4 Things 'The Pitt' Actually Gets Right About Pittsburgh

When it comes to American TV shows, there exists a seemingly insurmountable pressure to portray famous U.S. cities as authentically as possible. The reason? It certainly isn’t for the benefit of studio executives; rather, it’s to keep viewers (especially that particular city’s denizens) satisfied with the portrayal of the place they call home. And while HBO’s breakout medical drama The Pitt — which kicked off its second season on Jan. 8, 2026 — could use some room for improvement (especially with nary an infamous Pittsburgh “yinzer” accent in sight), it certainly pays homage to the City of Bridges in some standout ways.

TV shows that stake their claim on certain urban hubs do so with varying results. The same is true for the tried and true genre of the medical procedural. For example, Seattle’s denizens in Shonda Rhimes’s Grey’s Anatomy universe have endured every cataclysmic event under the sun, but the only reason we remember where it takes place is the odd mention of the Space Needle once every few years. On the other hand, ER (the oft-mentioned spiritual predecessor of The Pitt which gave the latter’s current star, Noah Wyle, his breakout role as ER’s Dr. John Carter in 1994) made Chicago an integral part of the groundbreaking network show’s very soul. Sure, The Pitt isn’t the metaphorical equivalent of Kate Winslet’s Philadelphia dialect in Mare of Easttown, but its exercises in authenticity are something any Pittsburgher can appreciate.

‘The Pitt’ Perfectly Encapsulates the Look and Feel of Pittsburgh

Unlike shows that are set in world-renowned cities but fail to take advantage of what makes them unique — things like one-of-a-kind architectural styles or local color — The Pitt does its best to immerse viewers in its dreamy skylines and misty atmosphere. A major part of this is due to the fact that a number of scenes used as establishing and action shots were filmed on Pittsburgh’s North Side, where Allegheny General Hospital (colloquially known as AGH), the inspiration behind The Pitt’s fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center (known on the show as PTMC for short), is actually located.

The decision to forgo stock footage for the real deal definitely earned its payoff, especially in an early scene featuring Dr. Jack Abbot (Shawn Hatosy) and main character Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinovitch (Wyle) on the roof of the AGH at dawn. Set against a somehow dappled yet dreary color scheme, these shots cast a tonal pall, foreshadowing the show’s ongoing ruminations on life, death, and everything in between, all the while reifying Pittsburgh as a perfect setting for the show’s overarching themes.

HBO’s ‘The Pitt’ Spotlights Steel City’s Marginalized Communities

Supriya Ganesh as Dr. Samira Mohan, who treats a patient with sickle cell disease.
The PittHBO Max

When it comes to The Pitt, HBO’s prestige medical drama doesn’t just rely on name-dropping famous Pittsburgh staples like sandwich shops and supermarket franchises — it makes sure to represent Pittsburgh’s diverse demography, too. A minor subplot in Episode 1, Season 1 (“7:00 AM”) centers on figuring out what language a particular patient speaks in order to get her a translator. In the end, they figure out she’s an immigrant from Nepal — a nod to Pittsburgh’s growing refugee population.

The Pitt also doesn’t shy away from more sordid topics like racism, such as a subplot in Season 1, Episode 2, titled “8:00 A.M.,” in which a Black queer female patient diagnosed with sickle cell disease is dismissed as a drug-seeking substance abuser, rather than a person living with unimaginable pain due to her condition. While this is merely one example of a problem endemic to U.S. healthcare, the fact that many parts of Pittsburgh’s now-gentrified North Side were historically black neighborhoods lends another layer of destabilizing yet much-needed poignancy.

‘The Pitt’ Highlights Pittsburgh’s Important Contributions to Medicine

Taylor Dearden as Dr. Mel King in The Pitt.
HBO Max

As Dr. Mel King (Taylor Dearden) notes in The Pitt’s first season, the second-year resident was inspired to transfer from the city’s VA hospital to PTMC’s ER (eponymously nicknamed “the Pitt.”) As she explains, it was all thanks to the medical care her sister, who she described as having “special needs,” received at one of the city’s top-notch medical centers.

Indeed, Pittsburgh is renowned for its cutting-edge medical research. One of its greatest examples is the work of Dr. Jonas Salk, a virologist whose years-long research into polio strains at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (now the renowned UPMC healthcare system) resulted in the polio vaccine in the mid-1950s. The vaccine ultimately saved millions of lives, and spared would-be patients from intensive and traumatizing medical treatments, such as the iron lung. Though PTMC is portrayed as understaffed and overloaded — issues which hospitals across the country routinely face — it still manages to pay its respects to the city’s continued dedication to healthcare and research-based advancements.

‘The Pitt’ Honors the City’s Best Kept Secrets

Unlike shows that are set in cities but don’t take advantage of the local culture and color, The Pitt does its best to include insider info any Pittsburgh native will immediately recognize. The procedural pays much more than lip service to the universally beloved Pittsburgh native and children’s show host Mr. Fred Rogers, culinary institutions like Primanti Bros. (where your side of fries is famously turned into a sandwich topping), to the vast Frick Park, the home of rapper Mac Miller’s Pittsburgh-inspired album title “Blue Slide Park,” acres of greenery, and historical cemeteries.

As the Pittsburgh-centric podcast City Cast further explained:

[Other] references are slipped [into the show] so subtly that you could easily miss them: someone in the waiting room wearing a Giant Eagle uniform top, a sommelier patient who works at Altius, mentions of biking in Frick Park and table tennis in South Park, someone needing assistance outside a Fine Wine & Good Spirits, and even plugs for Wholey’s, Mister Rogers, Iron City, Primanti’s, and Rivers Casino.

Not only did these serve as delightful Easter eggs for those in the know, but they gave a non-Pittsburgher’s a glimpse into the small delights that make its residents so fiercely protective of their beloved metropolis.

As a no-holds-barred medical show, HBO’s The Pitt might not be for the faint of heart, but regardless of whether you’re a born-and-bred yinzer, or merely a fan of prestige television with a stellar cast, this medical drama continues to prove that it’s certainly a show worth watching. Disagree with this assessment? Think we nailed it, or did you spot a glaring omission? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

The Pitt is currently streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes released every Thursday.