The Pitt

The Pitt is easily the best hospital series I've ever seen. It's been praised up and down by just about everyone and for good reason. It currently has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. This show will have you in your feelings so much by the time you finish even one episode you'll be as exhausted as the employees of The Pitt. I didn't think the every episode is an hour (like 24) would work for a medical show but I was wrong. It not only works but is a big reason why this series is so good. The pacing of each episode makes them fly by. No show or movie you've ever seen will prepare you for the experience of watching The Pitt. With how many medical series that have been made it's amazing that the genre was able to come out with such an original show as The Pitt.

I'm a physician / psychiatrist, and I am so happy to have a medical show I enjoy!

I spent three months in the trauma bay of a busy inner city ER, as a med student, and many more many more years in the ER for other rotations and for work.

It's refreshing to see the ER portrayed in a realistic way. Also, mental health patients and their issues are handled appropriately and with empathy. I wish they showed psychiatrists and other specialists as they consult in the ER.

I experienced burnout and took time off, this show has been a major factor in me reconsidering returning to work. It has reminded me of the redeeming part of my work and all the wonderful colleagues I had. As medicine becomes increasingly monetized and scrutinized for productivity and bled dry by private equity it helped me remember why I have so much to do this job.

I never watched many medical shows until I retired. Didn't want to bring the hospital home with me. Shows like House may have had good actors but were unrealistic fantasies when it came to real medicine. After retiring I watched all 15 seasons of ER over a few months. That show captured the reality of ER medicine as well as hospital politics, although it compressed time. Things happen fast, but not that fast or intense over an entire day, and not nearly as many open chest heart massages occur. But you really did get to see what it was like. Now The Pitt brings the same flavor of show as ER was. So if you enjoyed watching ER, you will like this.

The Pitt is one of the most realistic dramas I've ever seen - raw, intense, and unflinchingly honest. It's graphic at times, both emotionally and visually. The performances are top-notch, and the writing is sharp, capturing the chaos and adrenaline of emergency medicine in a way that feels more like virtual reality than TV.

What truly sets The Pitt apart is its handling of the medicine itself. It never talks down to the viewer or over-explains. Instead, it thrusts you right into the action, trusting you to keep up - and that trust pays off. I've never seen a medical show navigate clinical detail with this level of authenticity and urgency.

However, the show's need to check every political and social commentary box weighs it down. While topicality is expected in the genre, The Pitt veers dangerously close to preachy and one-sided, which might hurt its longevity. These moments can feel forced and detract from the otherwise gripping narrative.

Still, this is easily a 9/10 show - maybe even an 11 if it had let the story breathe without constantly hammering its messaging. Watch it for the performances, the realism, and the ride. Just be prepared for a few heavy-handed detours along the way and a near 15-hour roller coaster ride.

I'm a board certified EM physician who has worked in big trauma centers and small but busy community ER's. Most medical shows are hyper unrealistic, which normally leads to absurd requests from patients. I'm only one episode in, but this is the first show (besides scrubs) that paints an accurate picture of what it's like to work in emergency medicine. Bravo to the consultants they got for this one; clearly they consulted an emergency medicine physician or three. I look forward to watching the rest of the series. Future medical series should follow in The Pitt's footsteps and actually consult a real physician if you want it to be accurate.