The medical dramaThe Pittis near the end of thevery successful Season 1, and starNoah Wylehas gotten all the attention he hasn’t received in decades. Wyle is no stranger to the world of television, having played Dr. John Carter in the NBC proceduralERfor more than ten seasons. It’s only normal that, at first, he was skeptical about returning to the medical drama genre, but it was a real-world event that inspired him and ultimately made him change his mind. Go, Dr. Robby!
During an interview with Variety, Wyle talked about playing Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch in the Max show that takes place over one very hectic shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital ER. Although his name is already being mentioned as a favorite for the future award season, Wyle wasn’t always comfortable with the idea of playing a doctor again: “I wouldn’t take a script if it was to play a doctor, even if it was a veterinarian. The idea of putting a stethoscope around my neck just seemed like a really bad idea.” He also recalls going through a personal crisis in 2020 where he “didn’t know how to contribute anything of meaning or value anymore.”
‘The Pitt’s Noah Wyle Addresses His Character’s Heartbreaking Meltdown Ahead of Season Finale
Noah Wyle talks about that recent harrowing scene in ‘The Pitt’ where Dr. Robby loses it.
At the same time, the COVID-19 health crisis was starting, and the actor began receiving all kinds of DMs on Instagram. “They were saying things like, ‘Carter, where are you? It’s really hard out here,'” says Wyle about the nature of the messages coming from medical professionals. The actor says that this was part of the inspiration behind the conception ofThe Pitt, a show that shares similarities withER. In fact, it is the basis of a lawsuit in which Wyle, the showrunners and Warner Bros. TV are being sued forallegedly plagiarizing a canceled reboot of the ’90s medical drama.
Wyle says that the health crisis of 2020 was essential in making him think about becoming a TV doctor again. “The light bulb that went off for me was, I could use Carter the way I used to use Carter — to talk about how I feel now,” he says when taking into consideration theERcharacter that landed him a few Golden Globe and Emmy nominations throughout the show’s run. Wyle also offered his candid opinion about the healthcare community, and how some people questioned the medical recommendations that made it possible for everyone to survive the most important health crisis in modern times:
“These people sacrifice so much in the service of others that I find it absolutely infuriating that their expertise is being called into question. I find it infuriating that we still can’t come to a consensus that masks cut down on transmission of disease. I find it infuriating that we still won’t acknowledge that vaccines are an important way of eradicating disease. I find it all infuriating that we are where we are right now.”
So I wanted to make a show that brings back into sharp focus what an objective medical fact is.
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic isan essential part of the show. Dr. Robby is facing PTSD after he was forced to make some truly terrible decisions during the crisis, and he’s still heavily affected by this. Wyle’s opinions about vaccinations also found a way into Robby’s storyline when, in the final episodes, the senior doctor faces parents who haven’t vaccinated their daughter with the MMR vaccine. His reaction is emotional but very timely.
‘The Pitt’ Season 1 Comes to an End After a Jarring Time at the Busy ER
The PittSeason 1 finale airs tomorrow on Max, and finally, the daytime personnel in the emergency room will take a break from their shift. Will Dr. Langdon be sent home again? Will there be justice after the violent assault on Nurse Evans? Is Dr. McKay going to find a way to fix her problems with the law? Many questions and only one hour to answer them all.
Fortunately,The Pittwill return for Season 2. And fans won’t have to wait that long, as it has already been revealed that the show will return in January 2026. But willThe Pittcontinue after Season 2? Wyle also teased the fact that Dr. Robby will be the leader for quite some time: “In a perfect world, this show goes several seasons, so we don’t have to rush this process. It’s a really interesting road that he’s about to embark on.”
The final episode ofThe PittSeason 1 airs Thursday, April 10 at 9 pm ET on Max.
