The Pitt And Doctor Odyssey Couldn’t Be More Different But Share The Same DNA
Upon first glance, the acclaimed real-time emergency room Max series “The Pitt” and the ridiculous but joyous ABC cruise ship soap “Doctor Odyssey” seem like two completely different, polar opposite ends of the medical drama subgenre. “The Pitt” was created by “ER” producer R. Scott Gemmill and follows the emergency room team at a fictional Pittsburgh hospital in a deeply realistic way, with each episode representing one consecutive hour on the same difficult day. It’s not just a great medical drama, but one of the best new dramas in recent memory. Meanwhile, “Doctor Odyssey” was created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken, and it’s like Murphy’s “Nip/Tuck” meets “The Love Boat,” including unique celebrity guest stars each week. It’s the kind of glorious camp that fans have come to expect of a Ryan Murphy project, with themed guest weeks and plot points like shark attacks and doing emergency surgery in the middle of a hurricane.
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These shows might seem utterly at odds, but there is one thing that connects “The Pitt” and “Doctor Odyssey” rather deeply — their head doctors.
Noah Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch of “The Pitt” and Joshua Jackson’s Dr. Max Bankman of “Doctor Odyssey” are both exactly the kind of doctor you’d want taking care of you in a crisis. Despite both being traumatized by their experiences related to COVID-19, they are incredibly competent, kind-hearted, and charming silver foxes played by former ’90s heartthrobs.
Dr. Max and Dr. Robby are great leaders in tough situations
Whether they’re trying to solve the medical mystery of pseudo-zombies on a Halloween cruise or dealing with the fallout of a mass casualty event, Max and Dr. Robby are whom both the team and the viewer look to for guidance. Both the doctors and the actors are extremely good at what they do with years of experience that help them (mostly) keep their calm in the middle of absolute chaos. In our disorderly world, their leadership can feel extremely reassuring, and it’s nice to tune in for an episode and trust that no matter what happens, the handsome doctor with greying hair and gorgeous eyes is going to take care of everyone as best he can. It’s honestly part of what makes watching “M*A*S*H” comforting, and both Max and Dr. Robby share DNA with that show’s head surgeon, Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, played by Alan Alda.
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An important detail these men share is that there are cracks in their slightly sarcastic veneers, as they use humor to hide the fact that they’re all deeply traumatized. Over the course of the first seasons of “The Pitt” and “Doctor Odyssey,” we learn that Dr. Robby lost his mentor to COVID-19 and worked on the front lines through the worst parts of the early pandemic, while Max actually was one of the earliest near-casualties of the virus and he was in a coma as a result. Each has the symptoms of PTSD because of it, with anxiety, panicked reactions to specific triggers, and a tendency toward risk-taking. They’re not perfect superheroes but are very human heroes with relatable flaws despite their unrelatable lives.
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These doctor daddies help make good TV great
Here’s the thing about both “Doctor Odyssey” and “The Pitt”: everyone involved clearly understands the assignment. On “The Pitt,” everyone works together as an incredible unit to deliver one of the most medically accurate shows of all time, giving audiences a taste of what it might really be like to work in an emergency room. On “Doctor Odyssey,” escapism is the name of the game, with The Odyssey’s captain (played to perfection by “Miami Vice” star Don Johnson) reminding Max on a fairly regular basis that the most important thing on the ship is maintaining the fantasy of a dream vacation.
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Both Wyle and Jackson are perfectly cast and know exactly what to bring to their characters. They know when to brood, when to put on the charm, and when to let themselves be vulnerable, experiences they earned in their many years on all kinds of television dramas. These two have been breaking hearts since they were young heartthrobs on “ER” and “Dawson’s Creek,” and it’s great getting to see them each lead a series that caters to their talents. “Doctor Odyssey” might be pure popcorn entertainment, and “The Pitt” is truly prestige television, but they’re both great at what they do, and Wyle and Jackson each play a huge role in making these shows spectacular.
