Attack of the clone: Pitt Hospital series departs from the canons of medical drama
The Pitt Hospital series has been released on the web - viewers have access to the first two episodes so far. Each episode covers one hour of Dr. Michael "Robbie" Robinavich's hellish shift in the emergency room of a fictional trauma hospital in Pittsburgh. The new project is an ambitious reunion of the creators of the iconic "ER" producers John Wells, R. Scott Gemmill, Michael Hissrich and starring Noah Wiley. The release of "Pitt Hospital" was preceded by a scandal: the widow of "ER" creator Michael Creighton sued Warner Bros. Television because of the unauthorized creation of a sequel than she considered the new project. "Izvestia" watched the first episodes of "Pitt Hospital" and state: this is not a sequel or even a remake of one of the popular series of the late 90s, but to the success of "ER" the project is unlikely to reach.
A new project from the authors of "ER"
Hardly anyone likes to go to hospitals, however, people love to watch medical dramas. Here it is enough to remember "Dr. House", "Knickerbocker Hospital", "The Good Doctor", "Clinic", of course, "Grey's Anatomy" and "ER" that paved the way for them all. The creator of the latter is the writer Michael Creighton (we also owe him the franchise "Jurassic Park" and the series "Wild West World"), the script of one of the most successful American procedurals he created based on his own experience as a trainee doctor in the emergency room in the United States.
The medical drama about the everyday life of Chicago County Hospital staff came out 30 years ago and at the turn of the millennium became a favorite of millions of viewers, including in Russia. Pediatrician Doug Ross was played by George Clooney, who was just beginning his acting career, and the young surgeon John Carter was played by Noah Wiley. More than 120 Emmy nominations, 23 wins and 15 seasons - "ER" was broadcast until 2009, the medical community confirmed that the crazy everyday life of doctors with an endless stream of patients is as close to reality as possible. Until 2019, this project was considered the longest-running medical drama, until the status passed to "Grey's Anatomy" Shonda Rhimes. By the way, the conceptual combination of medical chaos with the troubled personal lives of overworked doctors in the series "ER" and was borrowed by "Grey's Anatomy".
A still from the movie "Pitt Hospital."
In early January 2025, two new projects were added to the procedural lineup - in "Doc" a talented doctor with a difficult character played by Molly Parker loses her memory after a car accident and starts her medical career from scratch as an intern, and in "Pitt Hospital" viewers follow what happens every day in a bustling Pittsburgh ER packed with doctors and patients. One episode is one 15-hour shift of Dr. Robinavich, who runs the department alongside Dr. Collins (pregnant, hiding the fact, and thus more stressed in contrast to her colleague). The picture is presented with moving handheld cameras, no soundtrack in the background, lots of screaming, fussing and sounds of medical devices. It's a hyper-realistic drama set in a topical setting - the post-Kovid era, when a virus tested the already criticized U.S. healthcare system. Even the show's creators' stance on vaccines is evident here.
"Pitt Hospital" attempts to redefine the medical drama genre
Doctors - both experienced and novice. There are too many to remember all of them at once, but each traditionally has a story to tell. Injuries, burns, gallstones, chlamydia, anemia, psychotic patients, interns tangling underfoot, and around all this people united by the trouble. Together with the main characters we constantly find ourselves in the epicenter of chaos, seasoned with theatrical, but at the same time flat dialogues. The rhythm of the series keeps on the formula "stress plus stress". In places it encourages you to forget the existence of the pause button, in places it makes you nauseous, but it also makes you tired.
- "Pitt Hospital" doubles down on the realism that made "ER" a sensation. The pandemic and current issues of opioid abuse are turned into a frantically developing plot. It, in turn, evokes the depressed feeling that the show's jaded characters live with every day. The show clearly capitalizes on the experience of the creative team while tweaking the format just enough to give the project its own personality," notes Variety critic Alison Herman.
A still from the movie "Pitt Hospital."
Veteran "ER" Noah Wiley, who has grown up and grown a beard, again tried on a medical coat. He also plays Dr. Robinavich, who never recovered from his mentor's covid death. Of course, the reunion of "ER" producers John Wells, R. Scott Gemmill, Michael Hissrich, and Wiley himself on this project couldn't help but anger the heirs of the original series' creator. Michael Creighton's widow Sherry sued the creators of the new series for the unauthorized creation of a sequel to ER, and Welles and Warner Bros. Television called them traitors to a 30-year friendship. Sherry Creighton's lawsuit emphasizes the frozen rights clause - prohibiting Warner Bros. Television from creating any sequels, remakes or spin-offs based on "ER" without Creighton's express consent. The studio later filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit because the new project is not an "ER" sequel but, as WBT claims, "a completely different series."
Among the key differences is only that the show's setting is not Chicago but Pittsburgh, and Wiley's character is no longer Dr. Carter but Dr. Robinavich. But it soon becomes obvious that the new project is not a copy or remake of the cult predecessor. In terms of structure and dynamics, "Pitt Hospital" is more drawn to the equally successful "24 Hours". There is more verisimilitude here than in "ER", but in terms of dramatic storytelling and characterization, rarely any scene will make the viewer's heart flutter, as it was in previous projects. Perhaps in this way, the authors of "Pitt Hospital" are rethinking the canons of medical drama that have become basic.
- "Pitt Hospital" is completely devoid of the long-term arches preferred for modern medical dramas, which is both a blessing and a curse. There is no romantic relationship between the doctors, save for one reference to Dr. Robbie's past relationship with Dr. Collins. There are no extended breaks in the show for the best friends to discuss events in their personal lives, like Mark and Doug in ER or Meredith and Cristina in Grey's Anatomy. Nothing happens outside of the hospital at all. The exception is when one of the staff members goes out to make a phone call or smoke," notes IndieWire columnist Ben Travers.
A still from the movie "Pitt Hospital."
Realism and routine are the two whales on which this show holds up. "Pitt Hospital" looks like absolutely any hospital. With gray walls, medical robes and tired faces of those who wear them. And that's the main virtue of the project. Making the viewer believe is not an easy task. The critics probably already have. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has 90% positive reviews. Fans of procedural dramas will "swallow" the first season of the project, because if it is not a hit, then at least just a good series, all series of which would be ideal to release at once. For the younger generation, who probably have never heard of "ER" and have nothing to compare it with, "Pitt Hospital" may become a new modern impressive story.
