'The Pitt' Star Noah Wyle Talks Universal Health Coverage, Season 3
'The Pitt' chat after a screening in London, with HBO boss Casey Bloys (left) talking to show star and executive producer Noah Wyle (right)
Courtesy of David Jon for HBO Max
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The Pitt, HBO Max’s widely lauded hit series that has repeatedly mirrored reality, including a recent timely season 2 ICE storyline, got the London spotlight on Tuesday evening. Tied to Thursday’s U.K. and Ireland launch of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) streamer HBO Max, the first episode of the medical procedural screened in central London, followed by a discussion between HBO and HBO Max chief Casey Bloys and The Pitt star and executive producer, and former ER actor, Noah Wyle.
Created by R. Scott Gemmill, the series stars Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, who leads an understaffed, underfunded emergency room set in Pittsburgh. The show has developed a reputation for accurately portraying the world of healthcare workers and having its fair share of episodes that closely resemble what is happening in the real world.
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Coinciding with the launch of HBO Max in the U.K., The Pitt will begin streaming in the market on Thursday, March 26, with all episodes of season 1 and much of season 2, which is still rolling out in the U.S., dropping at once. The streamer will be available in the U.K. directly via its URL, as well as via launch partners Sky and Prime Video.
On Tuesday evening, Wyle expressed his hope that the series would also touch a nerve in the U.K., despite the country’s healthcare system being different from that in the U.S., making it “frustrating for totally different reasons.” About the U.S., the star said: “Our system at the moment is laden with the insurance companies being the intermediary … and care being predicated by the algorithm that the insurance company dictates. So it’s really become a profit-driven, quality-of-care-diminishing system. And I think it’s really enviable that that’s not part of your conversation” here in the U.K., where the National Health Service, or NHS, is the publicly funded system that provides comprehensive free care.
Concluded Wyle: “I personally think we need some sort of national healthcare service in the United States. We need universal coverage for everybody.”
The star and executive producer also discussed how The Pitt takes audiences inside the E.R. “Everything is geared towards it being a voyeuristic experience for the viewer, kind of analogous to being in the back seat of a patrol car going on a ride-along, or being embedded with a combat unit in battle,” he explained. “And it’s an endurance test on the viewer, just like it is on the characters. So that makes it an interesting relationship.”
He continued: “We’re working in real time, shooting 360 degrees. It’s very kinetic, it’s very active, and it’s the closest to doing live theater that you can work with a camera.”
Wyle also shared on Tuesday evening in London that “one of the gratifying things about season two is that we realized that we don’t need a big deus ex machina plot device to keep this engaging, that there is something really fascinating about watching everyday people try to get through the course of their day, beset by all the trials and tribulations that come over the course of their day.” And he offered: “If that is satisfying television, then this show could run forever.”
The medical drama is produced by John Wells Productions with Warner Bros. TV. Gemmill, Wyle and John Wells executive produce alongside JWP’s Erin Jontow, Joe Sachs, Simran Baidwan and Michael Hissrich.
The Pitt returned to HBO Max in the U.S. almost exactly one year after it premiered, with new episodes of the 15-episode season dropping weekly ahead of the April 16 finale. The first season of The Pitt won five Emmys, including for best drama series, best actor for Wyle and best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa.
The hit medical drama was renewed for season three ahead of its season two premiere. Bloys asked Wyle about the status of season 3, saying: “You are writing season three right now, and then you’ll start producing. Talk a little bit about the process for coming up with the season. … When will it get on its feet?”
Replied Wyle: “Very soon, boss. We are in the process of writing character arcs for season three for everybody.