Noah Wyle wants ‘The Pitt’ to be ‘the most accurate medical show that’s ever been on TV’

Noah Wyle is back in scrubs in the new medical drama series The Pitt.

He plays Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch in the Max series, which drops new episodes every Wednesday. Each episode of The Pitt covers one hour in a single 15-hour emergency department shift at a hospital in Pittsburgh.

Wyle, who also serves as a writer and executive producer on the series, told ABC Audio the entire team made it their mission to create “the most accurate medical show that’s ever been on TV” and to shine a spotlight on the medical community for two reasons.

“One, to underscore how fragile our system is and how vulnerable we are to another pandemic and a real strain on that system. And also to shine a spotlight on a population that’s been working tirelessly for the last five years without a break under extremely difficult circumstances,” Wyle said. “They really deserve our gratitude and respect.”

Wyle, who played Dr. John Carter on the series ER, said its important to tell the stories of the medical workers who have post-traumatic stress disorder after the many years of working during the COVID pandemic.

“Nobody can do this kind of work and not take on, in some form, the aggregate pain and suffering of everybody’s worst day that you are experiencing multiple times an hour over a 15-hour shift,” Wyle said.

The actor noted that “it’s been really gratifying and somewhat intense to sort of have this show serve as a lightning rod for people to begin those conversations that they haven’t been able to have for a while.” Now, Wyle said, with this show as a point of reference, they are able to articulate their feelings.

And now that The Pitt, which premiered on Jan. 9, has been out for a couple months, Wyle says fans who are doctors have shared “really profound” stories of their own experiences with him.

“It proves the thesis, and it makes us feel like the idea has been validated,” Wyle said. “That there was a thirst for this kind of show on TV, a real need to depict humanity in this way again. And I’m really happy that it’s resonating.”