20 'The Pitt' Season 2 Behind-The-Scenes Facts & Secrets

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The second season of the Emmy-winning series The Pitt has officially come to a close, and based on the season finale fan reactions alone, everyone is already anticipating another emotional rollercoaster ride in Season 3 (which is set to premiere in January 2027). But if you're anything like us and you're still craving more details about the hit medical drama while waiting for its return, we've got just what you need.

Warrick Page/ HBO Max

We've put together a list of the juiciest behind-the-scenes facts from Season 2, including scenes that were cut from certain episodes and insights into The Pitt cast's weekly poker nights. And if that's not enough, you can also check out even more behind-the-scenes details from Season 1 while you're at it. Alright, let's dive in:

1.

First, the post-credit karaoke scene in the season finale, in which Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden) and Dr. Santos (Isa Briones) perform "You Oughta Know," was a last-minute decision, and no one told Taylor about it. During The Pitt's panel at PaleyFest, Taylor told Parade, "One day, Isa goes, ‘They fit me for a karaoke scene that’s coming up, right? When are we shooting that?’ And I went, ‘Sorry, what?’ She’s like, ‘We’re doing karaoke together.’ I go, ‘In what world is that happening?'” She then added, “It was so much fun. We had such a blast that day. I’m uncomfortable singing, but it’s a weird thing where I’m ok doing it if it’s Mel. I don’t know what that means. But it’s weird, and I escaped myself.”

Warrick Page/HBO Max

Series creator and executive producer R. Scott Gemmill, who also wrote the finale, said, “That was sort of a last-minute thing. I thought it would be really fun for the fans.” He went on, saying, “I put the Alanis Morissette song in the script because I thought that was a banger song that those two could crank out, and then I left it up to Taylor and Isa if they wanted to pick a song. I didn’t have to sing it; they were gonna have to sing it. But they stuck with it, and I thought it turned out super well.”

2.

In Episode 2, real maggots were used in the scene in which nurse Emma Nolan (Laëtitia Hollard) cuts open patient John Digby's arm cast. "No maggots were lost, hurt, injured, or even teased," showrunner R. Scott said. "Among the real live maggots, there were two varieties. Some of them moved better than others. It was one of those days where it was like, 'So this is Hollywood, huh?'"

Warrick Page / Warrick Page/MAX

The varieties included already-deceased "freeze-dried maggots," and the crew had a "maggot wrangler" who oversaw everything. The American Humane Society also noted that certified animal safety representatives were on set "to help ensure the maggots were not harmed during filming," which is how the show received its No Animals Were Harmed status.

3.

While filming Season 2, Isa Briones had to go to the actual ER and was diagnosed with appendicitis. She told Entertainment Tonight that, "It was very funny, because I was on set all day in scrubs, and I was like, 'Huh, I have a stomachache. [It] must have been the burger bar. I must have had bad gas. [By] the end of it, I was 90-degree angle walking, and finally, I went to the ER, and they were so wonderful. The first doctor I saw was, like, typing, and [said], 'The Pitt, right?' They knew [who I was], they took great care of me."

Warrick Page / Warrick Page/MAX

4.

The heated argument scene between Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) in the finale was at "level 12 intensity" for the actors. "After that first rehearsal, Noah and I just hugged each other like, 'I love you. I'm sorry,'" Sepideh said to Collider. "It was scripted as a confrontation, but the first time we read through it, and we walked through it, it got so intense and so heated to the point where the crew started clapping. So what you see on camera in the reactions was genuinely everybody being like, 'What the fuck is happening in there?'" She continued, saying, "We didn't know that it would get that heated, but it did, and it stayed there. There were variations, but it stayed at that level, 12 out of 10 intensity, for every take we did."

Warrick Page/HBO Max

5.

At times, the cast and crew would shoot 10 pages of script a day. Johanna Coelho, the cinematographer for the show, talked about the filming process, saying, "It's auto-choreography even in between the cameras. We need that because we are shooting a lot of pages a day. We're sometimes shooting 9–10 pages a day, and we're shooting within 11 hours. We're not doing a full 12. So you have to capture the scenes a little faster to make sure that they fit within the schedule."

HBO Max via youtube.com

6.

In Episode 13, when Mel kicks the paper shredder, Taylor, Isa, and Gerran Howell (who plays Dr. Dennis Whitaker) all