Is ‘The Pitt’ Building an Emmy Dynasty? Why Noah Wyle’s Medical Drama Is Poised to Make History Again
by Clayton Davis · Variety“The Pitt” is a popular hit, and its fandom on social media isn’t holding back from expressing strong feelings about this season’s direction as it winds down. All that attention puts the medical series in prime position for significant Emmy attention again this year.
Last year, the HBO Max medical drama made a big splash in its freshman season, earning 13 Emmy nominations, including outstanding drama series, lead actor for Noah Wyle, supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa, guest actor for Shawn Hatosy, directing for John Wells and Amanda Marsalis, writing for Joe Sachs and R. Scott Gemmill, and nods for sound editing and casting. It went on to win five, including the top series race.
Related Stories
'Moana' Trailer Reveals Dwayne Johnson's Full Look as Maui in Live-Action
Disney's 'Moana' Trailer Has Fans Mocking Wigs and Overall Look, but Film Won't Undergo Creative Changes
Walking into the Emmy season as the early frontrunner — rather than the underdog, as it did last season going up against Apple TV’s “Severance” — the sophomore outing of a beloved show comes with much higher expectations.
Three series have won the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding drama series for both their first and second seasons: “Hill Street Blues,” “The West Wing” and “Mad Men.” Notably, all three went on to win for additional seasons as well. There have been 18 series in the 77-year history of the Emmys to win more than once. All but “The Sopranos” have won consecutively.
With more than three dozen peer groups of the Television Academy, it pays to be an across-the-board type of contender.
Wyle, after winning his first Emmy, is positioned for another lead actor bid, along with potential directing (“12:00 P.M.”) and writing (“9:00 A.M.”) accompaniments. Fans on social media seem disappointed that Dr. Robby has been a bit “meaner” this season, seemingly failing to distinguish his fictional character from the affable and well-respected Wyle. Only two actors have won for the first two seasons of a drama series: Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) and Bill Cosby (“I Spy”).
LaNasa, who beat multiple contenders from Mike White’s third season of “The White Lotus” last year, could be in play for back-to-back wins. If victorious, she would be only the second woman to win consecutively for the first and second seasons in the same category, after Allison Janney for “The West Wing” (Janney switched to the lead drama actress category for the third season, where she would win again). That raises an interesting question: Are LaNasa and her team debating such a move? There’s also the matter of the other “Pitt” actresses to consider.
Last week, Variety’s Joe Otterson exclusively reported that Ayesha Harris, who plays senior night-shift resident Dr. Parker Ellis, has been promoted to series regular for the upcoming third season. At the same time, Supriya Ganesh, who has played senior resident Dr. Samira Mohan since Season 1, will depart after Season 2. That exit raises compelling questions: Will it sharpen Ganesh’s awards campaign, or make little difference? More intriguing still — how many of the other cast members can find a viable pathway to nominations?
A breakout this season is Sepideh Moafi as Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, the new attending physician set to serve as Dr. Robby’s interim replacement ahead of his sabbatical. Moafi’s stoic and mesmerizing presence throughout the season has been an interesting yin to Dr. Robby’s seemingly reactive yang — most notably in scenes where he appears shames Dr. Mohan for her panic attack. If nominated for supporting actress, she would be the first Middle Eastern performer nominated in the category and the third South Asian, after winner Archie Panjabi for “The Good Wife” in 2010 and nominee Parminder Nagra for “ER” in 2004.
Taylor Dearden’s neurodivergent Dr. Melissa King is another standout this season, along with her autistic sister Becca, played by Tal Anderson, who is worthy of consideration in the guest drama actress category.
Fiona Dourif’s Dr. Cassie McKay had considerably more to work with during the first season, which explored her relationship with her ex-husband and her role as a single mother to her son Harrison. Her arc this season has felt somewhat thinner, though Dourif remains a compelling screen presence.
Among the men of “The Pitt,” Shawn Hatosy — last year’s guest actor winner — is likely a returning nominee in the acting race and could net a possible directing submission for the episode “3:00 P.M.,” which depicts the aftermath of a collapsed water-park slide.
Under current TV Academy rules, only performers appearing in fewer than half of a season’s eligible episodes can submit as guest performers. A 2023 Emmy rule bars actors previously nominated or awarded in lead or supporting categories for the same series from competing as a guest. That has affected people like last year’s supporting drama actor nominee James Marsden from Hulu’s “Paradise,” who has brief appearances in Season 2 and cannot submit as a guest. Those must submit in either lead or supporting categories instead.
In the supporting drama actor race, Patrick Ball as the returning-from-rehab Dr. Langdon and Gerran Howell as the warm and gentle young Dr. Whitaker — who appears to have begun a relationship with the widow of a patient from last season — will hope to avoid splitting the vote.
The Emmys have long debated where a performer belongs — lead or supporting — and actors often move between categories for the same role. Patricia Wettig made history at the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards in 1990, winning lead drama actress for “Thirtysomething” after a supporting win two years earlier. Jean Hagen achieved dual nominations in 1956 for “Make Room for Daddy,” while Agnes Moorehead followed a decade later with nominations for “Bewitched.”
Drama performers joined the club in the 1980s, beginning with Linda Cristal (“The High Chaparral”), followed by Kristy McNichol (“Family”), Michael J. Fox (“Family Ties”) and Michael Tucker (“L.A. Law”). Julianna Margulies (“ER”) was reclassified as lead in 1997 after a prior supporting win; Piper Laurie (“Twin Peaks”) and Jill Eikenberry (“L.A. Law”) moved in the opposite direction. Jennifer Aniston (“Friends”) and Allison Janney (“The West Wing”) won lead in 2002 after prior supporting runs, with Janney becoming the second supporting-to-lead winner after Wettig.
From 2003 to 2010, Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under”), Lorraine Bracco (“The Sopranos”) and Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”) moved between lead and supporting categories without wins. Jon Cryer became the first male double champion in 2012 for “Two and a Half Men.” Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”), Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), and Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook (“Succession”) are more recent examples, with Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) moving from supporting to lead for Season 2. At the same time, her show swept five of six acting categories.
Ensemble-heavy dramas face vote-splitting risks, and medical dramas — even when critically acclaimed — have a mixed Emmy history. Wyle’s breakout “ER” (1994–2009) earned 124 nominations and 23 wins; three were for acting — Julianna Margulies (supporting actress), Sally Field (guest actress) and Ray Liotta (guest actor). “ER’s” first season generated 20 total Emmy nominations, including six acting nominations (three lead, three supporting), the most acting nominations by a medical drama in a single season.
Among all medical dramas, “ER” stands alone in Emmy acting history. Its ensemble approach — rotating in high-profile guest stars alongside a deep regular cast — generated acting nominations in virtually every season of its run. No other medical drama has come close to matching its sustained run of acting recognition.
For sheer ensemble strength, HBO’s “Succession” Season 3 and Season 4 set the modern standard with 14 acting nominations for a drama series, surpassing “The West Wing” (12) and the miniseries “Roots” (13) for all-time totals.
Can “The Pitt” come close? With its deep, Emmy-caliber ensemble and the Television Academy’s demonstrated appetite for the series, the conversation is only getting started.