'The Pitt' Season 2 Review: HBO's Real-Time Medical Drama Doubles Down on What Worked (and Didn't) the First Time

It was no surprise when Season 1 of The Pitt became a success. With a standout cast led by Noah Wyle, a thrilling first-season twist with a mass shooting event, and the real-time format that kept the pacing of the season strong, the show quickly rose to the top of many people's best-of lists of 2025. Not only was the show hailed by critics and audiences alike as a top-tier drama, but medical professionals everywhere praised the series for its accuracy. Now, a year after its premiere, The Pitt is back like clockwork with Season 2 — but can the medical drama's return measure up to the impact of Season 1 without replicating the same format and feeling stale?

What Is 'The Pitt' Season 2 About?

Season 2 of The Pitt once again takes place over the span of one day, but instead of building to a mass casualty event, this shift revolves around July 4th. You might expect the holiday to be accompanied by drunks, partiers, and people with blown-off limbs (and there's plenty of that), but it also feels like just another day at the ER. Dr. Robby (Wyle) is preparing to leave for a sabbatical at the end of this shift, where he'll spend a few months riding his motorcycle across the country, despite the criticism he earns about it from his co-workers. Langdon (Patrick Ball) is finally back from rehab and trying to make amends, but he's finding it's not so easy with some of his closest colleagues. Alongside new faces like medical students Joy (Irene Choi) and James (Lucas Iverson), there's also a new nurse fresh out of school named Emma (Laëtitia Hollard), as well as a new attending physician, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), who'll be taking over for Robby after he leaves for his sabbatical.

Almost immediately, Al-Hashimi and Robby clash, not only because their teaching techniques differ from one another, but because their philosophies of practicing medicine seem opposed. Moafi is an exciting foil for Wyle's Robby, pushing and questioning him in a way few other characters have in the past. As a peer and an equal, the constant back and forth between the characters leads viewers not only to question Robby as Al-Hashimi does, but also to realize that Robby's way isn't the only way. Although we earn glimpses of other attendings, like Abbot (Shawn Hatosy) and Shen (Ken Kirby) from night shift, the season is primarily centered once again on Robby's day shift with Al-Hashimi at his side.

Season 2 takes a turn when the ER becomes not only overly impacted with new patients, but also when the hospital is forced to go completely analog. Gone are the tablets, digital charts, and dictating patient notes; it's back to faxes, clipboards, and performing procedures without the aid of cameras. It's an interesting commentary on the hyper-digital age, especially when it feels like AI is taking over everything — and that the most valued skill when all the tech goes down is lived, human experience. It's not subtle messaging, but it's important at a time when everyone seems eager to take shortcuts in every industry. People can't be easily replaced, and The Pitt emphasizes that loud and clear.

On the flip side, as the world of medicine is evolving, so too are some of the doctors in The Pitt Season 2. Characters like Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) and Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) represent the impermanence of the show as Mohan is hesitantly preparing for a major move while Javadi is still trying to nail down her area of focus without parental meddling. This is a far cry from the traditional medical drama formula, where doctors first introduced in the pilot stay around for years rather than moving on when their residency is over. Beyond the stakes that The Pitt creates with every emergency, the added uncertainty of whether this might be a character's last day makes every moment we spend with them precious.

Related

'The Pitt' Gets Even Bloodier in Season 2, but It Isn't for Shock Value

Image via HBO

One element equally praised and criticized by The Pitt viewers in Season 1 was the series' gruesome, visceral nature. Not only is someone's entire hand degloved in the first episode, but The Pitt didn't hold back when showing the full process of a vaginal birth. Season 2 manages to up the ante considerably, as impossible as that sounds. From a gag-inducing scene involving bowels to maggots to flesh-eating diseases, this is not a show to watch while you're eating. However, this isn't a show that's just trying to shock you; these moments are instead used as vehicles to explore character growth and sometimes even feed into wider commentary on society.

Through unhoused people who have been neglected for years, patients who can't afford medical care due to a lack of health insurance, and a state prison system that doesn't care about the well-being of its prisoners, The Pitt emphasizes that the doctors, nurses, and staff at the hospital encounter people from all walks of life while on shift. It's not about being flashy; it's about depicting a reality that few people see in their day-to-day lives. One particular storyline involving a patient who is a survivor of sexual assault feels particularly poignant and powerful, especially when it allows Katherine LaNasa her moment to shine, and it stands out as one of the few instances where the staff isn't running in and out of a room. The contrast between these slower and more deliberate scenes and the chaotic and frenzied pace of the typical ER offers a dynamic shift in the show that is refreshing while also packing a punch.

'The Pitt' Season 2 Is More of the Same, Which Is Good and Bad

For those who liked Season 1, The Pitt Season 2 is operating exactly how you'd expect, at least based on the first nine episodes provided for review. If you were hoping for a dramatic return like so many medical and first-responder dramas have embraced before, this isn't the show for you. There are no surprise trips to outer space or plane crashes where half the staff's lives are endangered. Unlike Grey's Anatomy or Chicago Med, The Pitt can't rely on those tried and true TV tropes to kick off its return. This commitment to authenticity, however, means that some of Season 2's hours aren't nearly as thrilling as others. Even with the dramatic arrival of Dr. Al-Hashimi, the first few episodes are slower. Yes, characters like Mel King (Taylor Dearden) and Whitaker (Gerran Howell) are dealing with fallout from that fateful first day in the Pitt, but the slate has been wiped clean to some extent.

However, The Pitt Season 2 ultimately doubles down on what made the series good when it first premiered — more heartfelt moments between the staff and their patients, more heart-pounding cases, and more surprise twists that leave the hospital rushing to keep up. That said, if you've spent any time between seasons cooking up headcanons about potential romantic relationships, the show's return could be a disappointment. The Pitt previously leaned into the dynamics between characters like Abbot and Mohan, as well as Mel and Langdon, but at the end of the day, this is the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, not Grey Sloan Memorial. The show isn't focused on office romances or extensive interpersonal relationships outside of work. It is and has always been about the people behind the medicine and the patients that they meet daily, and as long as The Pitt sticks to that tried-and-true formula, the series is setting itself up for another successful season.

Release Date January 9, 2025

Network Max

Showrunner R. Scott Gemmill

Directors Amanda Marsalis

Writers Joe Sachs, Cynthia Adarkwa

• 

  Noah Wyle

  Dr. Michael 'Robby' Robinavitch

• 

  Tracy Ifeachor

  Dr. Heather Collins

Pros & Cons

• Season 2 introduces new characters that quickly fit into the evolving dynamics of the hospital.
• The series doesn't devolve into melodramatics or typical TV tropes, sticking to the authenticity that makes it so good.
• Fantastic performances all around, but particularly from Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa.

• It takes a while for Season 2 to find its momentum.