Everyone in and outside of the Burgh seems to be raving about Max’s Pittsburgh-based medical drama, “The Pitt,” which will be back in town to film its second season later this year.
But just how “Pittsburgh” is it? Here’s where we think “The Pitt” has a pulse on our city.
🚨WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
🏥 Challenges Facing Hospital Staff
Each episode covers one hour of a 15-hour shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, aka Allegheny General Hospital. The action mostly follows attending physician Dr. Michael (Robby) Rabinovitch, played by Noah Wyle of ER fame, and resident and student doctors, nurses, janitorial staff, and more as they respond to urgent cases and an overflowing waiting room. A few storylines include violence toward health staff, unionization, and hospital administrators seemingly undercutting patient care — all topics familiar to Pittsburghers.
In the opening scene, Dr. Robby walks up Cedar Avenue in East Allegheny toward AGH and enters the South Tower lobby, pictured above. (Courtesy of Kent B.)
📍 Showcasing Local Scenes & Staples
While the majority of the show is filmed at a set in Burbank, Calif., Pittsburgh gets its moment in the literal sun with stunning aerial views, scenes outside and on the roof of AGH, and even via a LifeFlight helicopter — where you can still see the AHN logo.
But other references are slipped in so subtly that you could easily miss them: someone in the waiting room wearing a Giant Eagle uniform top, a sommelier patient who works at Altius, mentions of biking in Frick Park and table tennis in South Park, someone needing assistance outside a Fine Wine & Good Spirits, and even plugs for Wholey’s, Mister Rogers, Iron City, Primanti’s, and Rivers Casino.
Yes, they mispronounced a few words over the course of the series (jackoff ≠ jagoff, youse ≠ yinz!!), but all-in-all, they did a great job weaving the city into the fabric of the show.
🚑 Our Pioneering Medical History
When a patient was in-the-know with medical lingo, “The Pitt” staff wondered whether he was a doctor — but it turns out he was part of The Freedom House Ambulance Service, the first emergency medical service created in the Hill District in 1967. Its all-Black paramedic crew, led by Pitt professor and “father of CPR” Dr. Peter Safar, paved the way for the 911 system we use today.
Talking to Science Friday, show consultant Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Pitt, said it was important to highlight that work and other storylines really relevant to Pittsburgh — like how important considerations of language equity can be in emergency cases and just how often she sees patients at UPMC Children’s who’ve accidentally ingested cannabis gummies.
Who among us hasn’t rolled a cooler into a Pittsburgh park? (Megan Harris / City Cast Pittsburgh)
⚖️ ❌ How PA Law Works
As realistic as “The Pitt” is, it also takes a few liberties in how the show depicts Pennsylvania law. Teens here can receive abortion care with parental consent or judicial bypass up to 24 weeks of gestation — not 11 weeks, as portrayed in the show.
The show also misses a beat in its portrayal of how a health care provider might intervene in suspected cases of child abuse. Social worker Kiara Alfaro tells a physician they can’t report without proof; that’s false. Health care workers are mandated reporters who are required to report if their medical training or experience gives them reasonable cause. Other officials then investigate.
Similarly, the doctors would also be required to report David, whose mother, Theresa, faked an illness after finding David’s hit list. But that doesn’t mean calling in a 302 petition would be the right move. In Allegheny County, involuntary treatment must be predicated on both stated plans to harm someone and symptoms of mental illness, which physicians believe could be the cause of the threat.
😆 Not-So-Subtle Digs at Ohio & Philly
It wouldn’t be Pittsburgh if we didn’t get to rag on someone. The show embodies the best of our frenemies in the way it threatens Dr. Robby’s career prospects — if he messes up, the “worst that could happen” is a job in dreaded Youngstown, Ohio. Beloved charge nurse Dana declares “this ain’t Philly!” when patients roughhoused in the waiting room. And discussing Pittsburgh’s unhoused community, Kiara clarifies that conditions aren’t as dire in Pittsburgh as they are in Washington D.C. or Philadelphia.
