After a breakout first season that quickly became must-watch TV, The Pitt is officially back for Season 2… and it’s raising the bar. The Emmy Award-winning medical drama returns with higher stakes for its doctors and patients alike.
Picking up 10 months after the intense events of Season 1, The Pitt: Season 2 plunges viewers into a chaotic Fourth of July weekend at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. With Noah Wyle once again leading the cast, the season finds Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) returning from rehab and coming face-to-face with Dr. Robby (Wyle). The hospital is pushed to its limits by a system-wide computer failure, which forces The Pitt to go completely analog in the middle of a holiday surge.
So, does The Pitt avoid the sophomore slump? Early reviews say yes. critics say the new season stays true to what made The Pitt a standout while pushing its characters and its storytelling even further. With stellar writing and elevated performances, Season 2 further cements The Pitt as one of the best medical television series of all time.
Here’s what critics are saying about The PItt: Season 2!
The Pitt Season 2 delivers on many fronts and expertly navigates the shifting dynamics of its doctors and nurses…there’s something really comforting about being back at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.
— Katey Stoetzel, But Why Tho? A Geek Community
The Pitt Season 2 is PERFECT so far.
— Zach Pope, Zach Pope Reviews
Once again, The Pitt proves it’s uniquely positioned as one of the most intense and impactful medical dramas on TV thanks to a spectacular cast, fast-moving story, and the incredible realism built in.
— Ben Gibbons, Screen Rant
The show’s second season is another carefully calibrated tapestry of chaos and humanity.
— Steven Nguyen Scaife, Slant Magazine
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…
— Therese Lacson, Collider
Season 1 of The Pitt was about big, emotional impact moments. While the medical aspects remain on par with the first season, season 2 is focused far more on small acts of kindness.
— Alise Chaffins, MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack)
Season 2 is a routine that doesn’t feel like a boring chore, but a luxury with all the right bells and whistles.
— Katie Doll, CBR
The Pitt is off to a roaring start that only promises to get better in each episode. With the brilliant tension built within the “Pitt,” you get this electric atmosphere that inserts you in the middle of it all.
— Rickey Valero, Greek Vibes Nation
I really connected with The Pitt in its first season. After watching a large portion of the second season, I have the same amount of excitement about this show in its second season as I did in the first.
— Julian Lytle, RIOTUS
[The] show’s cast and crew returns with wholly-deserved swagger. You can see their confidence onscreen; a subtle surety that the show’s concept not only works, but is also celebrated by a massive, discerning fan base.
— Meghan O’Keefe, Decider
The Pitt excels at finding the universal in the particular, and Season 2 is no different.
— Ben Travers, IndieWire
The Pitt instead thrives in quieter moments, especially as the actors ever so slightly modulate their performances to reflect the evolution of their characters.
— Alison Herman, Variety
It is stressful, upsetting, and yet one of the best sows on television and it feels great knowing that season 2 is just as good as the first, if not better so far.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
Season 2 preserves 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.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
TV medical procedurals are old hat, and yet by taking a simple-but-effective approach, blending TV drama with intelligence and kindness, The Pitt reminds us why we fell in love with the show to begin. This is still one of the best shows on TV.
— Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
Avoiding the sophomore slump, it’s the most harrowingly realistic medical show on TV—and, also, the most empathetic.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Season 2 keeps everything that worked in place, with even higher stakes and intensity mixed with more than a little bit of levity that comes from the quick exchanges among the many emergency room workers running around nonstop for 15 hours straight.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
The Pitt: Season 2 premieres on HBO Max on January 8.
Thumbnail image by Warrick Page/HBO Max