It's the greatest TV show of the year. So why can't you watch it in the UK?
It's the absolute pits: a new medical drama has taken America by storm, but there is no word when – or if – it will air in the UK. The show is The Pitt, and it was up in headlights before it had even debuted on Warners Bros' Max streaming service after the widow of ER creator Michael Crichton launched a lawsuit, claiming the series was a rip-off of a proposed reboot of Crichton's popular 1990s medical drama.
That legal battle continues to play out, but no matter what happens, there can be little doubt that The Pitt is a shot in the arm for the studio. It's 2025's first bona fide smash, with 10 million viewers tuning in weekly – significantly higher than the six million or so watching year three of The White Lotus. Critics are enthusiastic, too. 'You'll have your heart broken and mended several times per episode,' said the New Yorker. 'The finest example of the genre in more than a generation,' agreed The Atlantic.
A high-pressure medical drama set at a Pittsburgh Hospital and unfolding in 'real-time' over 15 hours, The Pitt is gloriously old-school network TV. The first season has just concluded on Max, where each episode was released weekly rather than as a streaming-favoured box set.
And if it isn't officially a follow-up to the blockbusting ER, it undoubtedly – and with due regard to Warner Bros' lawyers – shares a great deal of its predecessor's DNA. It reintroduces ER's Noah Wyle – aka third year medical student John Carter (sidekick to George Clooney's dashing Dr Doug Ross) – albeit playing an older, more grizzled character in Dr Michael 'Robby' Robinavitch.
It is the brainchild of ER producer John Wells and is set in a busy hospital in a large American city (Pittsburgh rather than Chicago). Tonally, the two shows are of a piece, with their grounded emphasis on hard-working professionals getting on with business to the best of their ability. And just like ER, The Pitt is a word of mouth hit straight out of the gate.
Does The Pitt live up to the raves? It's difficult to say, as watching this side of the Atlantic is legally impossible. That is because of the dense network of licensing agreements in which Warner Bros has become entangled – just a few years ago, The Pitt would have, in all likelihood, made its way to Sky Atlantic, the go-to location for Warner Bros' prestige output released under the HBO banner (such as the second season of The Last of Us, or The White Lotus).
None of this would be noteworthy were it not for The Pitt being heralded not only as the second coming of the medical drama but as a boon for traditional TV-watchers. What's so special about it? At first glance, nothing at all. Its 15-episode season harks back to the days before prestige content generally clocked in at eight or 10 instalments (usually a budget-driven decision). Rather than being released as a bingeable box set, The Pitt's episodes are released weekly, at the same time, like network hits of years past; it seems to have paid off, with viewer numbers climbing steadily each week.
There are no stars, with the (very arguable) exception of Wyle. He plays Dr Michael Robinavitch, a highly strung A&E doctor working an all-night shift on the anniversary of the death of his mentor from Covid. He's even being touted as the frontrunner for the Lead Actor in a Drama gong at next year's Emmys, potentially beating the likes of Severance's Adam Scott or Landman's Billy Bob Thornton.
In the show, Wyle is surrounded by an engaging ensemble of junior medics – including an autistic character, Mel, played by Taylor Dearden (daughter of Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston), short-fused intern Trinity and 'nepo baby' Victoria. They bring a certain amount of personal drama to the action – but unlike the soapy Grey's Anatomy (available on Disney+), the focus is on the high-stress job of saving lives. Added to this is the 'real-time' aspect, with all 15 episodes playing out across a single shift at the hospital – a format that harks back to pulse-pounding thriller 24.
But that was before Warner Bros dived headlong into streaming. The Pitt doesn't air on HBO, but its online channel Max – which was confusingly previously called 'HBO Max' but has since been repackaged as a standalone streaming service.
Since its conception, UK viewers have long missed out on Max's output, with hit US shows like Hacks and The Sex Lives of College Girls taking years to land officially in the UK. Even Industry, a British show co-produced by the BBC, screens in the UK weeks after its US broadcast.
It's a sad state of affairs sure to push frustrated audiences towards illegal streamers. And it doesn't look like it will be fixed anytime soon: Max is scheduled to launch in the UK in 2026 – the same year its hugely anticipated Harry Potter reboot series will be released – but there is no official word yet which other shows we can expect to see.
the other thing that made the pitt such a massive hit? it's TV that's not ashamed to be TV. it's not an eight hour long movie chopped up into eight episodes; it's an ensemble-driven episodic drama that centers the acting & writing first and foremost. oh, and it had *15* episodes! https://t.co/RQreL6ev8n
— zoë rose bryant (@zoerosebryant) April 12, 2025
These developments have created tensions between Warner and Sky, which initiated legal proceedings against the US studio before quietly dropping them. With the Sky-HBO deal running out in 2026, it seems the British broadcaster will have to plan a future that does not rely on high-quality imports from America.
Amid such wrangling, The Pitt is in limbo. Sky can't do anything with it as it does not air on HBO. But as Max doesn't arrive in the UK until next year, it could be 12 months – at least – before The Pitt lands. That's assuming Max doesn't randomly licence it to another streamer, as it did with showbiz dark comedy Hacks, which randomly turned up on Amazon Prime Video – only to pop up on Sky Max recently, just in time for season four.
Part of The Pitt's success can be explained by its being television that is comfortable with the limitations of the medium. Unlike many recent hits (and quite a few flops), The Pitt doesn't think it's too good for the small screen or feel obliged to pretend to be a movie sliced into weekly segments.
As one viewer commented on Reddit, 'It's shot the way TV used to be efficiently shot. Everything's consistently lit because they just use the overhead lights of the hospital set. Cameras are all handheld. Which means way quicker setups between shots, unlike all these other streaming shows that try go for a cinematic look and require the same production length of a movie.'
The Pitt also understands the importance of giving punters more of what they want. Series two is already filming and scheduled to arrive in 2026 – as opposed to the two or three-year gap now standard for more 'cinematic' fare such as The House of the Dragon or The Last of Us.
Pacy and unpretentious – it's the perfect pick-me-up. What a shame viewers in the UK are going to be left hanging for another year at least. This definitely isn't what the doctor ordered.
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Joey Waronker - essential listening guide Are you already familiar with Oasis' new drummer and what are your thoughts about them joining the band for the reunion shows? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment down below.
