I, like so many people, was eagerly awaiting the arrival of HBO Max in the UK so that we could sample Noah Wyle’s new medical drama The Pitt. Inevitably facing comparisons to ER, the show was billed as something different though - something realistic and emotional and deep. It was all of those things and so much more.

I’ve watched the full first series, and am about halfway through the second, and I just can’t wait to devour each episode of this show as soon as I get the chance. Featuring an ensemble cast, but helmed by Noah Wyle, there’s something so gritty and realistic about it that it’s unmissable. The cast is full of interesting and unique characters, which you would absolutely find making up any workplace. And rather than the more dramatic and romantic escapades that often appear in medical dramas, these characters feel much more grounded. They each get little moments in the spotlight, little storylines that travel across the episodes.

As each series takes place over one 15 hour shift, you get an intensity in the stories, a close up of how each unfolds, and you also sometimes get things that end up unresolved - also something that people in emergency medicine no doubt deal with all the time. Someone is treated and dispatched, either home or somewhere else in the hospital, and you may never know how it all works out.

I’ve seen some criticism for the storylines being too much, there’s no way all that could happen in one shift, and do we have to push all these ‘issues’. I’m positive everything written in could happen, and even if it is pushing the limits a bit, it doesn’t feel unrealistic at any point. There are comments out there from people in the medical field who are very positive about what The Pitt is portraying.

There is a LOT of quality television available at the moment but it definitely feels like this is one of the best things I’ve watched in a long, long time. It’s not easy, so you have to know what you’re getting into when you hit play, but it’s exceptional and worth every penny.