The Pitt Episodes 1 and 2 recap: What happened in the series premiere?

HBO Max's new medical drama, The Pitt, debuted on the platform with a double episode on January 9, 2025. The show's plot follows a single 15-hour shift in which each episode follows an hour at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, and each episode is an hour in the ER, where Dr. Robby and his team manage the critical patients wheeled in.

Noah Wyle, an ER alumni, stars as Dr. Robby, a senior attending the ER, who is introduced in the premiere episode. The episode established that he is still haunted by the nightmares of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also took the life of his mentor and patient.

The first two episodes of The Pitt covered the first two hours of the ER shift, where the doctors worked their best to save the lives of their patients.

The Pitt premiere introduces Dr. Robby and the new interns

As we head into The Pitt Episode 1, we learn that this is no ordinary day for Dr. Michael "Robby" Rabinavitch, as it is the fourth death anniversary of Dr. Adamson, his mentor, whom he lost in the COVID-19 pandemic.

As stated by the all-knowing ER nurse, Dana Evans, Robby has managed to skip work on this day for the past few years to grieve personally. But, after his son, Jake, ditches him for his girlfriend, Robby is forced back into work on such a difficult day.

To make matters more chaotic, it is also the day that Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital welcomes new residents who will help the experienced doctors with the patients. The interns introduced are Trinity Santos, Victoria Javadi, and Dennis Whitaker.

What happened in the ER's first hour of shift in The Pitt?

The ER shift starts at 7 a.m., and the first hour makes for Episode 1, where Robby welcomes the chaos of a difficult day and the new residents in the hospital. We learn that Dr. Heather Collins and Dr. Frank Langdon will assist Robby in his tasks for today.

Soon, they have a critical patient, a woman who has suffered a serious injury after she fell or was pushed onto the T platform but was rescued in time. As Robby works on her injuries with the new residents, Victoria can't handle her first brush with gore and faints. Elsewhere, Dr. Melissa “Mel” King works on a four-year-old who is brought in for a cannabis overdose.

In the show's final moments, Robby meets with Dr. Jack Abbott on the roof, who is standing right on the edge, and the two talk about the demanding nature of their profession. The scene offers a social commentary on the overworking medical professionals in underfunded hospitals like the one shown in the show.

What happened in the ER's second hour of shift in The Pitt?

The second hour of the shift, i.e., 8 a.m., is Episode 2, where the doctors meet new obstacles and patients needing their immediate attention. While Robby is haunted by the ER scenes from the pandemic, he is snapped out of them when he sees a critical teen, Nick Bradley, who is brought in after a drug overdose. He is eventually declared brain-dead.

Elsewhere, Robby and Collins handle an Alzheimer-stricken patient brought in by his children with pneumonia. He does not want Robby to keep him alive artificially, but his children threaten to sue the hospital if Robby does not intubate him. After much thought, Robby finally intubates him.

Dr. King helps another patient brought into the ER with a gunshot wound, who is finally transported to the OR with King's help.