Oftentimes, TV shows are criticized for their unrealism. They falsely mislead viewers about certain situations and how to act on them properly. Although Grey’s Anatomy is a popular and loved TV show, it fails to portray the medical field accurately. Which, in turn, creates misconceptions about serious issues and disregard for problematic professional decisions. The Pitt is the exact opposite. As an HBO Max exclusive, it’s a medical drama show that focuses on accuracy and accountability.
Set in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital Emergency Room, The Pitt follows doctors, nurses, and medical students as they face a day’s worth of patients. Each episode only covers an hour, and a full season only takes place within one day. There’s plenty of action, though. To enthrall viewers, the show exaggerates the number of patients, while also giving each character a complex inner dilemma that they’re facing. The main character, Dr. Robby, is experiencing severe mental health struggles–PTSD and depression–while he tries to lead his team. Due to his refusal to seek help, he makes choices that multiple characters criticize him for; he’s held responsible for his actions.
The Pitt is not trying to be another soap opera, though. It’s evident that although the main characters do have their own issues they’re dealing with, the show is trying to put the attention towards the patients and real-world issues. In the first season, there is a measles patient whose parents refuse to treat him accordingly due to a false Google assumption. It’s a sad scene that accurately depicts how people nowadays will believe anything on the internet. Multiple doctors and nurses have praised the show for its accuracy and how well the procedures taken for certain cases are captured.
On January 8th, 2026, The Pitt started its release of season two, weekly–the show finale released on April 16. Despite it still being a good season, it didn’t exceed expectations, nor did it excel further than season one. Many criticisms have pointed out that Dr. Robby was a lot less likable in the second season. Succumbing further into his mental health, he verbally attacked a few of his coworkers and was much harsher in general. It’s clear that The Pitt was trying to highlight the harms of provider burnout, but it devoted far too much time to it–other characters barely got much screen time, and the season felt much slower than its former season. When a show spends far too much time on a character, viewers will lose interest and won’t be able to feel as sympathetic as they could have. Especially if it was already covered in the first season, which, in Dr. Robby’s case, it was. Some people also weren’t happy with the lack of focus on patients. Featuring fewer patients, the show dragged out unnecessary plots and didn’t spend as much time on patients as it could have.
That doesn’t mean season two was bad, though. Following the trend of season one, the second season also brought many controversial yet important topics. There’s an episode where a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis refuses medical help because of his current financial situation. With how much more limited Medicaid is now, the scene gives insight into how this is affecting people and the emotional and physical impact it has. The Pitt also gave well-done character development to new and returning characters. One of the characters, Dr. Langdon, returns to the show after rehab, and tries to make up for his mishaps to his coworkers–some of whom were more forgiving than others.
The Pitt is a great show. It focuses less on fantasizing about romance, relationships, and recklessness, and more on realism and divisive ethical characters. Its actors even undergo medical training before filming. Despite the show’s genius methods, the second season just didn’t quite hit as hard as the first. Although it was perfect in many ways, there were still a lot of problems it suffered from. That doesn’t mean the show is done for; The Pitt has enough popularity and fans that it’ll likely continue to grow and have more seasons. The writers left certain plotlines open, so it’s evident that season three is happening. But whether it’ll be better than the second season or not, that’s up for debate.
