“The Pitt” is a triumph of the joy of work

Just finished season 1 of “The Pitt” on HBO Max. Really enjoyed it. It is filmed to represent “real-time” so the reason has 15 episodes corresponding to the 15 hours in the emergency clinic and each episode is one hour in that shift. Unlike other medical shows that often end up being thinly veiled soap operas, The Pitt isn’t that at all. Doctors and nurses are not making out in closets. There is no time. The entire show is a race against time which is essential what a medical emergency response center is.

The style is tense, the mood is claustrophobic, and the cast is low-key, focused, and excellent. It is ultimately a show about the joy of work, that can only exist at the edge of effort and relaxtion, squarely edging toward discomfort of the effort.