Parisian Phoenix Publishing

I recently watched the 15 episodes of Season One of The Pitt available on streaming service HBO Max. It’s a medical drama with an opening reminiscent of the famous medical series ER that launched the career of George Clooney. It begins with a time on screen: 7 a.m.

I have watched 15 episodes and I’m still not sure where the show is going. Is it the story of the main character, Dr. Robby? Is it a story about how a hospital functions? Is it a story of the dangers and challenges the medical professionals face?

The whole season has been choppy and episodic yet continuous, and how can it be all these things? Each episode is the next hour in the same day. Think about that. 15 episodes each covering the subsequent hour in the shift. It’s mind-boggling for me to ponder how the writers can maintain pacing (okay, it’s an emergency room, so that’s not hard) and yet develop a storyline with the constant interruptions and I would dare to say “mini-scene” structure of bouncing from case to case, character to character and back again.

15 episodes. One day. One shift that goes into overtime because of a mass casualty event.

Now, as someone who can get bogged down in chronology and show too much detail in my writing, I have to ask a question. How does this show manage to maintain interest and keep momentum/pertinence to the story arc while showing every minute of the shift? Could the story be condensed?

Like I said earlier, mind-boggling.