Forget about dragons, mushroom zombies and stranger things in small town Indiana. The biggest thing on TV right now is “The Pitt,” an old-school medical drama with a new coat of paint.
Set in a Pittsburgh hospital, “The Pitt” shares a creator and star with “ER,” but updates the formula of its landmark predecessor by setting the entire season within one shift for its team of health care professionals. One episode equates to one hour on a very busy shift.
The end result is a bonafide hit for Max that has struck home with audiences, critics and, surprisingly, health care workers. The latter have praised the show for its uncharacteristic level of accuracy in depicting the work of health care professionals, the toll of that work and the issues the modern American health care system faces on a daily basis.
But is “The Pitt” actually the most realistic medical drama ever made, as so many have claimed it is?
“Usually with these medical shows, it’s distractingly inept and everybody would be dead in the hospital,” says Amanda Choflet, dean of Northeastern University’s School of Nursing and an associate clinical professor. “[With ‘The Pitt’] I just keep waiting for them to make a mistake, and they’re not.”
The creative team behind “The Pitt” consulted with real doctors and nurses at every stage of production –– and even placed them in scenes with actors –– to maintain a certain level of authenticity.
While the show doesn’t nail every technical aspect of the emergency room setting, Choflet points out, it depicts the most important elements of the intense, life-or-death work of its characters with a startling level of authenticity and realism. Importantly, she says, “The Pitt” also understands the devil is in the details.
“That episode where the attending physician has to go to the bathroom for 45 minutes and just can’t, it was funny when I was talking with my friends because that’s such a subtle thing,” Choflet says. “You are in a life-or-death situation, you are physically not at your best and you just can’t attend to your own needs because you’re in that situation.”
