There are those who adore medical movies and shows. Not me. I’m not only squeamish but medical arcana bores. So I came to The Pitt, a fifteen-episode (one episode per hour in a day) show about an emergency department in Pittsburgh, with reluctance. It only took one episode to blast away my concerns, for this is very much medical, medical, medical, but only as an excuse for slice-of-life drama of the highest order. Following a team of trauma doctors, including a handful of first-day student doctors, the show’s mechanics involves, as expected, a constantly shifting camera illuminated a wide variety of medical emergencies, with plenty of close-up views, plus the doctors’ individual stories, plus the high drama of medicine in poorly serviced America. What distinguishes the show is superb storytelling paced perfectly. Solid acting buttresses the show, with the lynchpin being Noah Wyle, excellent as Doctor Robby, head of the shift. Do we really need fifteen hours? Maybe not, but The Pitt entertains and enriches for every one of its fifteen. Recommended.
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