The best shows like The Pitt are ER, Code Black, Chicago Med, Nurse Jackie, Grey's Anatomy, House, The Knick, New Amsterdam, The Bear, 24, Station 19, and Scrubs. Each one puts people under real pressure, and most of them are set in a hospital.
The Pitt follows the emergency department staff at a Pittsburgh trauma center through a single shift, with each episode covering about an hour of it. R. Scott Gemmill created it for HBO Max, and Noah Wyle stars. It won Outstanding Drama Series at the 2026 Emmys for the second year in a row, and HBO Max has renewed it for a third season. If you need something to watch until then, start here.
Emergency rooms under pressure
The staff of the emergency room at Chicago's County General Hospital handle one crisis after another. Michael Crichton created it, and it ran on NBC for 15 seasons. Noah Wyle starred in it long before The Pitt, and The Pitt's creator and producers worked on ER too, so this is the closest match.
Doctors in an overcrowded, understaffed Los Angeles emergency room try to keep up when there are more patients than beds. It's based on Ryan McGarry's 2013 documentary, and Marcia Gay Harden stars. If you like The Pitt's chaos, this has plenty of it.
The doctors and nurses at a Chicago hospital handle one emergency after another. Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead created it as part of the Chicago franchise on NBC. It's a good pick when you want a long run of episodes.
Edie Falco plays Jackie Peyton, an emergency department nurse in New York who's struggling with a drug addiction. It ran on Showtime and mixes the drama with dark comedy. It's a sharp look at the toll the job takes.
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More hospital dramas with real stakes
Surgical interns and residents train at Seattle Grace Hospital. Shonda Rhimes created it for ABC. It leans more on the personal lives than The Pitt does, but the cases still hit hard.
Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant and difficult doctor who leads a team solving medical mysteries. David Shore created it for Fox. Each episode is a race to figure out what's wrong before it's too late.
Clive Owen plays Dr. John Thackery at a New York hospital in the early 1900s. Steven Soderbergh directed it for Cinemax. It's the pick if you want hospital drama with a period setting.
Ryan Eggold stars in this NBC drama set at a New York hospital. It's based on Eric Manheimer's book Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital. It's a good pick if you want a hospital drama that started as a book.
The same pressure, outside the ER
Jeremy Allen White plays Carmy, a chef who comes home to Chicago to run the chaotic kitchen at his late brother's sandwich shop. Christopher Storer created it for FX on Hulu. The kitchen feels as loud and tense as The Pitt's emergency room.
Kiefer Sutherland plays counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer, and each season covers 24 hours in real time. Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran created it for Fox. If The Pitt's hour-by-hour format is what hooked you, watch this next.
The firefighters of a Seattle fire station take on emergencies and each other. It's a Grey's Anatomy spin-off created by Stacy McKee for ABC. It has the same mix of emergencies and crew drama.
Zach Braff plays J.D., an intern at a teaching hospital, and the show fills the hard days with fast jokes and daydreams. Bill Lawrence created it. It's the pick when you want a hospital show that makes you laugh.
Where to start
If you want the closest match, start with ER. For another crowded emergency room, watch Code Black. For the real-time format, go with 24, and for a break from all the tension, watch Scrubs.
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Frequently asked questions
ER is the closest match, and Noah Wyle starred in it before The Pitt. Code Black and Nurse Jackie are set in busy emergency rooms, too. For the real-time format, watch 24.
Yes. The Pitt reunites Noah Wyle with producers who worked with him on ER, and both follow the staff of a busy emergency room. The Pitt tells each season as a single shift, with each episode covering about an hour.
Yes. At the 2026 Emmys, The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series for the second year in a row. Noah Wyle also won lead actor in a drama for the second year in a row.
Yes. HBO Max renewed The Pitt for a third season in January 2026.
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