Warner Bros. Television has fired back at a lawsuit filed by the estate of Michael Crichton, calling the claims “baseless” and asserting that their upcoming medical procedural, The Pitt, is an original show distinct from ER.
In a statement, Warner Bros. said, “The lawsuit filed by the Crichton Estate is baseless, as The Pitt is a new and original show. Any suggestion otherwise is false, and Warner Bros. Television intends to vigorously defend against these meritless claims.”
The lawsuit alleges that executive producer John Wells and star Noah Wyle created The Pitt after the Crichton estate blocked their plans to reboot ER. The lawsuit states, “The Pitt is ER. It’s not like ER. It’s not kind of ER. It’s not sort of ER. It is ER with the exact same executive producer, writer, star, production companies, studio, and network as the planned ER reboot.”
However, insiders argue that the similarities between ER and The Pitt are limited to both being set in an emergency room and featuring Wells and Wyle. They emphasize that The Pitt will explore different themes and have a distinct tone compared to ER.
The show will take place in Pittsburgh, contrasting with ER’s Chicago setting, and will feature no recurring characters or familiar elements from ER. Additionally, The Pitt will consist of 15 episodes, shorter than ER’s typical 22-episode seasons, and will tackle more explicit themes due to its streaming platform, Max.
John Wells explained to Variety that streaming allows for more adult storytelling. “You can tell medical stories that reflect what really happens in hospitals and how people interact with the healthcare system,” he said.
Wells initially approached Warner Bros. TV to revisit the medical genre in the post-COVID era, focusing on the changes in hospitals and emergency rooms. After negotiations with the Crichton estate fell through, the producers decided to create a new medical show without the ER franchise.
Medical procedurals are common in television, with Chicago Hope airing opposite ER when it premiered.
Wyle stars in The Pitt, which follows “frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.” The first episode will be written by R. Scott Gemmill, who will executive produce alongside Wyle, John Wells, and others. Warner Bros. Television is the studio behind the project.
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