Creator R. Scott Gemmill and executive producer John Wells answer our finale burning questions.
It’s in our DNA.
It’s what we do, we can’t help it.
Noah Wyle in ‘The Pitt’ season 1, episode 15.Credit:Warrick Page/Max
We’re the bees that protect the hive."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why did you decide to bring Langdon back in for the mass-casualty event?
R. SCOTT GEMMILL:It just seemed like something he would do.
Patrick Ball and Katherine LaNasa on ‘The Pitt’.Warrick Page/Max
Langdon’s been in denial a little bit about his problem.
He knows that he shouldn’t be doing this.
Benzos are also very, very difficult to kick.
And in his mind, one, they did need him.
Which is, for him to even ask that of Robby, really uncool.
GEMMILL:I think it’s the aggregate of the whole day.
He finds out that his star pupil is a drug addict.
He’s getting a lot of pressure from above to improve his patient satisfaction scores.
And there’s a threat of the hospital ER even being taken over by a multinational.
Noah Wyle and Shawn Hatosy in ‘The Pitt’ season 1, episode 15.Warrick Page/Max
you’re able to bury them for a long time, but eventually they want to get out.
It’s probably the best thing that could have ever happened, but that remains to be seen.
Trying to rationalize something with a teenager is different than trying to rationalize something with one of his cohorts.
Brandon Mendez Homer and Isa Briones on ‘The Pitt’.Warrick Page/Max
So I think there’s some growing to be had on Jake’s part, for sure.
GEMMILL:Yeah, that’s really harsh.
Should we be pretty worried that Dana doesn’t return?
So I think when Dana leaves, she’s very intent on leaving for good.
That’s why she takes her photos.
That’s why she doesn’t admit to Robby whether she’ll be back Monday.
And I think she has to take some time and think about things.
And I would guarantee if next season took place the next day that she wouldn’t be there.
So when we do come back, we’ll have to see.
So I think it would be hard for her, difficult for her to stay away as well.
But when she does come back, I imagine she would be a little bit different.
Was that something that was based in a true story you had heard about?
I’m interested to know where that came from.
No, I mean part of it is medical school is extremely, extremely expensive.
And Whitaker comes from a family that’s not necessarily of means.
So they’re facing their own challenges.
And he doesn’t have the money really to find a place.
Especially when next year would be the first season that Whitaker as a character would even get a paycheck.
GEMMILL:I would expect a lot of buddy comedy out of those two.
As much as we can muster.
Will season 2 follow the same 15-hour format that season 1 did?
Will we maybe see some of the doctors outside the hospital?
JOHN WELLS:It is going to be a single shift.
It’s a workplace family, and that’s where we’re going to learn about our characters.
They come to work and they clock in and they stay until they’re done.
Will we see the same doctors next season, or will it be a new shift?
Will it be the night shift?
GEMMILL:We’re going to stick with the day shift next season just for a number of reasons.
Eventually, maybe we’ll go to a night shift, but that would be down the line.
We may see some new people.
I think that’s the nature of the hospital, that there are always people that come and go.
We’ll see some of the regulars and we’ll probably introduce some new people as well.
WELLS:It’s also, they do overlapping shifts.
So there are also people who come in later and leave later or come in earlier and leave earlier.
So you may see a certain amount of that, but it’s about the workplace.
It’s not going to be the next day.
It’ll be a significant amount of time has passed when we come back.
Do you have a certain number of seasons plotted out for a certain story you’d like to tell?
Or are you just going season to season, shift by shift?
GEMMILL:I only think of a season at a time.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Pittseason 1 is streaming now on Max.
