Hit medical drama The Pitt recently finished airing its second season. This show aims to provide a more accurate representation of hospitals, with each episode being an hour of a shift. The format immerses viewers, allowing them to witness the high-stress and high-stakes environment of an emergency room. This realistic approach has also been used to explain the departure of several actors and characters. However, these characters are notably women of color.
The second season of The Pitt follows Dr. Michael Robinavitch (aka Dr. Robby), the attending physician, on his last shift before a three-month sabbatical. He, alongside residents, interns, and nurses, navigates intense injuries on the Fourth of July and the personal struggles that influence their work. The show features a massive ensemble at various points in the medical hierarchy, demonstrating the complexities of hospital politics and the many reasons people turn to medicine.
One of the most beloved characters on The Pitt is Dr. Samira Mohan, a third-year and later fourth-year resident known for her kindness. She is criticized by Dr. Robby and her peers for being too slow for emergency medicine, but she uses this extra time to connect with her patients and provide a culturally aware approach to their treatment.
On April 12, Variety reported that Supriya Ganesh (Dr. Mohan’s actor) would not be returning for the third season of The Pitt. Both Noah Wyle and showrunner R. Scott Gemmill commented on the departure, with Wyle explaining that “emergency rooms have a high revolving door” and Gemmill commenting that cast turnover is to be expected, but the show is “a great launching pad for people.” These statements make sense. Medical students have different rotations, and then they pursue residencies for specializations, which often require them to switch hospitals. However, Ganesh is the second star from the show to be written off in this manner.
Season one of The Pitt featured Tracy Ifeachor as Dr. Heather Collins, a senior resident at the hospital who was trying to become a mother. Dr. Collins resonated with viewers and her on-screen patients as a Black woman in a male-dominated field who brought a unique perspective and compassion to her work.
Despite that, Ifeachor was not invited to return to The Pitt, which was explained by the show being set at a teaching hospital. Online rumors swirled at this announcement, however, with some people believing Ifeachor was fired due to connections to a homophobic church. While her publicist denied this link, posts still circulate claiming that Ifeachor shares these conservative views. If true, the connection would change my opinion of Ifeachor. However, people on the internet are quick to critique women, especially women of color, so I choose to avoid believing the harmful rhetoric that is spread without evidence.
Dr. Collins was written off The Pitt with a fleeting line about moving to Portland. A character offhandedly mentioned that she got a job as an attending and was adopting a baby in her new home. While Dr. Collins got everything she wanted, portraying these major life events off-screen is not satisfying for viewers. I personally was not satisfied. Her last onscreen appearance was her suffering through a miscarriage while at work, persevering through one of the worst things a woman can experience. I would have liked to see her deal with and overcome her situation instead of suddenly having her life sorted out.
Another character who was not in the second season is Kiara Alfaro, the hospital’s social worker, who helped handle intense emotional cases. While her actress, Krystel V. McNeil, was only a guest star on the show, she had a major impact. I personally loved the scenes with Alfaro as she helped patients navigate grief. Alfaro was replaced by Dylan Easton for season two, but this character only appeared in three episodes, undermining the importance of social workers. Unlike with Dr. Collins, Alfaro is said to be taking a day off, allowing her character to potentially return in future seasons.
One actor, however, is getting promoted for the upcoming third season. Ayesha Harris, who portrays Dr. Parker Ellis, will become part of the main cast. Dr. Ellis worked the night shift in the first two seasons but will be pulling a double shift to join the day staff. This will surely bring an exciting mix-up to The Pitt as the night shift doctors have established themselves as fan-favorites.
However, the news was dropped alongside that of Mohan’s departure. The timing makes it seem as if women of color are disposable to the show’s creators and can simply be swapped. The characters have different personalities and dynamics, so they do not fill the same role within the cast. Additionally, Dr. Ellis is Black, and Dr. Mohan is Indian; this replacement strategy does not make sense for their backgrounds. Actors on The Pitt had previously praised the show for allowing two Indian women to be in the main cast instead of having a single token character for each race or ethnicity. The decision to have Dr. Mohan leave Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center reduces the show’s diversity, undermining the casting director’s wish to “show the truth of who works in these hospitals.”
The Pitt has been hailed as a progressive show, portraying all walks of life, but this seems to me to be all talk. Our current political situation makes it more important than ever to uplift unique and diverse perspectives, something the creators are not willing to do. You cannot claim that departures are due to realism if only the marginalized women are forced to leave. By retaining white cast members, The Pitt and its showrunners have demonstrated their ignorance, and maybe even racism. I hope the online backlash causes reevaluation within the creative team. I do love the show and hope it actually aligns with its mission of accurate representation in future seasons.