32 Years Ago, ‘ER’ Solved ‘The Pitt’ Season 2’s Biggest Problem

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Back in the ’90s, everyone was talking about one TV show. It realistically portrayed the dramatic world of a hospital, showing both the heartbreak of loss and the joy of saving lives. The characters felt incredibly relatable – they experienced all the emotions of everyday life, from laughter and tears to love and heartbreak. While the show occasionally became overly dramatic, it consistently maintained a high level of quality. Plus, it featured now-famous actors like Noah Wyle and George Clooney, making it even more popular.

Absolutely, ER is widely considered the greatest medical drama ever made. If you enjoyed The Pitt, you’ll likely love it too, as both shows are set in similar locations, star Noah Wyle, and deal with the serious realities of life and death faced by doctors. You’ll quickly get invested in characters like Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) and find yourself wanting more of Dr. Jack Abbot (Shawn Hatosy), while also rooting for Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle). While The Pitt Season 2 has its flaws, ER stands out as the better show overall, primarily for one key reason.

‘ER’ Is a Stand-Out Medical Drama That Got Everything Right

Competing with ER was a huge challenge. From the moment the show debuted on NBC in September 1994, audiences connected with the characters, the hospital setting, and the emotionally powerful stories. The first episode, “24 Hours,” beautifully portrays Dr. John Carter’s (Wyle) nervousness as a new and unsure medical student, while also showing Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) weighing his options between his current job and a more lucrative private practice.

Recent hospital dramas, like Grey’s Anatomy, often lean into emotional storylines and are quite entertaining. However, ER consistently balanced the intense demands of the job with the personal lives of its doctors. The show’s stories could be deeply touching or incredibly dramatic. Some episodes, such as Season 1’s “Into That Good Night,” focused on a single patient facing their mortality. Others, like the Season 9 opener, “Chaos Theory,” featured shocking events – who could forget the doctor losing their arm in a helicopter accident?

Just like people today enthusiastically recommend shows like The Pitt, viewers felt the same way about ER when it was on TV from 1994 to 2009. With The Pitt gaining a large following, it’s a great time to remember how impactful ER was.

‘ER’ Juggled Multiple Characters Much Better Than ‘The Pitt’ Season 2

The first 12 episodes of The Pitt Season 2 have been really enjoyable. Highlights include the touching reunion of Abbot and Becca (Tal Anderson), and the arrival of Dr. Mel King’s (Taylor Dearden) sister as a patient. The show remains some of the best TV available right now. However, Season 2 is having trouble balancing its many characters. While some get plenty of screen time, others aren’t featured as much.

Because each episode of The Pitt only shows one hour of a 15-hour workday, not all characters get a lot of screen time in every episode. Mel, for example, has a touching storyline about learning when to give family members space to live their own lives, and we’ve heard about her legal testimony. However, beyond that, she hasn’t been featured prominently enough. Since we don’t actually see her testimony, it’s questionable whether her storyline this season has been fully developed. It would be great if the show deviated from its current format to show Mel both in court and with her sister.

The show has some compelling characters who could be explored more. Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) is a great example – instead of learning about her directly, we mostly hear other characters mention her social media. Similarly, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) remains an enigma. The season started with a mysterious scene of her looking upset at the baby, but we haven’t gotten much explanation. While Robby has received a lot of screen time, and viewers are concerned about what might happen to him, the large cast means many characters deserve more development.

Unlike some shows, ER featured a large ensemble cast where every character felt fully developed. Even the first season gave ample time to each main character’s story. We see Dr. Peter Benton’s frustration at missing out on a fellowship and his concerns for his mother. The romantic relationship between Dr. Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway is central to the plot, alongside Carol’s engagement to Tag and her anxieties about Ross’s commitment issues. The show also explores Dr. Susan Lewis’s worries about her sister’s mental health and Dr. Greene’s struggles to balance his career and family.

Unlike The Pitt, ER isn’t restricted by a specific setting and can show what its characters are like when they’re at home. However, the show still manages to effectively portray its large ensemble cast, even when they’re busy dealing with work during their shifts.

‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Can Still Pay Off Its Biggest Storylines

As The Pitt Season 2 nears its end, there’s still potential for a thrilling finale—one that ideally won’t be too sad. We’re left wondering if Dana and Abbot will finally have a real talk with Robby, and if the baby left at the hospital will have a positive outcome.

Given the strong Season 1 finale, which showed the characters dealing with the aftermath of a difficult shift, viewers can probably anticipate a similar emotional conclusion to Season 2 of The Pitt. Still, many fans are hoping that each major character will have had a significant and impactful story arc by the season’s end.

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2026-03-30 00:33