The Pitt

I never watched many medical shows until I retired. Didn't want to bring the hospital home with me. Shows like House may have had good actors but were unrealistic fantasies when it came to real medicine. After retiring I watched all 15 seasons of ER over a few months. That show captured the reality of ER medicine as well as hospital politics, although it compressed time. Things happen fast, but not that fast or intense over an entire day, and not nearly as many open chest heart massages occur. But you really did get to see what it was like. Now The Pitt brings the same flavor of show as ER was. So if you enjoyed watching ER, you will like this.

I'm a board certified EM physician who has worked in big trauma centers and small but busy community ER's. Most medical shows are hyper unrealistic, which normally leads to absurd requests from patients. I'm only one episode in, but this is the first show (besides scrubs) that paints an accurate picture of what it's like to work in emergency medicine. Bravo to the consultants they got for this one; clearly they consulted an emergency medicine physician or three. I look forward to watching the rest of the series. Future medical series should follow in The Pitt's footsteps and actually consult a real physician if you want it to be accurate.

A rare occasion when all of the elements come together and engage the viewer completely. The pacing is fast but with the right rhythm. The writers have done their research, and the little I know about emergency procedures feels convincing. They must have some great medical consultants supervising. But the personal stories, complex interactions, and character development are where it shines. And it's not always the highest profile actors carrying it - Noah Wyle is polished for sure, but all of the young residents are individuals whose uniqueness, sensitivity, strengths and weaknesses, will have you holding your breath and sighing in relief when they save a patient. This is seriously a top tier series. I never anticipate a new episode of a show dropping, but I do for The Pitt. I wonder if season two will be able to match it.

I worked in EMS after training at a large teaching hospital. I rarely watch medical shows because the portrayal of medicine is so dumbed-down and inaccurate. I understand that it's a show and some license will be taken, but at least put in some effort to help me suspend disbelief. The Pitt puts in major effort to get it right (which I expect from creator of 'Southland' John Wells, one of the few cop shows that did it more accurately than most). ER's are places of extreme excitement, sadness and humor (the rat scene alone beat many comedies made today). It's fun to be a couple episodes into a medical show and looking forward to more instead of rolling my eyes and moving on.

Being Hollywood we get the usual moralizing, but most shows lecture while delivering inane dialogue with one dimensional characters. Give me a solid story in a realistic setting with great characters and I can sit through a fair share of finger-wagging. It's great seeing Noah Wylie in a hospital again, especially as a veteran doctor surrounded by fresh-faced medical rookies like he was in ER. The acting has been great from everyone. I recognize so many of these personalities from a career around this environment. The Pitt is a great new show.

I'm a physician / psychiatrist, and I am so happy to have a medical show I enjoy!

I spent three months in the trauma bay of a busy inner city ER, as a med student, and many more many more years in the ER for other rotations and for work.

It's refreshing to see the ER portrayed in a realistic way. Also, mental health patients and their issues are handled appropriately and with empathy. I wish they showed psychiatrists and other specialists as they consult in the ER.

I experienced burnout and took time off, this show has been a major factor in me reconsidering returning to work. It has reminded me of the redeeming part of my work and all the wonderful colleagues I had. As medicine becomes increasingly monetized and scrutinized for productivity and bled dry by private equity it helped me remember why I have so much to do this job.