The second season of the critically acclaimed medical show The Pitt returned with a new season full of drama, intense moments, and medical emergencies. This new season is quickly becoming a hit as the show is designed to be realistic and accurate, allowing viewers to experience what it is like to work an exhausting 15-hour shift in the emergency center of a major city hospital.

Viewers are introduced to a new character who significantly impacts the hospital’s dynamics. In the previous season, the show revolved around the main attendant at the hospital, Dr. Robby, played by Noah Wyle. This season has brought in a new attendant, Dr. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi) who will take over Dr. Robbie’s position when he goes on a three-month sabbatical break. As the beginning of the season kicked off, Dr. Al-Hashimi caused waves as she introduced the use of AI tech to the protocol. As the season is progressing, however, the character is showing more complexity as the show hints at the past trauma she is facing.

The Pitt’s unique structure is that each episode is only portrayed as one hour of the shift. This narrative device really allows viewers to see and feel like they are experiencing the constant stress, communication skills, and work ethic it takes to survive being a doctor.

Many viewers, including myself, wish that the season came either all out at once, or once a day, rather than once per week each Thursday evening. In an age of binge-watching, it is challenging for people to remember where the story left off and how the plot of the story shifts. The season should have come out all at once because that aspect of watching it all at the same time will enhance the idea of a real-life workday. When they separate the release dates, it separates the hours of the day, altering the whole idea of each episode only being an hour of the day.

The season started slowly, with small emergencies and the reintroduction of the first- and secondary-year residents, who all have their own interesting backstories and relationships.  Viewers never know with each new patient if it will be a case that is run-of-the-mill or one that might be fatal. By the mid-point of the second season, cases that carry over multiple episodes build in intensity and mystery. Like the doctors themselves, the audience doesn’t know if a patient will be okay or not. This sense of mystery solidifies why The Pitt has become one of the best shows on TV.