Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinovich is back for another shift in the Pitt, HBO’s hit medical drama.
The Pitt is a medical drama that follows Rabinovich on an all-day shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s ER, nicknamed “the Pitt” by its staff.
The Pitt is the brainchild of John Wells and Noah Wyle, who collaborated together on one of the most popular medical dramas of all time, ER. The Emmy Award Winning show is a hyper-realistic depiction of the medical community and the day-to-day of healthcare workers. The show has been lauded for its ability to handle the nuance and challenges of a post-pandemic world.
Season 2 of The Pitt begins streaming on Thursday January 8, 2026 on HBO Max. Here’s your guide to catching up on all of the cast and characters on The Pitt.
You can watch The Pitt and other great medical dramas on DIRECTV. Get your subscription today!
What is ‘The Pitt’ About?
The Pitt follows the staff of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s emergency department staff as they work a single, 15-hour shift in the ER. Each episode covers roughly an hour of that shift.
The show mainly follows Dr. Michael Rabinovich, known to those around him as Robby, Charge Nurse Dana Evans, second-year resident Dr. Cassie McKay, third-year resident Dr. Samira Mohan and senior residents Dr. Heather Collins and Dr. Frank Langdon.
In the pilot, the staff is welcoming four newcomers: Victoria Javatti, a third-year medical student, Dennis Whitaker, a fourth-year medical student, Dr. Trinity Santos, a med student intern, and Dr. Melissa King, a second-year resident who just transferred from the VA.
Cast & Characters of ‘The Pitt’ Season 2
The Pitt introduces characters and their storylines within the dynamic of one day-long shift.
Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch
Dr. Michael Rabinovich (Robby) is the senior emergency attending physician at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. He’s a skilled, sarcastic and savagely honest doctor who’s still grieving the loss of his deceased mentor, Dr. Adamson, and his own PTSD from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the course of his shift, we see Robby juggle leadership, impossible triage choices and his own burnout all while swooping in at just the right moment time and again.
He commands the respect of nearly all of his colleagues, but Robby is not beloved by the hospital’s administration. Throughout the season, he pushes back on what he deems to be unimportant issues in the face of the medical care that he and his understaffed team are trying to provide.
Over the course of the 15 hours, we learn about Robby’s relationships within the department and how he interacts with everyone throughout the hospital. We see he is a mentor to Frank, a trusted colleague of Dana and a friend of Heather and Jack.
Throughout the season, we see multiple other doctors impress Robby, most notably Mel whose performance during the mass shooting saves the day.
At the end of his shift, Robby has his leadership put to the test when he must confront Frank about his drug habit. Season 2 will rejoin the staff after a considerable time jump after Frank is released from rehab.
Tracy Ifeachor as Dr. Heather Collins
Dr. Heather Collins is a senior resident in emergency medicine at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. She’s known for her ability to handle intense pressure and critical cases.
A senior physician who often serves as the moral center of the department, Dr. Collins wrestles with ethics around patients’ rights, advance directives and how far to push against families and hospital administration.
She and Robby used to be involved in a romantic relationship. Through part of the season, she carries the secret of a past abortion while they were together as she deals with a current miscarriage. Even despite their complicated history, she still turns to Robby in times of need.
Patrick Ball as Dr. Frank Langdon
Dr. Frank Langdon is a senior fourth-year resident at the Pitt. Frank is widely regarded as Robby’s protégé and he’s a favorite throughout the hospital. There’s no one sharper in the role of diagnosing or providing anything that requires emergency medicine, but he’s still abrasive when dealing with other people.
A devastating back injury in his youth made him want to become a doctor. Langdon’s married to his wife Abby, and they have a young son together. He hurt his back once again trying to help his parents move, and at the start of the series, he is weaning himself off of the pain meds.
His skill produces a lot of frustration when others can’t keep up. He works especially well with Mel, his intern, as she’s able to keep up with him while also connecting with patients in a way that he seemingly can’t. However, things are a lot different with Trinity and Yolanda, who he clashes with constantly.
Throughout the season, Frank struggles to wean himself completely off the pain meds, which leads to Robby finding pain med doses in his locker and putting Frank on leave. In season two, we’ll pick up with Langdon’s first day back on the job after rehab.
Katherine LaNasa as Dana Evans
Dana Evans is the charge nurse at the Pitt. Her job is to control the chaos of the emergency department, which she does with a commanding presence and a no-nonsense attitude. She is trusted and often turned to for a whole host of professional and personal issues within the department. In essence, she makes the entire emergency department go.
Dana has 30 years of experience as a nurse and knows more than most doctors. She takes on the role of leader, trusted friend, mentor, and compassionate caregiver all at once for the entire staff. Throughout the season, she toys with the idea of retirement as the emotional toll of the job weighs heavily.
Taylor Dearden as Dr. Melissa “Mel” King
Melissa, better known as Mel, is a second-year resident in the Pitt. She works under Frank and Robby and as a neurodivergent doctor, she brings a unique perspective to the job.
Mel’s twin sister, who’s on the autism spectrum, inspired her to pursue medicine and advocate for autism awareness. She still balances caregiving for her sister with her job ever since her mother passed away.
Before she started in the Pitt, she worked at a VA hospital, which she credits with her ability to maintain perspective. Throughout the day, Mel assists Langdon and Robby with a number of cases. Mel was especially instrumental in dealing with the mass shooting victims toward the end of the season.
Isa Briones as Dr. Trinity Santos
Dr. Trinity Santos is a first-year resident at the Pitt. She’s brash, bold and ready to sling sarcasm at anyone in her path. A former athlete, she doesn’t shy away from confrontation and conflict, which can sometimes get her into trouble by overstepping with her superiors and bristling her colleagues.
When she finds that Whitaker is living in the hospital, she offers him a spare room to live in. She is the one who finds that Frank has been stealing medication. In Season 2, she’ll need to find a way to work together with Frank again.
Supriya Ganesh as Dr. Samira Mohan
Samira is a third-year resident at the Pitt. She’s methodical and empathetic, which makes her a favorite of patients, but she often struggles to operate at the speed her superiors want her to, which earned her the nickname “Slow Mo.”
Samira got into medicine after her father died at a young age. She is dedicated to bringing social justice to the field of medicine, paying particular attention to the outcomes of patients of color and the unique health issues that they face.
She gets along really well with Melissa, but has a rockier relationship with Robby, who looks for her to move faster. She’s still struggling to find her footing in the medical field, as her approach can harm her ability to collaborate with others.
Samira and Mel worked together at the VA hospital. Her attention to detail with patients of color allows her to diagnose sickle cell disease in a patient when others assumed it was drug-seeking behavior.
Fiona Dourif as Dr. Cassie McKay
Cassie McKay is a second-year resident at the Pitt. She’s a former addict working to rebuild her life and balances the demands of being a single mother on top of her work in the ER. Her past allows her to connect with patients in a way that her colleagues can’t.
She is deeply shaped by her past. After losing custody of her son, she got clean, pursued medical school, and is now dedicated to helping people avoid the same traps that she did.
Though McKay and Robbie butt heads, there is a deep mutual respect between the two. McKay has a great mentor relationship with Victoria Javadi, who she takes under her wing on Victoria’s first day in the department.
Gerran Howell as Dennis Whitaker
Dennis Whitaker is a 4th year medical student doing an ER rotation at the Pitt. Whitaker’s from a small town in Nebraska, who left the family farm to try to become a doctor. Though skittish and nervous, Whitaker is devoted to medicine, but is certainly feeling the stress of both the job and the financial weight of his medical school loans.
Whitaker has incredible compassion, connecting with an unhoused patient and helping coax Dr. Robbie out of a panic attack. At the end of the season, Santos finds out that he’s been squatting in an unused wing at the hospital and offers him a room in her place, which he graciously accepts.
Shabana Azeez as Victoria Javadi
Victoria is a third-year medical student is a brilliant academic and the daughter of two doctors. She’s now at a place in her career where she is looking to break free of the pressures of school, the expectations of her parents and the doubts of those who think she is too sheltered. Of course, it doesn’t help that her mother works at the same hospital.
Victoria starts the season working closely with McKay, whose past with substance abuse and current ankle-bracelet monitoring offer a stark contrast from the people she is used to working with. While they experience their missteps, the get along well.
Things are a little icier with Santos. Their personalities are at complete odds in their routine interactions, but when faced with a challenge, their complementary skillsets form a dynamic team.
New cast Members for ‘The Pitt’ Season 2
Sepiideh Moafi as Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi
At the end of the season, Dr. Buran al-Hashimi enters Season 2 as a former colleague of Mel and Samira at the VA hospital. He’s starting a new role as an attending physician at the Pitt.
Watch ‘The Pitt’ on DIRECTV
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the new cast members of The Pitt Season 2?
Dr. Buran al-Hashimi enters Season 2 as a former colleague of Mel and Samira at the VA hospital. He's a new attending physician.
Who plays Dr. McKay's ex-husband on The Pitt?
Dr. McKay's ex-husband Chad Ashcroft is played by English actor Rob Heaps.
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