jereme (Mackenzie Astin) and Helen (Rebecca Tilney) are caring for their elderly dad, Mr. Spencer (Madison Mason), who's suffering from sepsis and pneumonia on top of his Alzheimer's disease. He has a DNR order on his chart, which his kids decide to override because they aren't ready to let go of him yet, even if keeping him alive longer means that he'll suffer more than he probably should. 

Although Noah Wyle's Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch is very understanding of the delicate situation, he keeps attempting to persuade the brother and sister to let their parent pass since that was his wish in the first place — and the best they can do is honor it.

Dr. Reed Caldwell, the chief of the emergency department at NYU's Langone's Tisch Hospital in Manhattan, says that he'd do exactly as Dr. Robby did in this scenario, attempting to convince the patient's relatives not to think about what they want but to try and respect the wishes of their parent. Rating this storyline, Dr. Caldwell said (via Business Insider), "I would rate this a 10. I think it's incredibly accurate."

As we wrote in our review of the HBO Max show, "The Pitt" may just be TV's best, most authentic medical drama since its lauded predecessor, "ER." That's primarily due to its painstakingly realistic portrayals of both patients and doctors, the often uncomfortable yet impressively real medical procedures, and the individual dramas filled with potent and often heart-wrenching emotions. 

Examples include the young teenager who is declared brain-dead after taking Xanax laced with Fentanyl, with his parents and friends eventually accepting that their loved one will become an organ donor as he wished. Dr. Robby himself has an emotional breakdown as he relives the loss of his mentor during COVID, even as a mass shooting brings scores of victims at the hospital at once — including the girlfriend of Robby's adopted son. These are just a few instances of the many storylines that made "The Pitt" a hit with viewers and critics alike. 

"The Pitt" comes from creator R. Scott Gemmill, a writer-producer who cut his teeth on "ER," and is led by a former star of that show, Noah Wyle. The latter avoided medical dramas for decades following his departure from "ER" after 11 seasons, but he eventually felt a responsibility to return to his "hospital days" for a reason. As he explained to People, "'The Pitt' was an opportunity to shine the spotlight back on the first responders who really need it right now. The show offers a vehicle for people to go on a journey and get a new look at what hospitals are like and what healthcare is like these days."