Prediction: “The Pitt” and “The White Lotus” will duke it out for Best Drama series at next year’s Emmys.
Both held audience interest – and didn’t worry about those who drop all their episodes at once.
Even better, both offered up some unforgettable performances.
Parker Posey plays a Southern matriarch in "The White Lotus."
Parker Posey, leading the “White Lotus” charge as a Lorazepam-crazed mother of three, prompted more impressions than, well, Jennifer Coolidge in the first two seasons. Patrick Schwarzenegger, as her swaggering son, created a character who was as original as any his father put on screen. And Sam Nivola, as his brother Lochlan, should be nudging Timothee Chalamet for film roles.
On “The Pitt,” Noah Wyle made such a notable return to weekly television it’ll be hard to deny him the Best Actor Emmy. Told over 15 hours in one day, the series (from some of his “ER” creators) gave a better look at the chaos that occurs in a hospital’s emergency department than even “ER.”
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A steady stream of patients fills "The Pitt" during a 15-hour day.
As the senior attending physician, Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch was a like a conductor, leading an orchestra of first-chair performers. When an active shooter upped the hospital’s census, Wyle got his best moments, including one that recalled his character’s past during the COVID pandemic.
In the supporting cast, three young actors (Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones and Gerran Howell) served as our eyes and ears in the ever-changing world. Their growth over the 15 episodes justified the producers’ decision to detail the day in such a microscopic way. Howell got a moment near the series’ end that demonstrated Nebraskans aren’t naïve, just aware of their surroundings.
Gerran Howell plays a student doctor experiencing his first day in an emergency room rotation in "The Pitt."
Katherine LaNasa, as the department’s charge nurse, and Fiona Dourif, as a 42-year-old second-year resident, got storylines that will pay big dividends in the second season. They had those Wyle moments, too, but kept audiences guessing as to their pasts – and futures.
While many hour-by-hour series sag somewhere near the nine-hour mark (“24,” we’re looking at you), “The Pitt” held up because it switched focus repeatedly and introduced new patients throughout the day. It also touched on the ills facing health care and why wait times and understaffed hospitals are issues that need airing. If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to see where health care is suffering, he should look at “The Pitt.” It’s telling.
Noah Wyle plays a veteran emergency room physician in "The Pitt."
“The White Lotus,” meanwhile, could give Congress a peek at the 1 percent and how they’re leading their lives.
Filled with those who can afford a week or two at the luxury resort, the hotel showed how mundane those lives can be. When the rich become bored, trouble ensues.
Posey’s husband, played by Jason Isaacs, learned the truth about his business and panicked. Three lifelong friends (Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon) discovered they had drifted away from each other and chose the occasion to look for others. Trouble followed and made them an interesting diversion from the Southern Ratliff family.
The family in "The White Lotus," from left: Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola.
Writer/director Mike White followed a formula established in the first two seasons but got a different vibe from the Thai locals and secondary guests. When he stirred vigorously, “White Lotus’s” mystery dug in, guaranteeing a big audience for the finale.
Both series managed something broadcast dramas haven’t always been able to do – make must-see television a part of our lives once again. The finales are ready and waiting for you.
