There’s something special about a good medical drama — there’s intensity, high stakes and often enough blood that even horror fans can get on board. The Pitt has all of the above, and the series’ first season (streaming with an HBO Max subscription) has been raking in awards for Noah Wyle and his co-stars. Now, with The Pitt Season 2 hitting the 2026 TV schedule, critics have seen 9 of the 15 episodes and are weighing in on how the drama holds up over another long day.
The Pitt Season 2 will feature a time jump of about 10 months, again following the ER staff in real time through one day’s shift. This time around, it’s Fourth of July in Pittsburgh, so who’s ready to see some firework burns? Let’s get to the reviews. Alison Herman of Variety calls The Pitt’s return “triumphant,” with no need for drastic upgrades following Season 1’s success. Rather, the actors have made subtle changes to reflect the evolution of their characters as the show continues to address real-world social issues. Herman continues:
The cases in Season 2 continue to highlight social issues that inevitably arise from a cross-section of humanity at their lowest moments. A proudly progressive show that serves as a counterpoint to our archconservative political moment, The Pitt addresses ICE deportations, fatphobia in medicine, palliative care for terminal cancer, homelessness, the pitfalls of generative AI and the need for ASL interpreters to assist unhearing patients in its new episodes.
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast agrees it’s a plus that creator R. Scott Gemmill doesn’t try to one-up himself after Season 1 made The Pitt one of the best shows streaming on HBO Max. Noah Wyle is brilliant, the critic writes, and the show is more confident than ever, not just avoiding a sophomore slump but building on its solid foundation to remain not just the most harrowing medical series on TV, but the most empathetic as well. More from his review:
Robby is the physician every in-need person dreams of being seen by, and the brilliance of Wyle’s performance (and Gemmill’s writing) is that he’s unafraid to display the protagonist’s pricklier and demanding sides, which make him seem less like a romantic ideal than a complex three-dimensional individual—and, thus, make his nobility in the face of internal and external hardships and hang-ups shine all the brighter.
Angie Han of THR says The Pitt Season 2 is as thrilling and gory as the first and still oddly comforting. In fact, the critic writes that re-entering the doors to the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center felt like catching up with an old friend. That’s certainly not something you often hear about shows set in a hospital. In Han’s words:
The emergency room might be chaotic as always, ... but the editing guiding us through it remains as meticulous and fluid as a symphony. The characters are messily human as ever, whether they’re dealing with unrecognized biases on the clock or romantic situationships off it, and the performances bringing them to life as precise as can be. The tone, too, remains one of near-perfect balance between excitement and frustration, hope and sorrow, sprinkled with unexpected bits of humor.
Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm says The Pitt continues to turn empathy and competency into peak TV, with memorable characters played by talented actors giving great performances. Evangelista gives the nine episodes released for review a 9 out of 10, saying the HBO Max medical drama remains one of the best shows on television. He says:
[Season 2] adopts the ‘if it ain't broke, don't fix it’ approach to continuing the story of the dogged staff of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center's emergency room. This second season isn't repeating itself or treading the same ground, exactly, but Gemmill and his team are smart enough to realize that since the first season worked so well, there's no good reason to stray too far from what that first season established. In other words, if you loved The Pitt season 1, you're going to love The Pitt season 2.
Ben Travers of IndieWire gives it a B, saying Season 2 introduces an interesting dynamic between Dr. Robby and Dr. Baran Al-Hashim (Sepideh Moafi). Dr. Al is set to replace Noah Wyle’s character in the ER for the length of his impending sabbatical. As he tries to make it through one last shift, she represents the future and inevitable change. Travers writes:
Adding these existential ticking clocks to a narrative that plays out in real-time is a clever means to amplify the suspense driving The Pitt. Just like Season 1 and unlike so many of its peers, R. Scott Gemmill’s medical drama doesn’t dwell on melodramatic backstories, mysterious diseases, or romantic subplots. Its urgency stems from the job’s incessant demands, illustrated by the steady flow of patients flooding The Pitt.
It seems that, by all accounts, The Pitt’s second season continues a lot of what made it one of fans’ favorite new shows of the past year. Check out the trailer for the new season below.
