Who Should Join ‘The Pitt’ Next? 6 ‘ER’ Icons Ready for a Perfect Reunion
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The television landscape is abuzz with the success of The Pitt. This HBO Max medical drama, set within the demanding Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center (PTMC), proved its cultural and critical weight by sweeping five major awards at the 77th Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series. This achievement is particularly momentous because The Pitt is the first medical drama to win that top honor since the legendary ER accomplished the feat back in 1996.
This connection between the two series is more than symbolic; it is built on creative and casting continuity. The Pitt is developed by veterans of the original ER series. The most prominent link is Noah Wyle, who anchors The Pitt as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch and earned the Best Actor in a Drama Emmy for the role. Given the established trend of actors crossing over, audiences and critics are now excitedly pitching which ER series regulars should be the next to join Dr. Robby in Pittsburgh, setting the stage for what would be perfect reunions.
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The Anchor: Noah Wyle and the Legacy of Dr. Robby
Noah Wyle’s career in the medical genre is foundational to the discussion surrounding The Pitt. For over a decade, Wyle portrayed Dr. John Carter on ER, charting his transformation from a "green med student to seasoned attending," experiencing addiction, love, loss, and personal reinvention. Carter’s journey is often lauded as one of the medium’s finest long arcs.
On The Pitt, Wyle brings that established gravity to Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, a physician who is simultaneously an idealist and a pragmatist. Dr. Robby constantly contends with hospital politics and bureaucracy, wielding "sardonic wit as armor against the traumas of his past". While Dr. Robby is not a simple reprisal of Dr. Carter, Wyle gives both performances warmth, complexity, and moral clarity, proving why he is so adept at embodying medicine’s triumphs and failures—he makes them deeply, unmistakably human.
The Established Reunion: Six Actors Already Made the Jump
The push for more ER stars to appear on The Pitt is founded on the fact that several performers have already made the jump. Six actors who wandered the halls of Chicago’s County General have found new roles at PTMC, often with significantly different characters.
For example, Shawn Hatosy won the Best Guest Actor Emmy for playing the complex Dr. Jack Abbot on The Pitt, a veteran and night-shift attending who serves as Dr. Robby’s mirror. Hatosy's versatility was first seen on ER in Season 13 as Willis Peyton, a man with dissociative identity disorder, a guest spot that famously led to his long working relationship with producer John Wells.
Another notable crossover is Michael Hyatt, who plays the metrics-obsessed Chief Medical Officer Gloria Underwood on The Pitt, embodying the "cold machinery of hospital bureaucracy". This contrasts with her earlier, raw, and devastatingly vulnerable ER role as Yvonne, a Hurricane Katrina survivor who underwent a below-the-knee amputation in Season 12. Tracy Vilar also made a dramatic shift, moving from the hard-hitting arc of playing Doris, a combative burn victim and drug addict on ER Season 3, to portraying the dry-humored and indispensable ward clerk Lupe Perez on The Pitt. These existing successes fuel the anticipation for more ER icons to join the cast.
The Anticipated Arrivals: Six ER Icons Pitched for The Pitt
Given the existing connections and shared creative history, fans and critics have pitched compelling storylines for six ER series regulars to guest star on The Pitt.
Mentor and Director: Eriq La Salle (Peter Benton)
Eriq La Salle’s Peter Benton holds deep significance for Carter’s history; he was Carter’s first mentor, ensured Carter went to rehab after he was stabbed, and oversaw his kidney transplant. The scenes between Wyle and La Salle were always a highlight. While it would be tempting to see them clash as patient and doctor, the sources suggest capitalizing on the "ease with which these two act together". The perfect role for La Salle would be another doctor who previously worked at PTMC and perhaps moved to the private sector. As a bonus, it is strongly suggested that La Salle should direct an episode of The Pitt, given his impressive directorial work on various Dick Wolf shows.
The Lawyer and the Love Triangle: Maura Tierney (Abby Lockhart)
Maura Tierney’s Abby Lockhart was famously part of the love triangle involving Carter and Kovac (Goran Višnjić), which Carter ultimately lost. Wyle and Tierney had "great onscreen chemistry". To maximize the drama, the ideal role for Tierney would be the hospital’s lawyer. Considering Dr. Robby’s contentious relationship with CMO Gloria (Michael Hyatt) in Season 1, bringing in someone from the legal department would allow for an "antagonistic" dynamic that plays well against Wyle.
Setting the Tone: Anthony Edwards and Goran Visnjic
The sources propose two high-profile reunions involving former ER leads who share significant dramatic history with Dr. Carter.
Anthony Edwards (Mark Greene) provided early guidance to a young Carter, imparting the essential advice: “You set the tone”. Carter himself would later pass this advice along to others. The pitched storyline suggests Edwards appear as a patient who is in and out of PTMC for non-serious reasons, someone Robby has crossed paths with. Crucially, the sources emphasize that they cannot watch Edwards "die again on a medical drama". Regardless of the context, the reunion absolutely must include one of the characters saying something about "setting the tone".
Goran Visnjic (Luka Kovac) shared a memorable ER episode with Wyle when Carter traveled to Africa to bring home Kovac’s body, believing he had been killed. Since a reunion on Wyle’s other series, Leverage: Redemption, is unlikely (where Visnjic played a villain in the original run), The Pitt is the perfect alternative. The proposed role for Visnjic is a surgeon who, unexpectedly, doesn't clash with Robby. Robby, who dealt with serious conflict in Season 1, "could use some friends," making this a potential source of relief for the weary physician.
Emotional Cameos: Ming-Na Wen and Kellie Martin
Two other ER stars are proposed for guest appearances, emphasizing emotional ties or brief, impactful moments.
The dynamic between Carter and Ming-Na Wen’s (Jing-Mei), especially when Carter was there for her when she gave birth, was a favorite for many fans. While it would be great to see them together, the pitch suggests that her appearance does not necessarily have to be opposite Wyle. Wen could portray someone who served with Dr. Abbot (Shawn Hatosy) and stops by PTMC during the Fourth of July weekend, ensuring she still crosses paths with Robby at least once.
The history between Carter and Kellie Martin’s (Lucy Knight) is inextricably linked to tragedy, as Lucy was stabbed alongside Carter and died from her injuries in one of TV’s best episodes. Because of this close association with tragedy, a brief encounter is suggested as the best route. Martin could guest star as the mother of a patient who clashes with another doctor, perhaps Isa Briones’ Santos, and have Robby only briefly step in. This allows for the desired ER reunion without letting the storyline become entirely consumed by the tragic past.
🔖 Key Takeaways
🗝️ The Pitt ’s Emmy Success: The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series, the first medical drama to do so since ER in 1996.
🗝️ The Anchor: Noah Wyle leads The Pitt as Dr. Robby, carrying the legacy of his decade-long performance as Dr. John Carter on ER.
🗝️ Established Overlap: Six actors have already moved from ER to The Pitt, including Emmy winners Wyle and Shawn Hatosy.
🗝️ Six Icons Pitched: Six major ER series regulars—Eriq La Salle, Anthony Edwards, Maura Tierney, Goran Visnjic, Ming-Na Wen, and Kellie Martin—are proposed as ideal guest stars, with specific roles designed to play off their complex shared history with Wyle’s Dr. Robby.
🗝️ Storyline Specificity: Pitches range from casting La Salle as a former PTMC doctor and director to making Tierney the antagonistic hospital lawyer, and bringing back Edwards in a non-fatal role where he can remind Robby to "set the tone".
🌐 External sources
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