The HBO Max breakout hit The Pittcleaned up at the 2025 Emmy Awards. The show took home the trophy in five separate categories, including the coveted prize of Outstanding Drama Series. Meaning, according to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, The Pitt was pretty much the best non-comedy show of the year. But the Emmy sweep for The Pitt also revealed one interesting truth about the show: Its success is almost surely because it’s an original series, and not, as it began, a sequel to ER.
Related: Max’s ‘The Pitt’ Teases Time Jumps and Returning Characters in Season 2
The Pitt almost wasn’t The Pitt
Although The Pitt stars Noah Wyle as Dr. Robby, in another timeline, this series would have focused on Wyle as his famous ER character, John Carter. In fact, the development of The Pitt began in 2020, after Wyle received a ton of fanmail about ER from medical professionals who found comfort in the older show during the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to him exploring the possibility of an ER spinoff with producers R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells.
Related: Noah Wyle is Happy His New HBO Show Isn’t an ‘ER’ Reboot
But, eventually, due to legal issues with the estate of Michael Crichton (the creator of ER), an actual ER spinoff morphed into a new medical drama, which, eventually, became The Pitt.
And, this switch almost certainly is why the show became so dynamic and fresh. Unlike ER, the first season of The Pitt has episodes that depict one hour in real time of a shift at the ER of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Had the show been a sequel series to ER, complete the character backstories from that series, Wyle and his collaborators couldn’t have made ThePitt in the exact way that they have. Audiences love preexisting franchises and cool older shows, but the originality of The Pitt — with some ER flavor — is certainly what makes it so compelling and bingeable.
The Pitt’s 2025 Emmy Awards sweep
The Pitt won an Emmy in the following five categories:
- Outstanding Drama Series
- Lead Actor: Noah Wyle
- Supporting Actress: Katherine LaNasa
- Guest Actor: Shawn Hatosy
- Outstanding Casting
If you felt like you only saw The Pitt win three awards at the 2025 Emmys, you’re not wrong. The Guest Actor and Outstanding Casting awards were given out at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, a separate ceremony that happened on September 6 and September 7.
The Pitt Season 2 release date
As of this writing, The Pitt Season 2 is expected to hit HBO Max in January 2026. The new season will take place 10 months after Season 1 and will consist of 15 episodes, just like Season 1.
Related: ‘The Pitt’ Star Noah Wyle Reacts on Camera to Walk of Fame Honor in Candid Moment
