I sometimes wonder if the struggles that so many streaming services seem to have in gaining traction may be due in no small part to a seeming obsession with the generation in charge to do things differently than the dinosaurs who have linear services did–or even do. These companies wouldn’t be in the position to be even trying, let alone occasionally succeeding, with cord-nevers and cord-cutters if they hadn’t done at least a few things intelligently and successfully when we were cord and time slot-dependent.
One of the best examples of that was the breakthrough medical procedural ER, which 30 seasons ago began a 15-season, 331-episode juggernaut of a run where it took a storied time slot–Thursdays at 10 PM on NBC–which had been occupied by such stalwarts as HILL STREET BLUES and LA LAW to even greater heights of ratings dominance and acclaim. At the time it was ordered, it reportedly became the highest-testing hour in the history on the network–no small accomplishment given the litany of quality shows that had preceded it. When one of the executives involved with it became my boss I asked him if he would share the report with me because while I wasn’t a fan myself I am perpetually curious as to why so many others are. The results were indeed off the charts; the verbatim responses practically a trade ad. They were blown away by what they saw as an unprecedented combination of attractive and emotionally expressive actors as doctors, compelling and relatable cases and a pacing that kept them engaged and eager for practically the entire program.
So it’s indeed a compliment when comparisons with it and MAX’s THE PITT are being drawn. THE DECIDER’s Joel Keller was among the many who had already come to that conclusion:
When we heard about Noah Wyle and John Wells teaming up again to make The Pitt, a show where Whyle (sic) plays an ER doc in a city hospital, we thought that the show might be ER but in a different city. We weren’t the only one to get that impression; the widow of ER author Michael Crichton sued Warner Brothers, calling it derivative of the series based on his novel. As we watched the first episode of The Pitt, though, we realized that the shows are different in a lot of key areas, not the least of which is the fact that healthcare in 2025 is a different world than it was in 1994.
And the guys actually responsible for both went out of their way to underscore that difference to THE WRAP’s Jose Alejandro Bastidas:
“The Pitt” may take place in an emergency room and star Noah Wyle, but nothing else about Max’s new medical drama resembles the classic series “ER” — at least according to the show’s creators.
The new series, which premiered with the first two episodes Thursday, follows Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch (Wyle), who leads a team of doctors, nurses and interns as they deal with the chaos of treating emergency patients and all the red tape, scarce resources and drama that comes with the job. Told in real-time, the 15-episode first season chronicles a single shift in the ER, which provides an authentic look at what medical professionals deal with every single day.
The creative team behind “The Pitt” has done this before expertly. Executive producer John Wells produced “ER,” which also starred Wyle and ran for 15 seasons. “The Pitt” creator R. Scott Gemmill also served as an EP in the later seasons of “ER.” But as Gemmill and Wells tell it, the intention was never to make another “ER.”
“I don’t ever want to do the same thing twice, nor do John or Noah (who also serves as an EP on the show)… There’s no incentive there,” Gemmill told TheWrap. “As far as medical shows go, ‘The Pitt’ is as different as we could have made it, everything from characters to the location to our set design and how we shot it to make it a completely new show.”
“The last thing I want is for people to say ‘Oh, I’ve seen all this before,’ ” he added.
And yet, in terms of at least the way it’s being produced and rolled out, we HAVE seen this before–or at least those of us who are around in the days of ER et al. This was a point that Bastidas was astute in underscoring:
“The Pitt” also marks a new start for content created for streaming services. As a 15-episode procedural, the show resembles the broadcast formula for a TV show. Being produced mostly on a set also makes this a cheaper production than the big-budget shows that used to be favored by streamers — proof that these platforms are looking to spend less on their original programming while aiming to mimic the success of library procedurals like “Suits,” “Grey’s” and others with their subscribers. Even Netflix is stepping into the medical procedural fray later this year, with the new medical drama “Pulse” starring Justina Machado.
And COMING SOON’s Ayesha Zafar reinforced in the preview she dropped at the top of last week that MAX’s intent is to give fans a regular destination and a reason to continue to subscribe–and be consistently part of its salable universe–far longer than a mere binge:
The series is set to launch on January 9, 2025, with the first two episodes debuting that same day. In total, The Pitt features 15 episodes. Following the premiere, new episodes will air every Thursday at 9 PM ET, continuing until April 10.
It’s in effect competing with the likes of GREY’s and 911–shows that like ER teased and titillated its viewers with arcs of personal relationships. THE PITT doesn’t seem to be doing that. Its format is actually more evocative of 24, a show I did watch regularly and one of the first I actually binged–albeit on clunky DVDs while I recovering from surgery. I watched the earlier seasons in that form, and once hooked I later became an appointment viewer. For MAX, which has been far quieter with this launch than a typical HBO effort is these days, that’s actually reason to hold out hope for later adoption and engagement–and with a procedural, the hurdle of having to get caught up on a deeply woven plot is diminished.
It would seem that opportunity is in front of them. THE PITT’s reviews have been generally positive so far both with critics and those that know are actually part of the world that it celebrates. Keller, for one, gives it a thumbs up:
The Pitt is a medical drama that doesn’t try to make its doctors and nurses into superheroes and doesn’t try to sugarcoat the problems that medical personnel have in the world of 2020s American healthcare. Yes, you could look at it as ER 2025, but you’d be missing a lot if you do.
But to me the more compelling compliments were those expressed to PITTSBURGH’s Virginia Linn over the past weekend after a de facto focus group was engineered on Friday by the publication after they viewed what had been dropped the night before:
Emergency medical professionals at Allegheny General Hospital gave a thumbs up to “The Pitt,” the new MAX medical drama series that was partly filmed at the North Side hospital.
“It’s the most realistic medical show I’ve seen,” said Kathy Sikora, a registered nurse who is director of emergency services at AGH.
Dr. Bobby Kapur, chair of the AHN Emergency Medicine Institute who has practiced for 20 years, agreed. “Unfortunately or fortunately it really shows what’s going on,” he said, noting that he typically sees the vast variety of cases one after another on a typical day like they were presented in the premiere.
The emergency department is “a microcosm of what’s going on around us. There’s access to care issues, substance abuse, mental health issues, homelessness. I think they do a really good job in depicting what goes on.”
For me, that’s reason enough to give this a shot. But given what else is going on around these parts these days, I’m going to hold off until I’m absolutely certain that I’m going to continue to have a home and that I won’t wind up in an ER myself. Something like this before such assurances are given may hit a bit too close to home.
But I do plan to catch up and hopefully become a fan. After all, I’ve got experience.
Until next time…