You might want to activate the Subtitles option when you settle in to watch “The Pitt” on Max, because there’s a lot to unpack in this dense and enthralling medical drama from showrunner and “ER” writer-producer R. Scott Gemmill, which also counts “ER” creator John Wells as an executive producer and stars “ER” alum Noah Wyle. The medical terminology comes flying at you before you even get to know the expansive roster of intriguing characters populating the emergency department of a Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.
A typical exchange of dialogue from the premiere:
“Intubated for agonal respirations. GCS 5. Probably anticoagulated.”
“Call for FFP?”
“No, we got four-factor PCC.”
“80 of mannitol to reduce brain swelling, then right up to CT.”
Well, sure. Anyone could have seen that!
Of course, we DO see the injuries, the bleeding, the operations, the burns, the lesions, the exposed bones, the guts of it all on “The Pitt,” sometimes in gruesome closeup. (Do not plan on eating while watching this show.) Save for a few exterior shots here and there to remind us of the Pittsburgh locale, the great majority of “The Pitt” is set inside that emergency department, with each chapter in the 15-hour season representing a real-time hour, a la “24.”
With the cameras swirling about in docudrama fashion and the captivating cast moving about in intricately choreographed fashion that must have been carefully blocked but feels utterly spontaneous, “The Pitt” is near-great TV. There are instances in which the real-time gimmick seems a bit forced and creates a situation where there’s an awful lot of character development and exposition crammed in, but it’s poetic license well-earned.
From the moment Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch begins his shift as the head of the Emergency Department, wearing a hoodie and toting his coffee mug, accompanied by the sounds of “Baby” by Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise, we are instantly drawn to his presence. We can tell Robby is born to this job and has the skill set to handle the enormous pressure and the constant challenges as he and the staff tend to “boarders,” i.e., admitted patients who are waiting for a room upstairs, sometimes for days.
Each new case brings about a new storyline, whether it’s a woman who was apparently shoved in front of a subway train and speaks a language nobody can readily identify, a young boy who ingested a gummy he found in his father’s pocket and might not wake up, a college student who had a severe reaction to Xanax, or two adult siblings who must decide whether to honor their father’s “Do Not Resuscitate” wishes. (Some storylines progress over multiple episodes.)
Here are just some of the other standout characters, and the excellent actors deftly handling these roles:
- Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) is a laser-focused senior resident who transitioned from a career in finance to medicine after the 2008 recession.
- Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) is a third-year resident who is perhaps too empathetic and is constantly reminded that she can’t spend so much time getting to know every patient. Her compassion has earned her the sobriquet “Slow Mo.”
- Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif) is a recovering addict and single mother with limited custody of her son.
- Dr. Langdon (Patrick Marron Ball) is the movie-star handsome and blunt-speaking star of the department, who is quite possibly as talented as he believes himself to be.
- Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) is an intern who has an almost macabre interest in the most graphic and horrific aspects of the job, and she’s rather awful to people, e.g., teasing them about mistakes they’ve made and handing out unflattering nicknames to fellow residents. At one point she confesses her demeanor is just a mask for her insecurity — but then laughs and says she’s just kidding. But is she?
- Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azees) is a third-year medical student and fast-tracked prodigy who experiences an embarrassment on her first day but is determined to prove her worth.
- Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) is the charge nurse who has three decades of experience and knows at least as much about how things work as the doctors. Everyone knows to come to Dana if you need anything, and she’s almost always up to the task.
It takes a few episodes to be able to tell the players without a scorecard, but to the credit of the writers and the fine cast, we’re soon up to speed, rooting for the characters (well, most of them) and the patients (well, most of them), and marveling at how fast each episode flies past — and how that Emergency Department is never, ever going to get quiet.