Creators of The Pitt on season 2: More blood, tension, and Ukrainian language

The series creator, R. Scott Gemmill, and executive producer John Wells spoke with RBC-Ukraine journalist during a press junket about internal conflicts on set, the involvement of real medical professionals, and the special role of the Ukrainian diaspora in the storyline.

– How would you describe season 2 of The Pitt?

R. Scott Gemmill: Well, it's another day, another shift. Every character is sort of dealing with what's gone on in their lives since we saw them last, which was 10 months ago, and just how they are navigating their personal lives and their professional lives moving forward.

We have Dr. Langdon's back from rehab, so that's new for him. There's a new attending that Robbie has to learn to work with, and we get to see some insight into a couple of new relationships that are happening - a little bit of everything, and lots of blood.

– We’re going to see new characters in the show, and they’ll implement some new methods at work. So, how will this affect the old characters?

R. Scott Gemmill: Well, that's the challenge, right? New people come in, and they have to find their way. They have to fit in. Some are going to fit in better than others. Some maybe want to be there. Some maybe don't want to be there. We see things through the eyes of some new med students and recent nursing graduates. And someone is in a position who comes in at Robbie's level and has some different ideas of how to run the department, which will cause a little bit of friction between the two of them.

Noah Wyle in The Pitt (photo: HBO Max)

– I noticed that some characters in the show sometimes speak different languages, and I heard Ukrainian being spoken by one of them. Why did you include these elements in the series? Is this a way to unite different nations so they would be more interested in the show?

R. Scott Gemmill: I think it's just a reflection of the country as a whole. I'm not even from this country (laughs). So it's like a melting pot, right? People from all over the world come here. And I think that's also very reflective of the emergency departments in this country, where there are so many different languages spoken. You may hear 15 different languages being spoken in the emergency department. And we have to try and accommodate those people. So there's usually a translator. In almost any language, we can find someone who can translate when you're in a real hospital. We wanted to try and capture that. I think people from other countries love to hear their language being spoken every now and that makes them feel comfortable in our home. I don't know how many we did this year, but it's a lot.

John Wells: Also, Pittsburgh has a very large Ukrainian community and has for generations. And so, in trying to show what the community is really like, you are going to find a lot of Ukrainians and the Ukrainian language, particularly with the older people being spoken. So, you know, it's just making it realistic to what the city is really like.

The Pitt returns with new episodes (photo: HBO Max)

– Do you have hopes for season three of the show? Do you have some thoughts in mind for season three?

R. Scott Gemmill: Yeah, I certainly have hopes for season three through twelve. In terms of when you create characters, and you really start to like them and believe in them, you want to follow them further. You want to see another shift with them.

I think we don't get to tell all the stories we want every year. So we always have things left over that hopefully we can tell next year. We’d love the show to go as long as everyone wants to watch it and keep doing it.

John Wells: Yeah, and on a practical level, a number of the actors have asked us if they feel confident enough to get a larger apartment.

– Do you cooperate with real medical workers for the stories in the show between doctors and patients? Are those their stories, or do you create them yourself?

R. Scott Gemmill: Both, both. Stories come from everywhere. We have two doctors on the writing staff who are emergency physicians, and one of whom is still practicing. There's a real doctor on the set as a consultant. A lot of our background nurses who are working on the show are actually real nurses and still practicing.

If you were to come to Los Angeles and end up in the ER, you could get one of our nurses from the show. So we talk to them. They bring their stories. We talk to all kinds of specialists and doctors at the beginning of the year to talk about what sort of stories, what's happening in the medical field, what are the stories that aren't being told, and what are the stories they want to be told. So, yeah, a lot of it comes from the real medical profession.

What is known about The Pitt season 2

The medical drama returns with new episodes on January 9. The story centers on a realistic look at the lives and challenges faced by staff in the emergency department of a Pittsburgh hospital.

The first season, released in January 2025, became a major success. The series received 13 Emmy nominations and won five awards, including Best Drama Series, Best Actor (Noah Wyle), Best Supporting Actress (Katherine LaNasa), and Best Casting.

In addition, the show earned two Golden Globe nominations and three Critics' Choice Award nominations. At the latter ceremony, it won Best Drama Series.

The new season consists of 15 episodes, which will be released weekly. The finale is set to air on April 17, 2026.

Notably, shortly before the premiere, the series was renewed for a third season, meaning viewers can expect even more intense and compelling stories with their favorite characters.

Earlier, we also wrote about the behind-the-scenes of season 5 of Stranger Things.