‘The Pitt’ Star and EP Noah Wyle Calls Dr. Robby “Damaged Goods” After the Season 1 Finale: “Can No Longer Lie to Himself That There Isn’t a Problem”

MAX‘s caller deed bid The Pitt hasn’t conscionable reinvigorated nan aesculapian process for 2025, it’s besides pushed bid prima and executive shaper Noah Wyle backmost into nan spotlight. Decades aft shooting to fame as ER‘s heartthrob intern John Carter, Wyle is erstwhile again winning audiences complete arsenic an emergency section expert struggling to juggle nan accent of nan occupation and a messy individual life. This time, though, he’s Dr. Robby.

**Spoilers for The Pitt Episode 15 “9 PM,” now streaming connected MAX**

The full first play of The Pitt tracks a peculiarly grueling fifteen-hour-long displacement for Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch. The time started pinch Dr. Robby talking his friend Dr. Abbot (Shawn Hatosy) disconnected nan literal ledge and ended pinch Abbot returning nan favor. Besides being nan 5th day of nan decease of Robby’s mentor, Dr. Adamson, this time brought pinch it parents grieving their children, a bales outbreak, an battle connected a cardinal infirmary worker, a colleague/ex girlfriend’s miscarriage, and nan revelation that Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball), Robby’s closest friend successful nan ED has been stealing benzos from his patients. Oh, and location was a wide shooting astatine a euphony show that overwhelmed nan section and pushed Dr. Robby to his inevitable breaking point.

Needless to say, fans and critics are predicting an awards run for Wyle’s activity arsenic Dr. Robby on The Pitt Season 1. What’s gone a spot much nether nan radar, however, are Wyle’s contributions to nan show arsenic an executive shaper and writer. (He wrote some Episode 4 and Episode 9.)

When DECIDER sewage nan chance to hop connected a Zoom telephone pinch Wyle past week, we asked him astir what makes The Pitt’s writers’ room guidelines isolated from different streaming hits, what’s adjacent for Dr. Robby, and wherever he hopes nan narration betwixt Robby and ex Dr. Heather Collins (Tracey Ifeachor). Wyle besides addressed what’s going connected betwixt his characteristic and Langdon and refused to assuage our nerves that Langdon and Dana (Katherine LaNasa) won’t beryllium coming backmost for Season 2…

Photo: MAX

DECIDER: I request to commencement pinch a really benignant of nerdy question. I saw for illustration this for illustration skeet going astir BlueSky talking astir really your writer’s room is benignant of much for illustration a much accepted web writer’s group wherever you person writers that you’re nurturing and bringing up successful nan process. Is that true? And if so, do you deliberation that’s contributed to nan show’s success?

Noah Wyle: Uh, yes, well, John Wells runs a very circumstantial type of training programme wrong his company. He likes to foster and nurture young talent. He has each sorts of different apprentice programs and showrunner programs. I deliberation that’s a immense portion of his ethic, is to scope backmost and scope down and beforehand talent erstwhile he finds it. So that has been consistent. We do, but to beryllium honest, everybody has adjacent publication successful that room, it feels. You know, we’re each successful location together and there’s nary bad ideas. It’s very collegiate and very intimate. So nan level that astir apt is location successful position of title doesn’t really manifest itself successful position of participation. I deliberation astir apt it’s that collegiate facet and nan deficiency of formality that Scott Gemmell brings to nan penning room and nan consciousness of egalitarianism that he engages successful that makes america each consciousness empowered to do our champion work, to return chances, to scope higher.

Photo: MAX

You’ve written 2 of nan episodes this season, and erstwhile I said to Taylor Dearden, she gave you in installments for 1 of her favourite Dr. Mel King moments of nan season. She said that it was your thought to do nan gravel removal for her characteristic and she felt very seen by you arsenic a writer successful that respect. Can you talk astir that inspiration and really possibly you look astatine these actors and what they’re bringing to nan portion successful position of processing nan scripts further?

It’s a funny point astir writing. It feels for illustration a conscious act, but it’s batch much of emotion for illustration a alloy and having things travel done you. And I cognize that sounds benignant of arty farty, but erstwhile you’ve established a characteristic that is three-dimensional and is being performed by personification arsenic talented arsenic Taylor Dearden, erstwhile you deliberation astir that character, their characteristic almost speaks for themselves. They almost show you what they would do aliases what they wouldn’t do successful immoderate fixed situation. So you almost conscionable person to coming an rumor aliases a infinitesimal successful nan room and past everybody starts to measurement successful connected really they’d do.

So I brought a feline successful pinch a batch of roadworthy rash, a batch gravel, and I knew that Mel was having a really difficult day, and I knew that Langdon was going to chew retired [Isa Briones’s] Santos and needed to besides show nan different broadside of his expertise to beryllium a bully coach and scope backmost successful nan adjacent moment. So he was gonna find Mel and he was going to effort to get her backmost connected her game. And past it’s conscionable like, you know, it was nan lowest hanging consequence to say, “I’ve sewage nan cleanable lawsuit for you. Something you tin conscionable perfectly spell into a fugue authorities and meditate your measurement backmost to emotion normal and re-engage.”

Photo: MAX

You’ve gotten truthful overmuch praise for Robby’s breakdown successful Episode 13. I besides deliberation you do bonzer activity successful nan finale. I deliberation 1 segment that really pops to maine is betwixt you and Langdon outside, because it feels for illustration thing has really surgery location aliases thing has changed betwixt those 2 men. Can you talk maine done that scene? And astatine this point, wherever does Langdon beryllium pinch Robby because earlier he didn’t spot him, but now I don’t moreover cognize if location tin beryllium a bridge.

I deliberation you’re reference it really well. When we came to sprout that past segment successful Episode 10 together, we had a stunt coordinator location connected set. We thought astir it getting benignant of heated and physical, and past we came nan sprout it, and it became truthful clear that it wasn’t a conflict scene. It was a break-up scene. That it was a sad scene. And then, you know, for illustration immoderate breakup, it’s really difficult to beryllium successful nan aforesaid room arsenic personification that you felt friendly pinch and felt betrayed by. Even if you person to activity adjacent to them, moreover if they still are bully astatine what they do, it’s really tricky to span some nan master and nan individual astatine nan aforesaid clip aft you’ve gotten nan rug pulled retired from underneath you. So that segment successful nan ambulance bay was, if nan first segment was sad and didn’t move it into a fight, this was, “Okay, now that I’ve had a 2nd to really deliberation astir this, if you’re really going to provoke me, you’re getting maine to get what’s underneath my sadness, which is my anger.” And he benignant of doesn’t opportunity aliases do nan correct point successful that moment. He could defuse nan explosive and alternatively he lights nan fuse connected it.

Photo: Max

Speaking of breakups and relationships, we do study much astir Robby and Collins’ backstory successful later episodes. I retrieve erstwhile it was first being teased out, emotion very overmuch excited that possibly nan show would research what you were describing, for illustration 2 group who utilized to beryllium romantically involved, but now are conscionable colleagues aliases friends. Because I deliberation that there’s an affectional intimacy location that’s not usually explored. Do you deliberation that nan Robby and Collins narration could go much romanticist down nan statement aliases do you want to support it platonic?

I deliberation Robby goes location astatine nan extremity of this displacement and tin nary longer dishonesty to himself that location isn’t a problem. You know, this full first play was astir recognizing that he is astir to deed his stone bottom. He will person nary capacity for a individual relationship, nary capacity for friendship, nary capacity for leadership, unless he addresses these demons. And truthful Season 2, if I’m prioritizing and trying to enactment successful keeping pinch nan grounded, realistic measurement we’ve been laying this out, is much astir him uncovering that roadworthy to intelligence wellness than distracting himself pinch either a romance aliases excitement. Yeah, I don’t cognize really to picture it different than that, you know, their narration is highly complex. It’s really nosy to person a characteristic that’s sewage some nan imaginable of a early pinch and past with. But he’s benignant of damaged equipment correct now.

Photo: MAX

One of my favourite things astir talking to nan actors complete nan people of this play is discussing really beautifully interwoven clues astir people’s backstories are into nan scripts and into nan story. I understand that location was a footwear campy and that immoderate actors sewage full bibles astir their character’s backstory. We don’t cognize that overmuch astir Dr. Robby. We perceive that he lived pinch his grandma erstwhile he was young and she seemed to beryllium religious. Is location thing much that you dream to tease retired astir his backstory successful early seasons, aliases are location immoderate small clues that you deliberation that fans could hone successful connected successful your performance, beryllium they subtle aliases not?

I emotion that this is simply a hint way that engages group because I deliberation it’s interesting, you know? And I deliberation nan little item you give, sometimes nan much you prosecute that hint path. So erstwhile we started penning nan show, it was, “Okay, wherever do we begin? Does Robby aftermath up successful his house? Apartment? Townhouse? Is he flopping connected a friend’s couch? If he’s sewage an apartment, what’s connected nan wall? Is he alone? Does he person a dog? Does he return a changeable of whiskey? Does he portion orangish juice?” Like, each prime defines and limits astatine nan aforesaid time. And abruptly your everyman becomes THAT man, depending connected really nan creation head has dressed up nan flat set. And I didn’t want anybody to cognize this man isolated from successful a master capacity until it became intolerable for him to support up his master disguise anymore and past you get to cognize astir his personal. That was benignant of nan norm for everybody. Like nan little we cognize astir them personally, nan much professional, nan better. And past we’ll study a nugget aliases 2 and that nugget will beryllium defining successful that moment, but it’ll beryllium circumstantial to that moment. The assemblage will past get a glimpse erstwhile it’s appropriate.

So, everything connected that beforehand was by creation to not specify him, but you want to cognize that he didn’t grip nonaccomplishment well. He has an abandonment issue. He didn’t woody pinch nan nonaccomplishment of his mentor and having to beryllium responsible for that well. Whether that’s nan only clip he has knowledgeable that aliases whether abandonment is simply a triggering point for him that predates Adamson is thing that we are, I am, playing with. Whether that becomes revealed aliases not, it benignant of informs nan character’s travel forward, if we tin spell backmost and way his pathology to its root. If he was raised by his grandmother, wherever are his parents? If he’s fallen retired of faith, what happened to nan faith? Those are questions that I americium intrigued by.

Photo: Max

I deliberation what a batch of fans will beryllium anxious astir astatine nan extremity of nan play is whether aliases not 2 characters successful peculiar will beryllium returning for Season 2. That would beryllium Patrick Ball, Langdon, and Katherine LaNasa’s Dana. It’s up successful nan aerial whether aliases not Langdon will spell into rehab aliases beryllium fired. And Dana, we don’t know, she was up successful nan aerial astir leaving. Are you going to denote astatine immoderate constituent whether aliases they’re confirmed? Because immoderate of nan actors I’ve talked to look very alert that they’re going back. Or is location a logic why you want to time off it up successful nan aerial for those 2 characters?

There’s going to beryllium a ft race. The apical 5 winners get to travel back. All of them are successful training now. No, nan truth is that we loved each these characters. You tin only support definite group successful definite jobs successful definite hospitals earlier there’s a earthy changeover. You know, we’re breaking communicative now. I don’t cognize really to reply that mobility different than to opportunity that it’s awesome that group want these characters to travel backmost and that’s really nosy to play into and distant from and with, and that’s great.

I’m sorry to extremity connected specified a vague note, but…

No, no, it’s fine. I person to ask. I mean, I’m judge you guys are still breaking it up and figuring things out. But yeah, conscionable curious.

“Tell maine what happens, but don’t show maine what happens.” You don’t want to cognize because that would ruin it for you and it’s been truthful nosy to support you group successful nan acheronian connected these twists and turns. But I understand why you person to ask. We’re asking ourselves each these aforesaid questions and answering them arsenic thoughtfully and honestly arsenic we can.

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