The Best Books, Movies, Video Games, and Podcasts to Check Out After Watching 'The Pitt'
The Pitt is a classic case of taking an old premise and making it feel brand new.
Dramas that pivot off the life and death stakes of a hospital or emergency room have been around for decades, but The Pitt— initially conceived as a direct sequel to one of the greatest medical dramas of all time, E/R —has perfected the mix of realism, real-time pacing, and great character work.
It's justifiably been a sensation since its debut in 2025.
If your whole week revolves around new episodes of the series, that leaves you with a lot of time on your hands in-between—and, soon, a long wait until the third season.
To fill some of that void, you can peruse this list of other TV shows you should check out .
And if you want to expand beyond TV, here are the books, movies, games, and podcasts that can deliver similar themes and vibes.
With its unusually long season (compared to most other modern series), focus on character, and slow-burn themes, The Pitt is pretty novelistic.
Here are some of the best books that will give you the same feel.
Based on Adam Kay’s personal experience working on the obstetrics and gynecology ward for the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS), the adaptation of This is Going to Hurt starring Ben Whislaw is on our list of shows like The Pitt.
It’s great, but it’s also different from the source in many ways.
Kay’s book is less bitter and more urgent, taken directly from his diary entries and featuring more of his sardonic voice.
If you want a more unvarnished, absorbing, and powerful look at the challenges that doctors and nurses face every day of their careers, give it a read.
If your favorite parts of The Pitt are the big moments like season one’s mass shooting event, you’ll find Five Days at Memorial the perfect read (its adaptation is also on our list of TV shows for Pitt fans).
When Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in 2005, the hospitals there faced a challenge beyond anything imaginable.
Fink’s book dives into the experienced of people working at Memorial Medical Center, who struggled with a deluge of desperate patients, shrinking supplies, and impossible medical decisions made under the worst possible conditions.
