The Pitt Season 1 Episode 1 Review: ‘7:00 A.M.’

Thanks to the obvious, The Pitt Season 1 Episode 1 “7:00 A.M.” feels instantly familiar, even when it is…actually a new series. For those of us who have TV-rotted brains and can draw an ER parallel with about zero effort, that familiarity — Captain Obvious filling in here to remind you that we feel it because of Noah Wyle, in a medical drama, from The John Wells — probably makes this premiere even more fun to watch.

Then again, maybe feeling a little bit too at ~~Cook County General~~ home probably creates a little bit of an issue. Namely, beginning a brand new, fast-paced series without really knowing who anyone is…usually doesn’t bother us much. But when you’re like “Dr. Carter! Hiiiii!!!!” (can not confirm or deny that this reviewer’s notes just repeatedly call Robby that), being thrown into the middle of the action in a different busy hospital, with Wyle’s character interacting with a bunch of people you’ve never met as if he’s known them since, say, 1994…? Well. That can be frustratingly confusing.

Could the beginning of “7:00 A.M.” have been a little disorienting, no matter who was the lead? Sure. But we’d be willing to bet it would be much easier to shrug off as “eh. We’ll figure out who ‘lady at admit desk,’ ‘lady in bathroom,’ and ‘all these youths’ are soon enough” if not for the Wyle of it all. With that being said, no, it wasn’t a bad idea to cast Wyle as the lead in this series. Or anything, for that matter.

Regardless, it doesn’t take too long to settle in. Over the course of the hour, we do start to get a really good feel for each of the characters. Not just the people but the hospital itself, with its particular set of challenges and its own sort of vibe. As doctors and medical students alike rush to try to help as many patients as possible, in as little time as possible, with an impossibly low ability to actually get them admitted and into real beds, The Pitt Season 1 Episode 1 starts to paint a clear enough picture for us to know that whatever this show is, we’re here for it.

Many medical dramas have come and gone since ER, so we know what separates the “meh” ones from the rare few that have the possibility of becoming great. So, any time we start a new series in the genre, that first episode has got to convince us the potential’s there. Thanks to the “one hour, one episode” format, a good mixture of medical drama with character interactions that have us like, “hm. What’s that about? Tell me more,” and — yeah — Wyle being as good as ever, this series premiere does its job. The Pitt has the potential. And if the series doesn’t live up to it, well, we’ll probably still stick around for the remaining 14 hours anyway.

…for the obvious reasons.

More on The Pitt Season 1 Episode 1

Not sure the whole, “hey, check out the city!” thing at the beginning was entirely necessary, especially for a show that claims to fit an hour of a fake hospital shift into a real hour. But the song’s catchy, so whatever.
“Oh, they’re always threatening to shut us down. But they never do!” But you’re telling me this isn’t County General. K.
“I never trust the doctors.” Sadly, can say the same lately.
“You sure you’re cool being here today?” “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” (The man doth protest too much!)
“Well if you need to talk…” “Yeah, I won’t, but thanks.” First off, can relate. Second, and more importantly, this interaction right here tells me so much about Dr. ~~Carter~~ Robby. It also lets us know quite a bit about how many times some version of this conversation has already happened…and will probably happen again.
“Not til I pass 12 weeks. Not this time.” Oh, this is…ouch. Again. Tells viewers quite a bit about Dr. Collins. And I really, really loved that final shot of her in the mirror. That tiny second she takes to prepare herself before going back out there is even more valuable, and Tracy Ifeachor’s not-quite-genuine smile before we move to the next scene is picture perfect.
“Because this is the job that keeps on giving…nightmares. Ulcers. Suicidal tendencies…” Oh, we’ve got jokes.
“Besides, if you jump on my shift that’s just rude, man.” Currently thinking of that time on ER with Dennis…like, they had to know people would think about it, right? Right???
I cannot stress enough how much I love Mel King’s introduction. This is the character that I feel like I know instantly. Taylor Dearden’s posture, her method of speech, not really making eye contact with Wyle…everything adds up to this great blend of nervous excitement, plain nerves, and someone who’s pushing through all that discomfort because she really, really wants to be here and prove herself. Also thinking maybe a little neurodivergence?
“Everyone calls me Mel. I’m so happy to be here” Protect her.
Already kinda got the “ringleader” characterization out of the charge nurse, but it’s good to have Dr. ~~Carter~~ Robby confirm it.
Me, pulling out my conspiracy board: Louie’s blood alcohol is 420, and the kid with the mystery sleepiness who they treat later turned out to have ingested pot gummies. It was a hint. There’s a code. Also part of a numeric code: 15 seasons of ER, 15 episodes for 15 hours of The Pitt. This is actually Dr. Carter, starting over with a new name. Thank you.
“Six? And I thought Collins was smart.” “Oh, it’s way too early for you to start being an a**, Langdon.” “Open hostility in front of the patient?” Inject this dialogue, really the way everyone at this hospital interacts, right in my veins. Medical dramas are back, y’all!
“Vitals stable.” “…unlike these two.” I mean????
“This is an emergency department, not a Taco Bell.” 10/10, no notes.
“The beds are up there. You just don’t want to hire the staff to care for them.” Or pay them a living wage, or provide them with actual safety from certain airborne diseases on the job, or…
Not only is this whole thing between Dr. Robby and Gloria incredibly well done, but like…go off, Robby!
Love hearing our little Carter get to drop F-bombs, too.
This poor patient has no idea what’s going on, and these two clowns are just chatting away.
“Have you ever seen a dialysis catheter inserted?” If I speak on a certain ER doctor and kidneys…
“You seem annoyed with me already, and I just got here.” “It’s not always about you, Robby.” Can not stress enough how much I need to know more about the relationship between these two. Something about the way Wyle and Ifeachor get up in each other’s faces like that, plus that last line…and her face…
“One of the things we do here is to take a moment of silence when we lose a patient, to respect their humanity and also to remember that this was somebody’s child, or sibling, or parent, friend.” Love that, even in all the chaos, The Pitt Season 1 Episode 1 takes time to slow down and give the doctors some real humanity like this. Or, eh. Most of the doctors. Langdon…not a fave here!
…cracked TF up at this youth’s phone going off, though.
“I don’t need special treatment.” “Good. Because I don’t give it.” Ok, Benton.
“I am taking a dump. In a dustpan. So, what’s that f**kin tell you?” Gonna go with…not comfortable.
The joy and gratitude when the patient is able to communicate that she’s from Nepal. Once again going to say medical dramas are BACK. This is the type of personal connection we’re here for!
Big enough surprise for the baby med student’s mom to work at the hospital…but her dad, too? Plot twist! And poor thing.
It’s the way Robby looks down his nose over his glasses to shut down the puppy/bff/resident conversation with Langdon for me. The whole back-and-forth is hilarious, but that? Gold.
“He’s not a bad kid, but I’m afraid he’s troubled. And I didn’t want to call the police because I was afraid they’d overreact. He’s just a kid.” Um…he’s a white boy. They’d take him to Burger King or make him their weird online hero or something. But also: You literally just said he had a list of girls he thought should be “eliminated,” and you’re still making excuses and saying he’s “not a bad kid.” SMDH. This is how bad things happen. We see the warning signs and react like…this…instead of taking real action.
“He’s a good soul.” Girl, what.
The little baby med student’s “???????” in the background after her exchange with Santos is basically me after Robby’s conversation with that “good boy’s” mommy.
“Me? I’m good. I’m always good. You know that.” “Do I? Does anybody?” “I’m an open book.” “Not even close.”
Great. David got away. That won’t end badly at all!
Oh…oh. That PTSD episode. Ouch.
The only thing they could’ve done to make it hurt worse was if “Battle Flag” started playing.
I swear I’ll stop making so many ER references. Maybe. Hopefully.
Ok but on a more serious note, that ending is a stunner. So well done.
…but, well, would we expect anything less from Noah Wyle? No, we would not.