‘The Pitt’ Confirms Who Is Definitely Returning For Season 2

This article was published on 4/12 and republished on 4/13.

There has been an open question about The Pitt season 2 in terms of which characters are going to return, or whether events of the show may drive some out of the follow-up season. Or, sometimes, how the regular cadence of medicine and rotations will naturally lead to some departures.

Well, there’s some overwhelmingly good news on that front. The Pitt is not leaving it a mystery in terms of who is returning, and those seemingly at the most risk of departing are apparently all confirmed to return. A new interview with series creator R. Scott Gemmill with TV Line says a lot of this explicitly.

Dr. Langdon, despite his diverting, tampering and use of meds in the ER, will in fact return. The time jump of the series is essentially based around how long it would take for him to go through treatment and come back. The new season will be Langdon’s first day back in the ER. That will of course create conflict with Dr. Robby, and also Dr. Santos, which leads to the next part of this.

Even though in a normal situation we might see Santos, Whitaker, Javadi or Mel rotate out, there is confirmation that all will return in some form or another over the course of that season. Here’s Gemmill:

“We’re never going to go to other departments. Because it will be July, everyone has been promoted or graduated to the next level. So, for instance, Whitaker will be an intern next year — so, finally, his character will finally be getting paid. Javadi is going to be doing a sub-internship, and we find out that maybe that’s just her stalling because she doesn’t want to make up her mind about where she wants to go. So we’ll see everybody, for the most part, and some people might be working different hours and different shifts, but it’s pretty much the same crew.”

Dana, who apparently quit in the season 1 finale, will also return. Ten months is enough for things to have been sorted out in her own mind:

“I think if next season were to take place the next day or the next week, you wouldn’t see Dana. I think she needs to take some time off to really talk to her husband, talk about what she wants out of life…. I think when she comes back, she’s going to have a bit of an attitude adjustment, though. She’ll be even less tolerant of bulls—t. She’s going to be much more protective of her flock.”

I didn’t know the show would be spelling it all out in terms of who is returning, but all six characters that were the most at risk are now confirmed to return. That’s rather fantastic, given that all are great in the show, though I do wonder if or how The Pitt season 2 will handle new additions.

Update (4/13): I just finished up reading an interesting interview from Deadline with Patrick Ball, the breakout star who plays Frank Langford, who we have now learned isn’t just returning, but is essentially a huge focus of the season with it being his first day back in in the ER after what was no doubt some sort of rehab/testing program in order to be able to return. Here’s what he said about the nature of all that, namely the debate over whether Langdon is a “drug addict” as he’s accused of being, or if it what his character claims it to be:

Ball: “That’s for the audience to decide. It comes out that Langdon has been self-medicating through the hospital drug supply. He says you’ve got to take him at his word. He says, I’m never high. I’m not high treating my own withdrawal symptoms so that I can do the job that I need to do. But to what extent is that self-maintenance? How much is he taking to fend off withdrawal symptoms? I think that question is still out there and it’s something that I think is better to be wondered about than answered.”

One of the big issues here wasn’t just that he was taking these drugs when he wasn’t supposed to be, he was taking them from the hospital and diverting care directly from patients. He asks Dr. Robby to not report him, but obviously we know that’s not going to happen based on how the season ended. But we know he is back, and the question now is if he will be clean, or just act clean, and if he can make amends and earn everyone’s trust back, as no doubt word will have spread about this ten months later.

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