Noah Wyle is scrubbing back in 15 years after ER with a main role in HBO’s The Pitt.
The medical drama, which aired from 1994 to 2009, followed the inner life of an emergency room in a fictionalized version of Chicago’s real Cook County Hospital. Wyle starred as Dr. John Carter alongside George Clooney, Julianna Marguiles, Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle and Sherry Stringfield (and later John Stamos, Mekhi Pfifer and Linda Cardellini, among others).
“There was a period of time where I was so into the medicine that I really did feel like I had a pretty good on-par education with a third-year medical student,” Wyle shared on a June 2024 episode of the “Still Here Hollywood” podcast. “After all the stuff we had done over the years. But most of it’s left me, sadly.”
Wyle recalled picking up on some skills while playing a Hollywood doctor, adding, “Mostly, you learn enough to know how little you know and how much you could do wrong and how you could really make a huge mistake. … There’s been a few times where I’ve happened to be the first on [the] scene at a car accident twice. I knew enough to be helpful and supportive — didn’t do anything that caused any harm.”
Us Investigates How the New Slate of Medical TV Shows Differ From Each Other
More than a decade after ER ended, Wyle is returning as the star and executive producer of a new medical series on HBO.
“We are grateful to Warner Bros. Television and Max for giving us this opportunity to return to the world of urban medicine. The myriad of challenges facing the doctors, nurses, technicians, patients, and their families who work in the trenches of modern medicine have become only more pronounced in the decade and a half since we last visited their stories,” Wyle said in a statement with showrunners R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells. “We’re thrilled to be able to return to this world with the support of our partners and are looking forward to pushing the boundaries of dramatic realism and medical accuracy in following the lives of these heroic men and women.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about The Pitt so far:
What Is ‘The Pitt’ About?
The series is described by HBO as “a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.”
Who Stars in the Show?
Wyle leads The Pitt alongside an ensemble cast that includes Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Marron Ball, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez and Katherine LaNasa. The show also stars Shawn Hatosy, Michael Hyatt, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Brandon Mendez Homer, Kristin Villanueva, Amielynn Abellera, Alexandra Metz, Krystel V. McNeil and Deepti Gupta.
‘ER’ Turns 30! See What the Cast Is Doing Now
When Does ‘The Pitt’ Premiere?
HBO ordered 15 episodes, which will be available to stream on Max in January 2025.
What Has the Trailer Revealed?
In a December 2024 sneak peek, viewers saw Wyle’s character Robby meeting the med students and interns who are starting at the hospital. The Pitt highlighted the highs — and lows — of the job while making the 15 episodes showcase 15 hours of one shift.