Entertainment
The 15 Best Characters in ‘The Pitt,’ Ranked
Now with two seasons under its belt and a third already confirmed, The Pitt has taken the medical drama subgenre by storm. The series follows the doctors and nurses working in the Emergency Room of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Unlike other medical dramas, though, the entire first season takes place over the course of one day, and each episode is one hour of a 15-hour shift.
There is a lot to love about The Pitt, from its structure, the fast-paced, and shocking storylines. The best thing about the show, though, are its characters. In particular, the main characters are all incredibly well-written, and they are very complex and nuanced. They aren’t just one-dimensional heroes or villains, but rather, they are flawed people who also do a lot of good. These are the best characters of The Pitt, ranked.
15
Perlah Alawi
Played by Amielynn Abellera
The nurses are the backbone of PTMC’s Emergency Room, and Perlah Alawi (Amielynn Abellera) is no exception to this. Perlah has been a consistent character since the very beginning of The Pitt, whether she is jumping in to gossip or exchanging a hilarious quip with Princess (Kristin Villanueva), or stepping up to help out with a patient when needed.
Perlah is a very caring and empathetic person, and she really cares about each of the patients who come into the ER. She is one of the people who takes it especially hard when frequent PTMC patient, Louie (Ernest Harden Jr.), dies about halfway through in Season 2. She also cares a lot about the people she works with, but that being said, she’s willing to push back with them when necessary.
14
Emma Nolan
Played by Laëtitia Hollard
Both seasons of The Pitt so far have taken place on a day when multiple PTMC staff members are starting their first day at the hospital. One of the best new additions to Season 2 has been Emma Nolan (Laëtitia Hollard), a recent nursing school graduate who comes to PTMC on July 4th to shadow. Despite being brand-new to the job, Emma quickly proves that she is in exactly the right place.
Emma is deeply compassionate, and her kindness and ability to connect with her patients is apparent after even just one shift. In one of the most touching scenes of Season 2, Emma and Dana (Katherine LaNasa) treat an unhoused man named John Digby (Charles Baker). After getting a bath and a haircut for the first time in a while, Digby is afraid that his family, and especially his daughter, won’t be able to recognize him anymore. Emma then steps in and asks Digby if he danced with his daughter at her wedding, and when he tells her that he did, she reassures him that his daughter will never forget that or him.
13
Joy Kwon
Played by Irene Choi
Third-year medical student Joy Kwon (Irene Choi) has also been a phenomenal new addition to Season 2 of The Pitt, so much so that we can’t help but hope to see her again next season, even as she is still doing her rotations for med school — and she currently has no interest in going into emergency medicine. Joy is a bright and ambitious med student, and even though the ER isn’t her dream place to work, she fits in very well there.
The Pitt is a heavy and often dark series that doesn’t shy away from the ugly side of healthcare, so it’s always a breath of fresh air when the series breaks up the more intense cases with brief comedic moments. Joy has been one of the funniest parts of Season 2 with her clever one-liners, like when she defends herself against Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson) when he answers a question meant for her, and when she ribs Abbot (Shawn Hatosy) about his age. Joy is also, refreshingly, not afraid to assert her boundaries. When everyone else on the day shift chooses to stay late, she goes home anyway, knowing her own limits.
12
Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi
Played by Sepideh Moafi
Season 2 of The Pitt marks Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi’s (Sepideh Moafi) first day at PTMC. She initially comes to the hospital to take over for Robby (Noah Wyle) as the head attending in the ER while he’s on sabbatical. By the end of the day, though, Al-Hashimi is of the firm belief that the ER needs two attendings, so she might just (hopefully) be back after this season. Al-Hashimi goes above and beyond, even on her first day, already trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t, so that she can improve things for doctors, nurses, and patients alike.
Season 2 of The Pitt has been jam-packed with difficult cases and surprise obstacles, but in between the more intense moments, the show has introduced important details about its new characters. Al-Hashimi is a deeply caring mother who prioritizes spending time with her son despite her demanding job, and she has had a seizure disorder since childhood. Even with everything on her plate, though, Al-Hashimi is very committed to her job, and she has already made an impact at PTMC after just one shift.
11
Dr. Jack Abbot
Played by Shawn Hatosy
The Pitt only ever takes place during the day shift, except for the few hours of overtime that the doctors inevitably end up working each season. During those moments of crossover between shifts, The Pitt has given glimpses into the night shift and the doctors who work it. One of the best parts of the night shift is Dr. Jack Abbot, who always makes the most of his limited screentime.
Abbot is a deeply caring doctor who was not afraid to break the law and lie to protect a teenage patient in Season 1, and who is immediately ready to pay out of his own pocket to help a financially-restricted patient in Season 2. Abbot takes his job very seriously, but he also knows when and how to lighten the mood, and he’s just a very refreshing and steady presence to have in the ER.
10
Dr. Heather Collins
Played by Tracy Ifeachor
Dr. Heather Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) may have only been in eleven episodes of The Pitt, but she made a lasting impact on the show and the other characters that is still apparent a season later. Collins was first introduced as a senior resident who was hiding her pregnancy. She was very good at her job, and also served as an excellent mentor to the new doctors and med students. In a devastating and important storyline, Collins suffered from a miscarriage at work. She checked herself out using the equipment at the hospital, then hid it and went back to work to finish out her shift.
Collins has been gone for over a season now, and her absence has been deeply felt. On her own, Collins was a great character who knew what she wanted and cared a lot about her patients. She was the one who thought about using a map to figure out where Minu (Arun Storrs) is from. At one point, she also called out McKay (Fiona Dourif), who was well-intentioned but ended up letting her own bias influence how she treats a patient. She also had really strong and interesting relationships with the other characters, from her friendship with Dana, to her past romance with Robby.
9
Dr. Cassie McKay
Played by Fiona Dourif
Dr. Cassie McKay was first introduced as a second-year resident who was very good at her job, and who cared a lot about listening to her patients and helping them beyond just the medical aspect. She revealed early on that she has been through a lot of difficult things in her life that made med school feel like one of the easier obstacles. She also wore an ankle monitor in Season 1 – but since shutting it down with an IO in a fantastic scene in Season 1, Episode 13, “7:00 P.M.,” it hasn’t returned to bother her in Season 2.
McKay has been an excellent mentor to Javadi (Shabana Azeez), and a caring and fiercely protective mother to her son, Harrison (Henry Samiri). McKay is also very funny, kind, and mindful of the difficulties in her patients’ lives. One of her best moments was in Season 1, when she helped an unhoused patient who had to lie about her address so that her kids could attend a good school. McKay took a huge risk in opening up to this patient about her past experience with addiction, but she still did it to make her feel more comfortable. In Season 2, McKay continues to show her compassion, particularly through her work on the street team.
8
Dana Evans
Played by Katherine LaNasa
As Robby told all the new members of the medical staff early on in The Pitt, the charge nurse, Dana Evans, is the one to listen to. She is absolutely fantastic at her job, to the point where when she had to step away for a little while later in the season after being punched by a patient (Drew Powell), everyone in the ER noticed her absence. Dana is kind and thoughtful, as well as extremely perceptive of the people around her. She is also an incredibly nuanced character, especially in Season 2, as she struggles with past trauma from being assaulted at work — and risks everything to save Emma when she goes through a similar experience.
Dana was the one who expressed concern early on that Robby was working on the anniversary of Adamson’s death for the first time in four years, and she frequently used this to understand his behavior. In Season 2, she still shows care for Robby, but she also knows when to push back against him and call him out. Dana is a sharply funny character, but she is definitely not just comic relief. Dana deals with one of the show’s scariest storylines in Season 1, and takes the lead on one of the most devastating cases in Season 2. Dana is truly the person who holds the ER together, particularly because she knows when to trust her gut over the rules and the system.
7
Dennis Whitaker
Played by Gerran Howell
Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell) started out at PTMC as a fourth-year med student on the day covered by Season 1. Whitaker was initially a very nervous character who made some mistakes on the job and was very overwhelmed. He took the loss of a patient very hard, and it influenced his actions in Season 1 from there on out, forcing him to jump into the job in the worst way. By Season 2, though, Whitaker is much more sure of himself, and he has become a vital part of the ER. In one of the season’s best scenes, he acts as a mentor to Ogilvie like Robby did for him, explaining why he chooses to work in the ER despite the heartbreaking losses and impossible obstacles that they have to deal with daily.
Whitaker is a deeply caring person who readily puts everyone else’s needs above his own, often to his own detriment. In Season 1, he was also the subject of The Pitt‘s best running gag, in which he constantly had to change his scrubs, because they kept getting spilled on with various fluids. Whitaker is also one half of one of The Pitt‘s very best duos, through his unexpected friendship with his now-roommate, Santos (Isa Briones).
6
Victoria Javadi
Played by Shabana Azeez
Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez) started out at PTMC as a med student in the first season of The Pitt, and she is now in her fourth year as of Season 2. Javadi was initially most notable for being a prodigy who has some insecurities about being much younger than her peers, as well as the daughter of two doctors who work at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. Her mother, Dr. Shamsi (Deepti Gupta), is a legend at the hospital. Season 2 has shown that Javadi has started to find her place at PTMC outside of her parents, even as she struggles to weigh what she wants for her future against what her mom does.
Javadi is a determined character who initially felt the need to prove herself due to her age and family connections. At first, Javadi was often embarrassing in an endearing way, like when she fainted in the first hour of the shift, and when she accidentally signed up to babysit when trying to spend more time with Mateo (Jalen Thomas Brooks). By Season 2, though, Javadi is much more self-assured and comfortable in the ER, even as she has to make difficult decisions about her future in medicine.
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