In the never ending cycle of the ever recycled medical drama show scape, Max has presented television consumers with “The Pitt.” A brand new addition to the (very stale) genre starring “ER” alumni Noah Wyle along with an assortment of knowns and unknowns. The plot features a trauma center in the heart of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and takes place over the course of one long, hellacious shift while we watch our characters have internal and external battles. With every fierce episode structured as a real time hour, the day shift spirals and becomes a nightmarish realm for the characters as they attempt to prevail. Cutting to the chase very quickly, “The Pitt” is one of the coolest and freshest programs I’ve seen in a very long time. It pushes its own self imposed boundaries and becomes a front to back romp with etherial re-watchability.
Why is “The Pitt” so cool and how is it becoming so popular? Given its unorthodox season one structure, it’s marvelous that it is never boring and never fills time with insignificance. Along with that, the long list of characters each get their defining moments as time progresses naturally. “The Pitt” highlights frontline nurses and doctors in a grounded way that needs to be seen to be believed. You should indulge in “The Pitt” and embrace it as a new standard in television programming. And I don’t even like TV like that.
Intensity
There is something to be said and admired about when a television series can successfully drive intensity and remain grounded. I hope you know breathing techniques that work.
“The Pitt” brings a constant level of intensity and dread that continues to ramp up with every episode. With the passage of each hour within the show, our characters are constantly faced with new challenges that are all contained ingeniously. The editing, rigorously uncomfortable camera movements, closeups, and constant sound design all play as if the Safdie Brothers had some type of influence. Every high stake case is framed as an uphill battle that the cast must fight or a house fire they cannot put out. Realistic emergency room practices are shown unfiltered with gory, disturbing effect and simultaneously are hard to watch while being ridiculously engaging. In a technical sense, “The Pitt” soars and sets itself apart as an artful, cinematic view of this world that we take for granted.
The constant foreboding force of nature constantly weighs on the cast of characters and they all shine. Top notch acting keeps the pressure on the audience as they feel the dread of a 15 hour shift while battling to save patients. Excellent writing as well with fast paced medical lingo that is delivered with urgency and force across the board. The acting and swell writing keeps “The Pitt” as a stand out medical show that challenges the audience with overstimulation. It’s tense, uncomfortable, and insanely engaging to watch as it highlights what a trauma center in a metropolitan area could face.
The episodes “6:00 P.M.” and “7:00 P.M.” offer a two hour stretch of constantly high octane medical action that isn’t for the faint of heart. Amazing acting from the entire cast to reflect the severity of the situations at hand and it rapidly becomes a nightmarish odyssey that seems to never let up. Noah Wyle is surely going to earn an Emmy nomination for his performance alone in these episodes. Absolutely masterful television that feels deadly on a binge watch. “The Pitt” constantly ramps up to a point where breathers and breaks are needed between episodes.
Devestation
Personally, I find it rare for television to find a quality groove in appealing to human emotion. I’ll admit with full transparency that this is purely a “me” problem. I had no issues with that here. I fully cried many times during my viewing.
With almost every intense action in “The Pitt”, there is an extremely devastating reaction to follow. Wyle’s Law I suppose. The constant horrors of illness, injury, and tragedy bear down on the cast along with the audience with complex precision and builds continually. Aftermaths are displayed with unprecedented amounts of realism and pulls no punches. It’s a true testament to the writing as we expect everything to always be safe and secure, but that’s not how it is.
There is monumental acting and writing in “The Pitt” that amplifies each tragic moment and that cannot be overstated. Each cast member has at least one moment of true clarity or exposure to what their profession can encounter. As stated above, Noah Wyle will be nominated for his fearless and gut wrenching performance. It is truly devastating and will give many people insight on what these heroes have to face every single hour.
So many standout moments and performances throughout each episode that make you feel like you’re spiraling with the entire emergency room. Just a impressive display of emotion and ethos that is presented with strength every episode. That’s how you make a show.
Beauty
“The Pitt” isn’t completely dreadful to watch with its collective overstimulation and tragic outcomes. There are wonderful and beautiful moments throughout that accentuates this important line of work with complexity. Moments of triumph, teamwork, love, forgiveness, and family are gorgeously interwoven with the passage of each hour. It makes the hard to watch moments that much more important as we have to battle through the negatives to achieve what is positive.
Once again, the superb performances and writing heightens the positive moments to ultimately become the center point of the entire series. Exemplary construction from the crew to create a slice of life in a way that we don’t ever see.
A standout effort is Taylor Dearden who provides a fantastic performance and creates warmth with her endearment. She has many moments of displaying do much empathy and positivity and elevates the true focus of the entire show. Along with her, every cast member chimes in with a take of their own and we see so many different characters come together to boost each other during the most dire times. “The Pitt” truly encompasses the grandiose meaning of human spirit. And it does it one emergency room.
The Best New Show
If it isn’t obvious by now, I truly believe “The Pitt” is a masterpiece so far. A perfect encapsulation of what life provides and structures it as a high stakes medical drama with truly scary scenes. Never thought I’d ever conjure up a sentence such as that. “The Pitt” has a narrative structure that is refreshing and is tightly sequenced from front to back. By the end of the season, it descends into a day shift from hell that never seems to end for these characters. Season one will retain high watchability with all these masterful aspects.
I highly recommend watching “The Pitt” on Max. It is important to highlight the cool, interesting things so they can continue. This is one of them and beyond.
