Pick #3,014
R. Scott Gemmill · United Kingdom, United States of America · English
A difficult, intense, but immensely gripping watch, The Pitt shines a light on the critical work done by the hospital ER team
2026 Show Drama
Our take
Each episode of the medical show The Pitt follows an ER team over the course of an hour. There are no time jumps or montages, this is real-time for them. Countless patients come and go, their injuries ranging from terrifying to deadly, and whether they live or die depends on how fast the team responds. Leading everyone is Dr. Robby Rabinavitch (Noah Wyle), who is himself recovering from the trauma of losing a colleague during the COVID pandemic. However, unlike Grey’s Anatomy, the drama of the characters in The Pitt takes a backseat to the patients’ issues. That’s not to say we don’t get to know the characters well, just that the writers have very smartly and subtly found a way to integrate who they are into what they do. Much like the medical staff who front it, The Pitt is a highly efficient show. We experience a roller coaster of emotions and get what feels like a lifetime’s worth of medical exposure in a span of an hour. It’s intense, chaotic, disturbing, and at times even triggering. But it also feels essential to watch. It’s a welcome reminder of our mortality and the humanity needed to keep it at bay.
What it won
Golden Globes
2 noms
The story
The staff of Pittsburgh's Trauma Medical Center work around the clock to save lives in an overcrowded and underfunded emergency department.
Elsewhere
"It’s structured such that you know you’ll have your heart broken and mended several times per episode -- it’s just a matter of how."
— Inkoo Kang
"A wholly engrossing show, competently made and beautifully edited."
— Kathryn VanArendonk
Follows the doctors, nurses, and staff of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital’s ER department, begrudgingly nicknamed “The Pitt.”
What a brilliant and inspired idea to dedicate an hour of a 15-hour shift to each episode in the season.
I feel like I’ve seen a hundred things happen in just one episode, and yet it never feels overwhelming, just thoroughly engrossing.
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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