HOLLYWOOD—Wow, that is the best term I can use to describe the medical series “The Pitt” on the streaming service MAX. I have not been so captivated by a TV show in years, especially one in the medical arena, because let’s face it, there is a ton. You had “ER” on NBC forever, then you have “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC and its 20 plus seasons in, not to mention, you had “The Resident” on FOX, and currently “Doc” on FOX and a host of other medical series that have come and gone over the time frame of TV.

So, when you hear about another medical show, you ask the proverbial question, “What makes this one different?” “The Pitt” does something I haven’t seen before, it follows a group of doctors, nurses and resident nurses and doctors in training doing a 12-hour shift during a single day of work. Yes, it is riveting to witness, and I found myself hooked after one episode. You have all these characters that just stand out and you want to know their stories and why they behave the way they behave and how difficult it is to work in an industry, where you see so much death and a crisis every time you turn around.

Noah Wyle is fantastic as Dr. Robby. Wyle is potent because many of you know him for his role on “ER” to see the actor back in the foray on TV, as a doctor to say the least is fun. He might be the core of “The Pitt,” but it is an ensemble with fantastic acting across the board. No one person shines more than the other, but I must give it to Wyle because there is a scene at the end of episode 13 that gutted me in the worst ways possible. I’ll talk more about that episode later because it was gut-wrenching.

I’m already calling it now, give Wyle that Lead Actor Primetime Emmy because he deserves it. I cannot recall the last time I witnessed a scene that gave me chills down my spine while I watched it. Wyle’s ability to just cave into this character and showcase all his flaws, the good, the bad, the ugly and just the wicked is amazing to witness on the small screen. He is the nucleus of the series, but what is so enjoyable about this series is that it is an ensemble; all these characters matter and as a viewer you are connected to them all. I love Taylor Dearden as Dr. King.

She is a doctor, but she tends to lack that confidence or conviction that some of her counterparts possess; she questions things when she is on the cusp of the actual answer and right method of treatment. There is Dr. Frank Landon (Patrick Ball), who has some issues he’s battling and can come across a bit arrogant and at times, but you still respect him as a character. There is Dara Evans (Katherine LaNasa), who is the head of the nurses in the ER and works closely with Dr. Robby and many other members of this staff.

I love the feisty and hard ball approaches taken by Dr. Santos (Isa Briones) and Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif); both have interesting backgrounds that have been fleshed out enough to make the audience connect with them. Dr. McKay because she must wear an ankle monitor while at work, and when we get into that backstory, buddy is it a doozy. Dr. Heather Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) is an interesting one, because she seems to have a history with Dr. Robby that is contentious, and you get to see pieces of that unfold.

Then I love the storylines of those just getting their foot into the door and learning the ropes with Javadi (Shabana Azeez), whose mother is a prominent doctor, and she can’t stand that her mom tries to coddle her, instead of allowing her to learn and make mistakes on her own. She faints during a particular scene, but you can understand why. We also have medical student Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell), who just has a devastating death on his day in the ER, and it haunts you as a viewer.

“The Pitt” is intriguing because yah, we know it’s fictional, but if this series is giving us a slice of what the ER could be like, just imagine what the actual ER IS LIKE! I have people who work in the medical arena particularly as nurses and some who have worked in the ER. I’ve heard some stories, and they are crazy, like if I told you what they’ve told me you’d think I was lying, but I am not lying. The medical arena is no cakewalk and it’s for those with tough skin and the show makes you appreciate them that much more.

Rarely do I tout a show unless it is something I find special. This series is special and a hell of a watch, so much so that I binged it in the middle of the night, watching like five to six episodes when I should have been sleeping, but I couldn’t because my brain was so invested in these characters and the narrative unfolding.

I mean a mass shooting, a kid dying after drowning while trying to rescue a sibling, losing a loved one right in front of your eyes and struggling to accept that there is no hope, I can keep going America, I truly can and I don’t even want to, but that is the gripping reality of such a series. That mass shooting one truly got under my skin because I have been in the presence of such as a college student and it’s not a feeling you ever want to experience.

Scarier than you can imagine, and when the acting or situation in a fictional series can make the hairs on your skin rise you know it’s doing something right. The entire first season of “The Pitt” is now airing on MAX, trust me you won’t regret watching it.