The Pitt is the most hyped TV show of 2025 — why isn't it airing in the UK?

Have you been watching The Pitt? The new medical drama from Warner Bros streaming on Max has become one of the most talked about shows on TV since it began airing in January.

The first season has already had 10 million global viewers, and an impressive 97 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Its original take on the classic medical drama, talented ensemble cast, and commitment to medical accuracy has seen critics hailing it as the return of proper TV.

Set in an overwhelmingly busy emergency department in Pittsborough, each one of the 15 episodes tracking an hour in the rollercoaster ride along a single shift. It’s aired the traditional way, dropping one episode per week.

The Pitt stars actor Noah Wyle — who received multiple Emmy nominations for his role playing a doctor in ER — as Dr Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, who is working the anniversary of the death of his mentor from covid. Wyle is such a pro at playing an on-screen doctor there’s a rumour he once proficiently stitched up a costume designer’s injured finger.

Haunted by the pandemic, Dr Robby welcomes a flock of trainee medics to Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center (PTMC), who are thrown in at the deep end of the terrifyingly busy emergency department he nicknames “the pitt” (much the chargrain of the hospital higher ups).

Taylor Dearden, who plays junior doctor Mel King, has already become a firm fan favourite for her sensitive and endearing portrayal of an autistic character. Yes she’s the daughter of Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in hit show Breaking Bad, but she’s singlehandedly defying any nepo baby labels.

Showrunner R Scott Gemill also worked on ER, but The Pitt is explicitly not a reboot of the 15-season award-winning show. The estate of ER creator Michael Crichton is suing Warner Bros for copying the concept, an accusation that the production studio has described as “baseless”.

The Pitt has already been renewed for a second season, which is due to air in 2026. “We’re going to do Fourth of July weekend,” Gemmill told TV Line. “Basically 10 months later, gives a lot of room for us to have developed a few stories in the interim, and catch up with everyone.”

But we couldn’t spoil the stories from the first season if we wanted to — unlucky UK viewers still haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy The Pitt on our screens.

Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is currently not accessible in the UK. Its shows sometimes become available on Sky streamer Now TV, but there’s been radio silence so far.

There are plans for Max to launch in the UK, which could bring The Pitt with it, but that’s not until 2026 — an eon in TV time.

With The Pitt turning out to be such an important television milestone, let’s hope it gets blue-lighted to the UK’s screens stat.