by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
I’m glad that television is finally getting to the point where we can expect good TV to return to a yearly cadence again. For the last couple of decades, studios have gotten away with stringing viewers along on shows that can’t meet sky-high expectations or the fan theories that people concoct while waiting. Prestige TV, in particular, tends to wait years before releasing a new season. Networks like HBO have also been traditionally slow to release new seasons. So, color me shocked when HBO announced The Pitt would not only be returning a year after season one, but that this would be the consistent model moving forward. I cautiously rejoiced. But living with anxiety causes me to overthink, mainly about whether the quality would dip with such a small window to create another amazing season of one of the best series on television.
Strap in for a chaotic ride, folks…
Season one of The Pitt was one of my favorite shows of 2025. I normally don’t like medical dramas, but The Pitt is different; instead of focusing on a long-term series where out-of-hospital drama dominates more than patient cases that tug on the heartstrings. Instead, The Pitt focuses on a single shift while mainly delving into the staff’s psyches and the patients they treat. The second season picks up about ten months after the events of season one, with several doctors still reeling from the Pittfest mass casualty event. This time, it’s the 4th of July, when the heat is a problem and alcohol and fireworks are the top suspects for injuries.
Season two picks up on the final shift for Dr. Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) before he goes on a three-month sabbatical. After the night shift (still waiting for a season exclusively focusing on the night shift) signed off, Dr. Robby takes over with his temporary replacement, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), still getting the lay of the land and figuring out how everything works in the Emergency Department. The dynamic between Dr. Robby and Dr. Al-Hashimi will be a dominant plot point of the shift, with their relationship shifting from a power pissing match to a mutual understanding of the toll medicine takes on the doctors themselves.
Self-care and mental health are major themes of the season, as everyone is dealing with the emotional toll of working in medicine. Dr. Robby is still processing the grief that comes from all the loss he experiences while working in the ED, but he’s also doing nothing to address his trauma either. Sadly, since the events of season one, the viewer can tell that Dr. Robby is doing a poor job of taking care of himself by witnessing risky behaviors such as riding a motorcycle without a helmet, treating his coworkers poorly, and making comments about his sabbatical that raise concerns. The pressure doesn’t have the same debilitating effect that it had during season one, but his mental health has devolved so much that we can’t help but be scared of something happening to him. Wyle is still the standout for the series, and you can feel that he knows the toll that being great can take on someone. Lock him in for the Emmy again this year.
The rest of the staff is split into two camps this season. Several characters this season take a little more of a backseat than in the previous season. Dr. King (Taylor Dearden) was a standout from last season, but unfortunately, he doesn’t get as much time to shine this season. She has two main storylines. One involves a deposition in a legal action brought by a patient from last season, and the other involves an incident with her sister. As a fan favorite, it bums me out that she didn’t have more screen time, but I also understand that there is only so much time devoted to go around. Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif) has one major case this season but is relegated to getting yelled at and longing for more personal time to herself.
The other camp involves characters making meaningful steps towards being major players in The Pitt. Dr. Whitaker (Gerran Howell) is becoming more of a mentor to several younger doctors and taking on more complex cases that he can be entrusted with. He is a great example of a character who undergoes personal and professional growth while also expanding his relationships with other characters.
I suppose there’s a secret third camp of people who are incurring Dr. Robby’s wrath. These doctors have all had a hard day but have shown tremendous strength and resilience. Dr. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) has a particularly cruel season. She is dealing with family troubles, a future where she doesn’t know how to proceed medically, and some brutal cases that take their toll on her. Ganesh does an amazing job of taking the emotional whiplash in stride this season. Still, the lack of resolution in her story (given the news of her status on the show moving forward) is disappointing. She deserves so much better than where we leave her character at the end of the season. Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball), fresh off his stint in rehab, returns on a day when he faces self-doubt in his ability to be a doctor, coworkers who don’t trust him, and the temptation to relapse at any given point. Both get put through the wringer by Dr. Robby, even causing a medical issue with one of them.
The nurses are still the backbone of the show and still the standouts. This time around we have an entire episode dedicated to the entire nursing staff and how important they are to the hospital. Dana (Katherine LaNasa) is still reeling from the assault from the previous season, and she is questioning everything this season, like whether Dr. Robby is okay and her relationship with the police after their lack of care with sexual assault evidence kits. She spends more time mentoring a new nurse and tries to show her both the good and the bad that nurses deal with daily.
Season two focuses on some important medical topics like AI, with discussion of how it can help with tasks like charting or planning treatment; it can also create more work by requiring proofreading and correcting what previous knowledge and experience can easily detect. The AI storyline doesn’t fully pay off, but The Pitt is usually not interested in taking a clear stance on anything. Insurance is also a major topic, such as how insurance companies don’t cover certain types of treatment or how Medicaid was cut due to government cuts. Certain patients come in and make decisions because of the cost of treatment, which is both sad and applicable. Perhaps the most prominent theme was the use of ICE and the threat/consequences of deportation. It’s both terrifying and hopeful to see how everyone reacts and rallies around those affected by the prospect of deportation. Another major storyline this season involves cybersecurity, forcing the hospital to use paper and pen instead of digital charts. The reliance on technology is a stark reminder that process and knowledge remain paramount.
Throughout Season one, several patients give us a look at how unfair life and death can be in a hospital. Season two continues this tradition while introducing us to several patients we follow through multiple episodes as we wait for the outcomes of their visits. Some are mild cases, like someone with a severe sunburn throughout their body, someone with a dry ice burn, and someone who falls during a parkour stunt. These patients help break up some of the tension we get from heavier cases, while also giving other doctors and nurses a chance to shine. There were a few cases that really got to me. One patient named Louie (Ernest Harden Jr.) is an unhoused alcoholic who is a frequent visitor to the ED. The effect he has on the entire department is immeasurable, and it offers us a valuable lesson about what happens to someone who is unhoused when they go to the hospital. Another one named Roxie (Brittany Allen) is dealing with so much pain from her various diagnoses that the conversation about what happens when someone is ready to die, but the ED’s first rule is to do no harm. This is The Pitt’s greatest strength: tapping into memorable patients.
The Pitt remains one of the best shows on TV right now. Its character arc, memorable patients, and singular focus on a single shift elevate it above its medical drama predecessors. Although Season two doesn’t have a similar event like the Pittfest shooting last year, the proof-of-concept that you can have a day without a mass casualty event and still make it compelling checks out. I will be waiting eagerly at the edge of my chair for Season Three to come out next year.
Grade: Low Side of Loved It
The Pitt is currently streaming on HBO Max
You can read more from Mike Hilty and follow him on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Serializd