The Pitt

The second season proves that the show (helmed by Wyle, creator R. Scott Gemmill, John Wells and Joe Sachs) understands its strengths - and its limits. .... It's a testament to "The Pitt's" workaday competence that the show feels like a well-oiled machine - watchable and rewarding - even without one [a crisis].

As season 2 reminds us, the secret to “The Pitt” lies in the flawless execution. Every character, from the series leads to the smallest bit player, is perfectly cast. The writing packs a world of tightly woven drama into each hour (of airtime and work day). The editing and cinematography are uncommonly crisp and expressive, even by HBO’s high standards.

Excellent second season. .... The Pitt isn’t just lionizing its central characters; it’s also laying the groundwork for conversations that give dimension to lives that have more in common with viewers’ own than we might like to admit.

"Pitt" was and is the best show we have about the way we live now, and it has already captured the essence of 2026 in the same way it captured 2025 a year ago.

It is just as gory and sad and filled with frustrations as it was in its first Emmy-laden season. I couldn’t wait to go back. Of course, that’s in great part because of the characters and the actors who portray them.

The best show of 2025 also happens to be the best show of 2026.

With humor and pathos underscoring the constant panic and grief, The Pitt is anything but the pits.

It was an all-time debut season, setting the bar high as the series returns this week. Having watched most of Season Two, it is my great pleasure to inform you that The Pitt remains The Pitt. I may have even watched some of the new episodes more than once already.

The really good news is that “The Pitt” hasn’t faltered at all to start its second intense season. .... It’s remarkable how much “The Pitt” already feels like a show that’s been on for years. And the one true new major character this season, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, is brought to life with a performance that stands among the year’s best from the fantastic Sepideh Moafi.

The Pitt season 2 continues to deliver one of the most engaging and exciting medical dramas on TV, and personally, seasons 3, 4 and 5 can't come soon enough.

The Pitt Season 2 is a perfectly executed season of television. Rather than buckling under pressure, the HBO Max show’s cast and crew returns with wholly-deserved swagger. .... An early, strong contender for the best show of the year.

While only nine of its 15 episodes have been provided for review and it's only early January, I feel confident that The Pitt will be considered one of the best TV shows of this admittedly very young year.

Based on the first nine episodes provided to critics, creator R. Scott Gemmill and the show’s writers (which include Wyle) have preserved all the aspects of the first season that helped it click so well, while adding just enough new elements to feel like the show is continuing to evolve. In short: What the best shows do, especially after a stellar first season.

When most series seem intent on keeping us mindlessly half-engaged and monetizing the minutes we watch, there’s something inherently satisfying about a series that actually wants us to think. And, even more crucially, to care.

A textbook example of how to write a second season that sticks to what made the show great: Complex characters, a real-time format and medical cases depicted with an unwavering dedication to authenticity.

The introduction of Dr. Hashimi into the existing and highly functional choreography of the Pitt exemplifies the intelligence of the show, created by R. Scott Gemmill.

The experience of re-entering this world, then, feels akin to catching up with an old friend. Over the nine episodes sent to critics (of a 15-part season), I delighted over and over again in the things that haven’t changed about this place, and the things that have.

Though the show strains a bit when working to match the festival shooting as a crucible that pushes its cast to the breaking point. (All the old “24” jokes about how many terrible days Jack Bauer can have still apply.) “The Pitt” instead thrives in quieter moments, especially as the actors ever so slightly modulate their performances to reflect the evolution of their characters.

It doesn’t rest on its laurels, delivering episode after episode of muscular storytelling, grounded performances and emotional honesty. In a TV landscape cluttered with distractions and noise, “The Pitt” remains one of the most consistently compelling shows to watch — whether week-to-week or binged in one go.

"The Pitt" Season 2 is just as strong as the first. This does mean it hits some familiar beats — the doctors and nurses have a multitude of cases before a larger crisis strikes — but that is the smallest nit we can possibly pick.

Fast-paced, emotional, and full of plenty of bloody moments that will make you wince, "The Pitt" season 2 proves the first season was no fluke. .... This is still one of the best shows on TV.

There are a few emotional moments that slip into corny exaggeration, like when Langdon quotes a book about the mysteries of fatherhood. But in its sophomore season, the show’s old-school mojo remains unparalleled.

Avoiding the sophomore slump, it’s the most harrowingly realistic medical show on TV—and, also, the most empathetic.

The premise of the show may be a little less novel in its second season. But that also means it’s even more comforting too.

Even when it’s messy, occasionally overplayed, or a little too broad in its character strokes, season two still lands because it refuses to confuse cynicism with realism. It keeps returning to the dignity of the living, especially the ones forced to keep showing up.

The Pitt Season 2 ultimately doubles down on what made the series good when it first premiered — more heartfelt moments between the staff and their patients, more heart-pounding cases, and more surprise twists that leave the hospital rushing to keep up. That said, if you've spent any time between seasons cooking up headcanons about potential romantic relationships, the show's return could be a disappointment.

Periodically, “The Pitt’s” relentless pace can get the better of its more compact messaging. Too many episodes end with arbitrary cliffhangers meant to propel you forward, and too few hours in Dr. Robby’s shift feel appreciable on their own. .... Still, some of these foibles are easier to forgive when seen in service of the greater good.

Perhaps Baran is portrayed in an overly antagonistic light early on, but the hope is that this will change as the season unfolds and the stakes at the hospital grow more urgent. All that really matters is that Episode 1 establishes a strong foundation on which the new season can easily build from hour to hour.