The Pitt Season 2

Occasional spoilers follow.

I found season one of the Pitt to be one of the most bingeable shows I've ever watched. It wasn't just an episode-to-episode page turner, it was scene to scene. Everything is pulling you towards something new to get interested, whether it's background shenanigans or overhearing a little bit of a conversation there's always something you hope they'll come back to. The best part is they always do. This show is able to marry the classic network tv recipe within the modern premium tv format. Lessons learned from some of the creative minds behind Grey's Anatomy (never watched it) certainly benefit this effort.

Season 2 starts a little less addictive, but I believe that's natural as it has the burden of reintroducing all the characters in a way that explains where they've been and what they've been up. As this show mirrors a day in the life (4th of July in this case) we go through the daily rhythms of the staff. Early episodes have the same feel of starting your day, getting your coffee and getting a feel for how the day will go. It's one of my favorite parts of this format. Natural tension building mechanism as the stresses of the day compound.

Another thing I love with this setup is how people come and go. Staff from other shifts, other parts of the building popping in and out. Helps it feel so lived in. A standout in this regard is Dr Abbot, played by Shawn Hatosy. When this guy came in at the end of season one it was a revelation. Watching him and Dr Robby just show the kids what professionals look like in action was extremely bad ass. Season 2 understood this and brought him in earlier in the day this time to give us a little extra time. Of course, in the most bad ass way. Then again when the night shift comes in and you lock into the daily routine and the transition between the doctors. It's just so well done. The shows greatest accomplishment.

One minor squabble I have with this show is it's a little hit or miss on the emotional beats. Every case is engaging to some degree, some for comedic effect and some for emotional damage. On occasion though we drift into after school special territory. Some heavy-handed lessons give the audience some eye rolls. I will say season 2 improved in this regard. At any rate you don't dwell on it much because you are immediately pulled into another interesting story.

Speaking of emotional damage, one of this season's main themes is mental health. I suppose the first season was too in how we dealt with PTSD from covid, but one of season 2's primary arcs is Robby's flirtation with riding off the proverbial cliff. This one's pretty tough to pull off, and I think the show did it. Early episodes you start getting the sense people are concerned, but by the time it starts to get a touch overt they really punch you with several emotional scenes with his core support group. The payoff works. It also gets resolved in a way that you feel pretty confident we'll see season 3.

I don't have enough space for the words it'd take to cover the whole cast, but the way they handled Langdon's return, Samira's decent to jadedness, King's anxiety (not only getting in some legal messes, but also letting her sister grow away from her), or Santos' disenchantment(possibly more worried about her mentals than Robby's at this point), all of these storylines had their moments and payoffs. I should probably mention Whitaker dipping his toe in Farmer'sOnly.com. But really, he feels like the one Robby is passing the torch to. After losing trust in Langdon, Whitaker has filled the void it seems. He's also the one student/doctor that seems like he's considering sticking around the ER hellscape. It's also worth mentioning the fresh students. They are ok. Had some good moments.

Anyone loving hospital dramas will love this show or they are lying about loving hospital dramas. This is the cream of the crop in this category.

As for value, this show gets perfect marks. Not only is it so bingeable, it's also a meaty amount of episodes. You actually want more. Not filler though that comes with the old 22-24 episodes of network. It's the sweet spot of content and total absence of friction while watching it. Goes down like a smooth glass of water.