After The Pitt’s victory at the Emmy Awards and taking home the highly coveted Outstanding Drama Series win, as well as Outstanding Lead Actor for Noah Wyle and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Katherine LaNasa, HBO chief Casey Bloys revealed at the post-Emmy party via Deadline that there are “a couple shows that we are developing,” hinting at more projects modeled after the hit medical drama.
In another interview with Variety, Bloys shared more information regarding the plan. While many fans anticipate a spinoff based on The Pitt, the head of the network revealed there are no discussions for this yet; instead, they are focused on bringing new and original series with the same structure as The Pitt:
When we decided to move forward with “The Pitt,” the idea was we’re going to try this, and we’re going to develop other shows in this model. They don’t have to be a spinoff. But that model, I think “The Pitt” showed that it could work for us. So we’ve been developing other types of shows: a cop show, a family show, etc. We will be developing those and trying to do it again.
The prospect of The Pitt spinoff may not happen in the near future, as Bloys also remarked that their main focus is on the original show and the upcoming series that are brewing at the headquarters.
HBO Wants to Follow Up The Pitt’s Success With New Series Instead of Spinoffs
The immense success of The Pitt was something the network did not expect. Wyle once revealed that he decided to return to the medical drama genre because he wanted to shine a light on the issues of healthcare and the well-being of first responders who worked tirelessly during the pandemic.
The latest series draws significant comparison with ER, another medical show from 1994, where Wyle also starred. Despite the lawsuit drama, The Pitt received critical acclaim and created its own legacy. Bloys said in the same conversation with Variety that the warm reception from fans proved “that the model could work in streaming.”
This became their anchor in deciding to create new shows following the same model. It seems quite evident that they aren’t interested in helming a “night shift” version of The Pitt; instead, they want to venture into other genres, such as action and family drama.
Why The Network Is Making the Right Call & Why The Pitt Doesn’t Need Spinoffs
Producing spinoffs is a very daunting and risky endeavor, especially when the original show has set the bar too high. HBO not considering at the moment to follow up The Pitt with a series that isn’t focused on Wyle’s Dr. Robby Robinavitch could be a good call. While other characters have gained fans’ interest, it doesn’t seem practical to shift the focus to a supporting cast.
The Pitt is a gem in its own right, but it would be better for HBO to strike while the iron is hot and create more original series across various genres that follow the same model as the medical drama show.
What kind of new series would you like to watch from HBO? Let us know in the comments!
The Pitt is currently available to watch on HBO Max.