Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Pitt season 1.After a stellar and massively popular first season, Max’sThe Pitthas already confirmed it will avoid a major problem in its upcoming second season. Even before theending ofThe Pittseason 1, Max confirmed thatThe Pittseason 2 was in development. It makes sense, given how popular the medical drama has been and its high viewership numbers, and how highly anticipated the second season already is.The Pittoften seems like one of the best medical dramas on television, but there’s still plenty of room for it to make mistakes. Luckily, a new update confirms that it’s already avoiding some big missteps.
The Pittcreator R. Scott Gemmill confirmed thatThe Pittseason 2 would take place 10 monthsafter the events of the first season and the PittFest shooting. Gemmill also noted that the dayThe Pittseason 2 follows will be the Fourth of July, which should make for plenty of interesting and intense injuries. That, along with all theactors confirmed to return inThe Pittseason 2, makes it seem like the medical drama is gearing up for a very successful second season. One detail in particular, however, proves that it’ll avoid a trap many other shows fall victim to.
The Pitt Season 2 Will Fill Audiences In On New Updates Gradually & Naturally While Maintaining Its Real-Time Format
Image via Max
R. Scott Gemmill was asked ifThe Pittseason 2 would use flashbacks to update viewers on some of the bigger developments that happened in the 10 months between seasons (viaTVLine). In response,Gemmill denied that there would be flashbacks and said thatThe Pittseason 2 would retain its real-time format.
“I don’t believe [we’ll use flashbacks]. That’s not the show. We start at 7 am and end at 10 pm, and I think that’s what worked for us. It comes with its challenges, but that’s also what makes it fun, because you’re playing in this tight little box.”
One of the best parts ofThe Pittis its real-time, hour-by-hour format, and Gemmill’s comments indicate that it won’t change between seasons. The only timeThe Pittseason 1 dipped into flashbacks was for brief moments where Robby remembered Dr. Adamson’s death and the COVID-19 pandemic, and season 2 won’t get any more involved in the storytelling technique. Instead,The Pittrelied on hints about its character’s histories and backstories dropped in naturally through conversation, which helped add to the show’s realism. That strategy also helpedThe Pittstand out among medical dramas, and it helped fuel conversation among viewers for months on end.
The Pittseason 2’s lack of flashbacks is great news for the show.Rather than getting lazy flashbacks to important moments,The Pittseason 2 will be forced to bring up everything that happened in the previous 10 months organically and naturally. That means we’ll likely only get hints of everything that happened in the interim, and we’ll only learn about each character’s past gradually as the season progresses, and when they’ll pack the most dramatic and emotional punch. It also meansThe Pittseason 2 can boast the same realistic and natural dialogue that made it stand out without having flashbacks that kill its pacing.
Why The Pitt Season 2 Will Be Set 10 Months After The First Season
The Pitt Season 2 Will Follow Dr. Langdon’s First Days Back At PTMC After Rehab
It’s clear thatThe Pittseason 2 will be able to handle its time jump well, but it’s not as clear why it’s skipping 10 months into the future to begin with. Luckily, the reason for the time jump also serves as an indication thatThe Pittseason 2 will be good. As Gemmill explained,The Pittseason 2 takes place 10 months later because it will follow Dr. Langdon’s (Patrick Ball) first day back at the hospital after going into rehab for his drug addiction(viaTVLine). Gemmill explained that the time jump allows some stories to develop off-screen and still gives a window into the dynamics of the hospital.
SinceThe Pittseason 2 will focus on Langdon’s first day back at PTMC, he’ll be the audience’s window into all the changes that happened in the interim. Gemmill has noted in interviews that the hospital is constantly changing. That meansThe Pittseason 2 will have new charactersand returning characters in new roles.It also means that Langdon will have to figure out just how much has changed since he went into rehab, and viewers will get to learn right alongside him. It’s an unsurprisingly smart storytelling decision by Gemmill and the rest ofThe Pitt’s writers.
The Pitt Season 2 Should Be A Very Different Show After The 10-Month Time Skip
Many Of The Pitt’s Doctors Will Be In New Roles With A Lot More Experience
There are going to be a lot of changes to PTMC between seasons, andThe Pittitself is probably going to feel like a different show.The Pittseason 1 focused on several characters' first shift in the ER, but season 2 will see them return with much more experience.New recruits like Whitaker (Gerran Howell) and Javadi (Shabana Azeez) will be much less hesitant and more confident, while more established doctors like Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) may have new responsibilities.
There’s no telling just how much will change in The Pitt season 2.
Likewise, after 10 months of working together, there will likely be new and more complex character dynamics at play inThe Pittseason 2. Dr. Langdon also highlights another, almost structural, change in the show.The Pittseason 1 was basically a fish-out-of-water story: the interns and medical students had to quickly adapt to the fast-paced, high-stress environment of emergency medicine.
The Pittseason 2, however, will seemingly be told through Dr. Langdon’s point of view. That meansThe Pittseason 2 likely won’t be about the shocks and surprises of emergency medicine as it will be about Langdon’s efforts to regain trust, repair his reputation, and show that he deserves to practice medicine again. However, there’s no telling just how much will change inThe Pittseason 2.
