If you recently found yourself Googled complex medical terminology and fighting the urge to re-watch the 1990s drama “er,” or trying to nurture actor Noah Weil's budding crash, you might fall into the “pit.”
The new Max Show, “The Pitt,” was a somewhat unexpected hit, following Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (played by Wyle) and a miscellaneous cast of health workers during a 15-hour, chaotic 15-hour shift in the Pittsburgh emergency department, which unfolds every hour. With the first season on Thursday coming to an end, fans are already looking for more episodes, but the second season, which will be held on July 4th, will not return until January 2026.
That's not just because fans of the show don't like it – they seem obsessed. There is no television program that has influenced such social media enthusiasm since the early days of “Suppension” on another Max Show. Fans will post fans of the show celebrating the “aesthetic” of romantic fanfiction characters on Tumblr and the contextual screenshots in X.
Kenzie Vanunu, editor-in-chief and founder of Offscreen Central, a female and non-binary television and film critic platform, said she began watching “The Pit” after seeing advertisements around Los Angeles. “I grew up watching my mother and 'er',” she said. “So I saw a lot of bus stop ads for that, so I recognized Noah Weil. I was like, 'Oh, he's back in the hospital.' So I watched the first episode and was immediately interested. ”
Vanunu will watch the episode as soon as it is released online and post live comments and memes about the X show.
X's discourse is what film and culture critic Cody Corral convinces him to watch the second half of the season. “I think it's one of those shows that a lot of people are like, 'It's not something I'm into, or something I'm into,' but in a way there's this kind of fan community that's very organic,” Corrall said. “I think there was this perfect storm of people making fancams that completely convinced us, and now we're clearly seeing everything.”
According to Max, the show is one of the top three most viewed series in the platform's history, and in the US, it has grown weekly viewing since its January release. In addition to other biggest hits like “The White Lotus,” “The Pitt” puts aside the second screen experience and helps guide the return of booked TVs.
Part of the show's success is a relatively long season of 15 episodes released every Thursday, mimicking the network television model, giving social media users the opportunity to discuss the final episode while eagerly anticipating the next episode. Most streaming products only appear in 8-10 episodes per season. This explains the slow burns of the show. It had the time needed to build a steady thing of loyal fans and develop the storylines and characters that viewers were obsessed with.
“None of my friends saw it, so it was interesting,” Vannuu said. “And then I think everyone is just riding more and more from week to week.”
“The Pitt” is also a curious success. It blurs the line between networks and fame television, procedural and drama, leaving a bit of something for everyone. And they are not afraid to tackle troubling the troublesome issues: mass shooting, anti-baxel, discrimination of size, violence against healthcare workers.
The show also encourages discussions about popularity with various communities. “This looks a bit like that with Kendall Roy from 'Inheritance', guys from 'Retirement', all the guys from 'Conclave',” Koror said. “I've been on the show mainly in Tiktok and through fan fiction related to these middle-aged men and their trauma and backstory, among young women and young queer people, “My kids.”
The diverse cast of “The Pitt” introduces many new faces.
Taylor Dearden, the daughter of actors Brian Cranston and Robin Dearden, who plays Dr. Melissa “Mel” King and says when she first signed up for the show that “it was a job,” her co-star Weil said she was sure it would be a hit. “Noah was like, 'This is going to be huge.' And we were like, 'OK, OK, certainly',” Dearden said in an interview.
She took part in the show with zero professional medical experience, but she said her experience in “Pits” has become a go-to person for her family's medical advice. “I've certainly become my family doctor, and it's already odd, but it's already working a bit,” Dearden said. When her mother was hospitalized after becoming a victim of an accident involving a pedestrian, Dearden said she could help explain some of the complicated medical terminology and keep her mother up to date.
Supriya Ganesh, who plays Dr. Samila Mohan, studied neuroscience in Colombia and was planning to go to medical school before landing the role. Despite the success of the show, she still works on the side as an MCAT tutor. “I'm recognised in my class so I'll quit my job right away,” Ganesh said in an interview. “In the last two to three weeks, there have been a very noticeable change, especially since I first came out, and it was probably like one person, but I taught the class two weeks ago.
The show also highlights important and often invisible works that occur in emergency rooms.
“We hope this will allow those who are watching this to relate to healthcare workers more,” Ganesh said.
