Noah Wyle in scrubs.

How Noah Wyle Dug Himself Into The Pitt

Film Interviews

It was 30 years ago that actor Noah Wyle first entered homes everywhere as Dr. John Carter on the hit series ER, and though it’s been 15 years since the series ended and even longer since Wyle was a regular cast member, the career-defining role and the connection it created between him and the medical community have both stayed with him. And now, Wyle is scrubbing up again as star, executive producer and a writer on The Pitt, an all-new medical drama streaming on Max.

Cast of The Pitt
The Pitt follows one hour in a 15 hour shift in the emergency room. Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Television and Max.

“I had a rough 2020, like a lot of people did,” Wyle says. “Somewhere in the middle of it, I started thinking aspirationally about having a nervous breakdown — but couldn’t figure out when to schedule it because of responsibilities.” Wyle began receiving letters from first responders during the pandemic, detailing their struggles but also crediting ER for inspiring them to enter the profession. “It was really heavy to receive,” he recalls. “I reached out to John Wells [executive producer of ER] and said, ‘Hey, I’m getting a lot of love from this community…. If you ever want to revisit this world to talk about what’s happening now, I volunteer to be your megaphone.’ That’s kind of where it started.”  The new series, created by former ER producer R. Scott Gemmill, takes a raw, unflinching look at a fictional Pittsburgh emergency department, with each episode depicting a single hour of a 15-hour shift. Wyle stars as Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinavitch, a senior attending physician still grappling with the psychological scars of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the loss of his beloved mentor, who died from the virus. 

“We wanted to shine a spotlight back on this community that needs the morale boost and gratitude, while also finding a new way to tell these stories.”

While early discussions centered around a potential ER revival, Wyle, Gemmill and Wells ultimately took a different approach. “It started off as a darker, Carter-centric character piece,” Wyle says. “But it eventually imploded under its own weight. That created a vacuum for a show like The Pitt, which we realized people still wanted to see.” The result is a series that honors the resilience of medical professionals while pushing the boundaries of traditional hospital dramas. “Scott wanted to do something we hadn’t done before,” Wyle says. “We wanted to shine a spotlight back on this community that needs the morale boost and gratitude, while also finding a new way to tell these stories.” The real-time aspect of the series makes for an almost stage play sense of pacing and minimal cutaways, and the immersive action in the emergency department moves so quickly that Wells called for all crew members to wear scrubs in case they end up in a shot, which, Wyle notes, has also fostered a heightened feeling of camaraderie on set. 

Noah Wyle stands at desk.
The show highlights the hard work of medical professionals. Images courtesy of Warner Bros Television and Max.

One of the advantages of streaming on Max, Wyle notes, is the creative freedom to explore mature and complex themes without the restrictions of network television. “In the beginning, it was just sort of titillating to not have the limitations of standards and practices,” Wyle says. “But then it becomes an exercise in discretion and taste. What do you want to show, and why?” This freedom allowed Wyle, who served as a member of the writing team, penning two episodes, to delve into some deeply emotional subject matter. “One of the storylines I wrote focuses on end-of-life care and how we’re going to care for our parents’ generation,” Wyle says. “It’s an important conversation to start, and I was excited to depict it in a raw and honest way.” The episode premieres on Thursday, January 23.

“I’ve touched another rung on the ladder creatively. It’s been really gratifying, but also communal.”

Despite challenges in the development stage and long days leaving his job acting on season three of Prime Video’s Leverage: Redemption only to go straight to the writer’s room for The Pitt, Wyle has found this particular trip to the hospital to be one of the most rewarding experiences of his career. “This job’s felt like a graduation,” Wyle says. “I’ve touched another rung on the ladder creatively. It’s been really gratifying, but also communal.” Wyle credits the show’s success to the collective passion of the cast and crew.  “Coming out of a pandemic and a 192-day labor strike, people were excited to work — especially on something meaningful,” Wyle says. “It feeds on itself. When you’re working on something that resonates with what’s happening in the world, it inspires everyone to bring their best every day. It’s been really quite charmed.”

With The Pitt, Wyle has not only returned to his roots but also elevated the medical drama genre, and along with Wells, Gemmill and an exceptional team of people, has created a series that is as timely as it is compelling. Wyle’s deep respect for the medical community has resulted in a show that is resonating with audiences — and serving as a moving tribute to the real-life heroes who inspired it.

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