The Pitt Season 2 Review: TV's Best Medical Drama Cares About Us More Than Ever

Early in the second season of The Pitt, an ambitious new attending physician at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center attempts to sell her colleagues on incorporating artificial intelligence into their daily routines. Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi, a new addition to the cast), notes that using AI will reduce the amount of time they spend updating charts, which will benefit both doctors and patients. Then Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell), a medical student who recently earned the title "doctor," points out that Al-Hashimi's generative artificial intelligence app has incorrectly stated that a patient regularly takes anti-psychotic medication instead of an occasional sleep-aid.

Al-Hashimi says doctors must always proofread and correct any "minor" AI errors. "It's excellent," she says. "But not perfect."

Excellent but not perfect is already the standard of care at the (fictional) Pittsburgh hospital first introduced in the acclaimed first season of HBO Max's The Pitt. Every nurse, intern, physician and medical worker administering care to an endless conveyor belt of new patients does excellent work. Inevitably, in such a hectic, high-stakes environment, they also make mistakes. 

Watching them navigate all of that in real time — as in Season 1 of The Pitt, each episode of Season 2 follows a single hour in the shift of Noah Wyle's Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch — remains a major part of the appeal of this drama. In other words, what makes the series, as well as the hospital within it, work so effectively is the people, Dr. Al-Hashimi. That comes across in every creative choice made by the makers of The Pitt, including creator R. Scott Gemmill and Wyle, who also writes and directs some of the installments, and in the primary themes explored in a new season that's just as engrossing as the first. While only nine of its 15 episodes have been provided for review and it's only early January, I feel confident that The Pitt will be considered one of the best TV shows of this admittedly very young year.

9.5

The Pitt Season 2

at HBO Max

Like

• Fast-paced and intense but deeply nuanced in its depiction of the issues that arise in a single day in an emergency room
• Excellent cast and characters

Dislike

• There are occasional moments that feel a bit heavy-handed

The pro-vs.-anti AI conflict is an ongoing thread throughout this season, which will unfold on a weekly cadence starting Jan. 8 until its finale on April 16. So is the tension between attending physician Dr. Robby, who is supposed to begin a three-month sabbatical after this one last shift on the Fourth of July, and Al-Hashimi, the new, skilled attending who will take over during his absence. Not surprisingly, Dr. Robby bristles at a lot of the changes Dr. Al-Hashimi wants to make to standard operating procedure. Accordingly, she smirks every time he or one of his physicians "goes with their gut" while trying to sleuth their way toward a diagnosis. 

More obviously than in Season 1, this season of The Pitt returns again and again to how horribly workers are treated in this country, and not just the medical personnel. In one of the many patient storylines, a father working two jobs and lacking health insurance is faced with a choice: stay in the hospital and get the treatment he needs for his diabetes, or leave, avoid incurring medical debt, and potentially get sicker. Another woman dealing with an unexpectedly serious immune system condition begs her boss, while in tears in an emergency room OR, to give her enough time off to get the care she needs. 

These are the kinds of real dilemmas actual Americans face every day. The Pitt depicts them with a nuance and empathy that is increasingly harder to find in mainstream media, journalism included. At no point do any of the characters mention Donald Trump or his administration. But this is indisputably a political series because it subtly but firmly reminds us that every seemingly abstract decision made by those in power trickles down to become something extremely personal. At this particular moment, it feels like The Pitt is practically performing a public service by pointing this out.

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Fortunately The Pitt isn't just a PSA dressed up in scripted TV show clothing. It's a living, pulsating television organism that's incredibly gripping, often laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes wonderfully gross, and blessed with a massive cast of top-to-bottom excellent actors. When I started watching this season, I actually found myself applauding when some of the returning characters made their entrances. Standing O for charge nurse extraordinaire Dana Evans, played by Emmy winner Katherine LaNasa, who is still ensuring that all the trains run on time while making salty comments! ("Punchy's my new baseline," Dana tells Dr. Robby, which: same, girl. Same.) Also, I will happily lie down in oncoming traffic for Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden), who this season is dealing with anxiety due to an upcoming legal deposition, a feeling tempered slightly by the fact that her mentor, Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball), is back on duty after a stint in rehab for addiction to benzos. The gentle respect those two show each other continues to be one of the highlights in a series that is overflowing with them.

There's a moment in the fifth episode when Dr. Robby has to intervene on behalf of a patient who is distraught and in a critical medical situation. Wyle, with those trustworthy eyes of his, looks directly at this ailing woman and says: "We've got you." On the most basic, foundational level, this is all any of us want: someone to see the humanity in us, to care about us, and to hold us up when we might otherwise collapse. The Pitt reassures us that, even in the distressing, seemingly compassionless climate we're living in, there are people who still do that every day. What a gift to receive in these cold, post-holiday January days.

Premieres: Thursday, Jan. 8 at 9/8c on HBO Max
Who's in it: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, Patrick Ball, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, Sepideh Moafi
Who's behind it: R. Scott Gemmill (creator), John Wells, and Noah Wyle (executive producers)
For fans of: ER, the first season of The Pitt
Episodes watched: 9 of 15