The Pitt executive producer John Wells has revealed that HBO requested the hit medical drama ensure their upcoming storyline about ICE is “balanced.”
HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which is currently in the midst of high-profile takeover talks. While a bid from Netflix was initially accepted, it now looks likely that Paramount Skydance will buy the film studio and media company.
The Pitt has not shied away from politically contentious stories, with plots that have explored controversy over vaccines, for-profit healthcare and mass shootings.
Wells was asked by The Daily Beast whether it was true that, amidst the merger, HBO had asked the show to “tone down” a story about the impact a U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown might have on the show’s medical team.
“No, not tone it down,” responded Wells. “There is an ICE situation coming up, because it is a real issue in emergency rooms. In fact, there was just recently a New York Times article about this even though we shot this a couple of months ago.”
He continued: “No, they just wanted to make sure it was balanced. The thing we have to be careful about, when we’re talking about any of these issues, we’re talking about vaccines, we’re talking about the way in which the healthcare system works, is to make certain that we’re actually presenting both points of view. Because we’re not really in the business of preaching to the choir on the show.”
“There are real issues about immigration, and real issues about immigration enforcement in a healthcare system in which you really need people to come in. So, that’s what we were dealing with, and they just wanted to make sure it was balanced. They weren’t saying ‘don’t do this’ or ‘don’t do that’. In fact, quite the opposite. We showed them a lot of the research and they said: ‘Yeah, that looks like a good story.”
Asked whether he thought HBO’s note to keep the story “balanced” reflected a concern about ruffling political feathers, Wells replied: “Not that I heard from them specifically. I can say that all of us are approaching what’s going on in this country right now with a certain trepidation, and also awareness that there are some possible risks to telling certain kinds of stories.
“When we first pitched it, I thought, ‘Uh oh,’ you know. We were getting ready to shoot it right when Warner Bros. was negotiating with Paramount, Netflix, Comcast and whoever. So I was a little, like, I’m going to let them know that we’re doing it. I don’t want to be in a situation where it’s a surprise. Their response was: ‘Good story, just make sure it’s balanced and we’re not just treating this situation as if it doesn’t have other points of view.’
“I actually think that’s.... We’re tying to appeal to a broad audience, so we know that there are plenty of people in our audience who have a different point of view to our point of view. So what is it that these doctors and nurses are going through that’s truthful? As along as it’s truthful, I think people stick with us.”
