There's Good And Bad News About ‘The Pitt' Season 2
The Pitt
The Pitt ended its stellar first season run last night which some, was its most 'relaxing' episode of the series (well, comparatively). It was the end of shift, and this is a series that like an end of an actual ER shift, can wind down and after a day like that, everyone needs to process and cool off, especially Dr. Robbie.
Season 2 is coming. That's the first bit of good news, but there is both good and potentially bad news about The Pitt season 2 that I thought it was worth going through after the finale ended here.
The Pitt
Not only does season 2 exist, but WB realizes that they've caught lightning in a bottle, and cannot waste it. Production is already spooling up because the stated goal is to get these 15 episode Pitt seasons (provided it stays that long) out every year, so January 2026, just under nine months from now.
In the streaming era, that's impressively short and along the lines of what we see from The Bear, which you might argue is a similar series focused on the reality of a job, in that case, the stressful restaurant business. Here, much more stressful work in Emergency Departments. And both are some of the best shows on TV.
The idea that they want a new Pitt show 'every year' also implies they are viewing this as a long term project, so season 3 is almost certainly guaranteed already, even if we have not heard anything official about a double renewal.
The Pitt
A portion of this has to do with the cast, and it seems likely that at least some measure of fan-favorite characters (and almost everyone has their own fanbase) are likely to depart. The most 'in danger' characters are doctors Javadi, Santos, Whitaker and Mel King, where this was their first day of their ER rotation. The key word there is 'rotation,' and we know that the next season will take place 10 months later. Meaning most, if not all, should be rotated out by then, unless they come back for another run. I think the most likely character to be lost would be Javadi, as she did not seem wild about the ER experience compared to the others. Maybe Whitaker too? Unclear. I bet Santos and Mel stay for sure.
Another potential departure is Dana, who very much made it seem like this was going to be her last day, even taking her photos down, so she may not return. Then of course there's the question of Dr. Langford. There's no way that Dr. Robby is going to ignore this and not report him. But he does give him an out which is an extensive rehab and drug testing program. That could finish by the ten months mark, and I do think he'll be back.
One final uncomfortable out-of-show situation is a lawsuit brought against those behind the show by Sherri Crichton, widow of Michael Crichton, who believes that The Pitt is an 'unauthorized reboot of ER' that doesn't credit Crichton or pay his heirs. Warner Bros. has said this is 'baseless' and that The Pitt is a 'new and original show.' It's not clear if this case will go anywhere, but if it does, it's possible it could affect production. But I very much doubt it.
So, mostly good news, but we may lose a few cast members along the way here, which will be very sad for their fans.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
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