To say that “The Pitt” has become a pop culture phenomenon would be a massive understatement. The viral show was first met with critical acclaim as its first season released weekly last spring. The show’s premise—following a singular 12-hour day shift in a Pittsburgh Emergency Department over the course of 15 episodes, each one following an hour of the shift—provided the over–saturated medical drama with new blood (pun intended). 

The first season earned critical acclaim, later being nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy awards at the 76th ceremony last September. It went home with three of those awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Noah Wyle)and Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Katherine LeNasa). Since then, fans have been waiting to see what chaos the second season would hold. While the first season covered the fallout of a mass shooting at a music festival, it was announced early on that Season 2 would occur ten months later, on the Fourth of July. 

The first episode of Season 2 premiered on Jan. 8, and new episodes have been released every Thursday night up to the season finale airing on April 17. While it’s safe to say that Noah Wyle remains the heart of the show—for both his portrayal of the troubled Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch and his writing of the more heartstring–tugging episodes—this season offered several more new and familiar faces. Shawn Hatosy, director of Episode 9 and actor for Dr. Jack Abbott and Katherine LaNassa, actress for Charge Nurse Dana Evans, were some series favorites who returned for the second season. 

Characters who were arriving for their first–ever shift in season one, like Trinity Santos (Isa Briones), Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell), Mel King (Taylor Dearden) and Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez), have ten months of experience under their belts. But now, there’s a new batch of brand–new med students to learn the ropes of the department, maintaining the show’s promise of offering a revolving door of cast members. While some central, higher–up staff members will obviously stay from season to season, their hospital is ultimately a teaching one—med students and residents will continue to rotate in and out, as exemplified by yet another character who won’t be returning for Season 3, Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh).

This season maintained the momentum it garnered from the first season’s success and pushed on to cover brand new ground. This season had a notable focus on mental health, specifically how often they are overlooked in mental struggles like anxiety and depression. Season 2 sees the Chief Attending Dr. Robby struggle with subtle but potent mental health issues, even reaching a point of suicidal ideation. While the first season focused its messaging  on the corporate puppetmasters that control the healthcare system, the second zeroed in on the often–overlooked mental health struggles in healthcare workers, not only in Dr. Robby, but also in the nurses, attendings and medical students working alongside him. 

The hit show was renewed for a third season the day before the second season aired on Jan. 7. While many fans are already looking ahead to see what challenges the next shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center might have in store, the second season has solidified “The Pitt” as a truly singular work of television. Despite having a year to wait until audiences get to see where Dr. Robby and co. have ended up, if this season is any indicator, it will be more than worth the wait.

Rating: 9/10