"The Pitt" Was Nearly An "ER" Revival Says Noah Wyle

When I worked on the Alien invasion show Falling Skies, I played one of the Second Mass Soldiers for a few seasons. The show starred Noah Wyle and Will Patton.

Max’s new medical drama "The Pitt" has drawn inevitable comparisons to NBC’s iconic 1990s series "ER", largely because both star Noah Wyle. But according to Wyle, "The Pitt" almost was an official reboot of "ER", until rights issues changed its fate.

Speaking on EW’s The Awardist podcast, Wyle revealed that the team was deep in negotiations with the Michael Crichton estate, which controls "ER" rights. Talks ultimately broke down, pushing creators to pivot and craft an original story instead.

"We were close enough that we were in the rights conversation with the Crichton camp that broke down, and that’s how we got to where we are," Wyle explained.

While a true reboot might have thrilled longtime "ER" fans, Wyle noted that reassembling the original cast would have been logistically difficult and costly. Plus, the creative team aimed to build a series moving forward from 2020, not revisiting 1993.

The end result? Though both shows are medical procedurals, they differ significantly. "ER" was largely episodic, focusing on patient cases, while "The Pitt" is serialized, with each episode covering a single hour of a shift, deeply exploring the emotional toll on medical staff.

Meanwhile, Sherri Crichton, Michael Crichton’s widow, has filed a lawsuit against Max, claiming "The Pitt" is essentially "ER" with the same producers, network, and even its original star.

Wyle recently told Variety he felt "profoundly sad and disappointed" about the legal battle.

Despite the controversy, "The Pitt" has been warmly received, scoring 76/100 on Metacritic and stirring early Emmy buzz. The full season is now streaming on Max.

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Source: Dark Horizons

Photo Credit: NBC