“The Pitt” has been praised up and down for its “realism,” however, judging by fan reaction online, sometimes the analysis of said realism goes over viewers’ heads. The show presents its audience with very nuanced and complicated characters, yet the meaning behind what the writers present tends to get lost.
The HBO medical drama set in Pittsburgh, had its first season success in 2025, won basically all the emmys, and confirmed its third season before the second was released in early 2026. Unlike many other popular medical dramas, which are more soap operas set in a hospital, “The Pitt” is meant to be a more accurate reflection of the healthcare profession, specifically emergency medicine. This more real-to-life approach seems to have some fans confused, if the things they say on social media are anything to go by.
During season two one of the more controversial doctors, Trinity Santos, pockets a scalpel. Her light thievery is compared to Dr. Frank Langdon’s months-long escapade of stealing medicine from his patients. Obviously those are both crimes punishable by death. No, not really, but the way people treat them makes it seem like they are. Stealing drugs from a patient is terrible and Langdon was rightfully sent to rehab, but many Langdon-stans refuse to admit that he got off easy with just rehab instead of losing his medical license like many other doctors in his position would’ve. These stans are the same people mad at Santos for not accepting Langdon’s apology for the awful way he treated her in season one. They try to say that Santos is just as bad as him because she also stole from the hospital, but their actions just aren’t comparable. What is comparable though, is their personalities. The two are foils to each other, yet many fans refuse to admit it. They are sarcastic, witty, intelligent, but sometimes arrogant doctors with incredibly blue eyes. Despite all this, fans go online and try to claim that one is more righteous than the other, when in reality they both have flaws and positive qualities.
Fans have that same struggle of taking the good with the bad regarding Dr. Micheal “Robby” Robinovitch. During his ten months off screen the mental health issues he displayed in season one got worse, causing him to become uncharacteristically hostile towards everyone in his department during season two. While there is rarely an okay reason or excuse for any boss to treat any employee the way did, he wasn’t mean for the sake of being mean. However, the show doesn’t directly state that Robby is suicidal so people looked at Robby’s agression and refused to see things from his perspective. Just like the Langdon and Santos situations, fans only see him in black and white. One of the doctors working under him, Samira Mohan, has a panic attack and he belittles her for it. It’s incredibly ironic because just last season he also had a panic attack on the clock and conversely, he was met with kindness and compassion. Yet fans are mad at him for being mean to Mohan, and rightfully so, he was incredibly demeaning and bordering misogynistic, but it’s ironic being mad at a mentally ill character for not extending empathy to another mentally ill character.
There’s a few reasons as to why fans don’t seem to understand what the show is trying to say, but they are almost all symptoms of I’m sure many of us are guilty of; second screen viewing. The influx of people scrolling on their phones while watching TV has allegedly caused writers and producers to actively dumb down their shows so viewers can still understand what they’re watching without having to devote all of their attention to it. People working on production teams for Netflix have claimed to get notes from the streaming platform asking them to rework their scripts to accommodate for people on their phones. While no streaming service has officially confirmed these allegations, fans, actors, screenwriters and producers alike have noticed the change in script quality. Watching a show while also being on a second screen like your phone or laptop causes a lot of the plot and nuance to be missed, and personally I’m more than guilty of this.
After watching season one saw a bunch of people shipping Rollins (Dr. Heather Collins and Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch), and I honestly didn’t think it was a good ship, let alone real. A few months later I rewatched the first season and realized I missed an entire conversation between Collins and Robby where they heavily imply their past relationship and how serious it was. Every character and dynamic between characters is complex and packed with a lot of off screen lore meaning viewers have to piece things together. The writers don’t spell everything out in bright, bold red letters, so the meaning gets lost.
In 2026 it seems audiences aren’t able to fully understand and come to well rounded conclusions because they aren’t paying full attention. However, it’s important to give thought and attention to the media we consume because it allows us to get a better insight into our own morals and ideas. It helps us see that the world isn’t so black and white all the time. Characters, and by extent people too, aren’t all villains and heroes, they can be flawed, messy, and kind all at the same time. By paying full attention fans get to see life experiences that differ from their own. “The Pitt”, with all its dismissive-yet-caring and mocking-but-kind characters, teaches a lesson in perspective and empathy if only people would look up from their second screens.
