The Pitt, the Max series starring Noah Wyle, takes the right lessons away from ER and 24.
Dr. Michael Robby Rabinavitch has to pee.
Before he can get to the bathroom, however, he first has to oversee two simultaneous open-heart surgeries.
Then must speak with a mother and father about their sons fentanyl overdose.
Things move pretty quickly in the emergency department at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, which Robby calls The Pitt.
And that goes not only for the shows characters, but its audience as well.
Because like the great Fox espionage thriller24before it,The Pittoperates in real time or close to it.
Ad content continues below
The real-time format is far fromThe Pitts only selling point.
Dr. Robby still clearly bears the mental and physical scars of being an healthcare worker during that traumatic time.
Still, its the real-time aspect that givesThe Pittits greatest competitive advantage over comparable TV properties.
The pace of the show is quite simply relentless.
Very rarely do Robby and his fellow doctors exit one scene to enter into a calmer one.
Its early in the day in Western Pennsylvania and the emergencies continue to mount up.
But whats not debatable aboutThe Pitts breakneck approach is that it works.
24was not the first TV series or movie to utilize a running clock as a plot equipment.
The idea for24s format was so strong that it preceded the plot of the show itself.
The thing about24though is that 24 hours is trulySo.
The writers and producers of the series would invariably run into this realization time and time again.
Viewers need only consistent escalation and movement.
Thus far,The Pitthas found a way to work with its gimmick rather than become beholden to it.
The first three episodes of The Pitt are available to stream on Max now.
New episodes premiere Thursdays at 9 p.m.
