‘The Pitt’s Noah Wyle on How Donald Trump Helped the Series Find Success

April 10, 2025

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The season finale of MAX‘s hit medical drama The Pitt is just around the corner, but fans can take comfort in knowing that the series will be back for a second season next January. In fact, its renewal came in the midst of Season 1, which has thus far proven to be a massive hit with both fans and critics. It’s Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 97%, and star Noah Wyle believes that much of its success stems from the results of the presidential election which saw Donald Trump take office for a second term.

Speaking with PBS for their arts and culture series, CANVAS, Wyle was asked to break down why he feels The Pitt is finding so much success on MAX and resonating with people in a way like no other show has done in recent memory. While the series has garnered high praise for its phenomenal acting, storylines, and realism, Wyle believes that the Trump administration has a lot to do with it when you consider how much turmoil they’ve all seemed to cause, which has left many to feel uncertain about the future.

“Well, it’s funny. I’m in New York right now, and I went to go see George Clooney in Good Night, and Good Luck last night. And I got a chance to see him afterwards. And he was being very congratulatory about my show and I was being very congratulatory about his show.

“And we both acknowledge that, if the election had gone the other way, we would be in very different shows. Right now, The Pitt is standing out as almost a lighthouse, reminding everybody of the hard work that these experts and practitioners are doing, reminding of the heroism of these everyday walk of life individuals who work in the service industry.”

Noah Wyle talks about that recent harrowing scene in ‘The Pitt’ where Dr. Robby loses it.

Called “the finest example of the genre in more than a generation,” by The Atlantic’s David Sims, people are certainly taking comfort in The Pitt right now, which takes place over the course of one, 15-hour shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. “First show I’ve looked forward to watching every week since Game of Thrones,” said one Rotten Tomatoes user. “Very emotional and you really get a lot of compassion for the staff working there,” added another.

Noah Wyle On Why People Are Finding Comfort in ‘The Pitt’

Shabana Azees, Patrick Ball, and Jalen Thomas Brooks in The Pitt — Max, 2025

Born out of necessity during the pandemic when no one was working, Wyle also serves as an executive producer on The Pitt, which was created by R. Scott Gemmill. Shot near where E.R. was filmed all the way back in the 90s, it has obviously drawn comparisons to Wyle’s other medical series he starred in when he was just 22 years old. Now 53, Wylie says that everyone thought that The Pitt would be taken one way, but thanks to the election which saw Trump become the 47th President of the United States, the context of the series was completely changed.

“Sometimes, stars align to reframe what you’re doing in a totally different context than what you even imagined it would be. I think that everybody’s feeling a sense of hopelessness and feeling really scared. And it seems like things that we used to be able to rely on are crumbling before our very eyes.”

“And then you turn on a show like The Pitt and you go, oh, OK, well, at least there’s still smart people out there who are dedicated that are helping those who can’t help themselves or finding that it’s really hard to get resources available to them,” he added, explaining why people are finding so much comfort in the series, as it’s easily become much more relatable in these trying times.

Politics aside, there’s no denying that The Pitt has managed to strike a chord with viewers who love every minute of it, no matter who is in office. Wyle’s opinions are his own, and while some may not agree with him, we can at least agree that we already can’t wait for The Pitt to return for Season 2 next year.

Source: PBS