The season finale of Max’s critically acclaimed medical drama The Pitt season 2 will be released in early 2026, so audiences won’t have to wait too long to see where the story goes from here.

What separates The Pitt from other great medical dramas is its ability to weave such intricate character work and dynamic relationships into a show that’s extremely clinical in its depiction of hospital life. The episodic storytelling means that patients are constantly coming and going from the ER, but these brief subplots are often just as engaging as the overarching arcs of the main characters. This is a huge testament to The Pitt’s cast, and it’s something the show needs to keep in mind if it’s going to run for as long as projects like ER or Grey’s Anatomy.

7 Will Jake Forgive Dr. Robby For Not Saving His Girlfriend?

The Doctor Needs To Overcome His Guilt To Repair The Relationship

Perhaps the most emotional storyline from The Pitt’s final few episodes was Dr. Robby’s inability to save Leah, the girlfriend of his ex-partner’s son Jake. Throughout the season, Noah Wyle’s protagonist was set up as a father figure to Jake, with the pair joking about Robby being replaced by Leah as Jake’s plus-one to the Pitt Fest concert. This banter takes on a much darker tone when Leah is shot at the festival, and Dr. Robby fails to save her life despite countless attempts.

This incident couldn’t have come at a worse time for Dr. Robby, who was already struggling with the guilt and chaos of the work around him. Hearing Jake blame him for his girlfriend’s death was the final straw that triggered his breakdown at the end of The Pitt episode 13. In the closing moments of the finale, Robby tried to reconcile with Jake, but the teenager pushed him away again. This dynamic will hopefully play a much larger role in The Pitt season 2, with Jake realizing that Robby did everything he could to save Leah.

6 Will Dr. Langdon Go To Rehab (Or Keep Practicing Medicine?)

Patrick Ball's Character Needs To Make An Important Decision

Dr. Langdon is one of The Pitt’s most complex characters; while he seems like a very charming authority figure who’s got a better handle on his work than most of his colleagues, it’s soon revealed that he’s harboring a dark secret. As Trinity Santos quickly works out, he’s been stealing drugs from the hospital to self-medicate his own withdrawal symptoms. This resulted in a huge fight between Langdon and Robby, in which the latter ordered his colleague to go to rehab.

This conflict will surely escalate in season 2, but for now, it’s still unclear whether Langdon is ready to accept that he has a problem.

However, the Pitt’s finale made it clear that Langdon didn’t want to risk his medical license by letting Robby expose his secret. Not only did he plant the seed with Dana that Robby is mistaken, but he even subtly threatened his attending physician by reminding him that a nurse had seen his breakdown several episodes prior. At the very least, he pulled a whataboutism, and while he's not wrong about Robby's hypocrisy, Robby still isn't wrong about his substance abuse. This conflict will surely escalate in season 2, but for now, it’s still unclear whether Langdon is ready to accept that he has a problem.

5 Will Nurse Dana Come Back To The ER In The Pitt Season 2?

The Nurse Expressed Her Desire To Get Away From The Hospital

There’s been no official confirmation about which characters will return for the show's second season, but The Pitt has been teasing Nurse Dana quitting for the past few episodes. After she was assaulted by a patient at the end of episode 9, Dana struggled to keep up with the pressure that she was under as the ER’s veteran charge nurse. She even its to Langdon in the finale that she thinks she’s getting too old for the work.

However, Dana doesn’t correct Dr. Robby when he says “see you tomorrow” at the end of the episode, leaving the door open for her return in season 2. The nurse is clearly still unsure whether she’s able to carry on, but if she does come back next season, that would be the perfect opportunity for The Pitt’s writers to continue the show’s ongoing commentary about the nationwide hospital staffing shortage - which is contributing to much of Nurse Dana’s stress.

4 Will Santos & Langdon Overcome Their Feud?

The Two Doctors Need To Learn To Work Together

The relationships between The Pitt’s characters are easily the best part of the show, and for the most part, they offer a wholesome change of pace from the death and trauma that surrounds them. But while the chaos of the ER helps cultivate plenty of strong friendships between the colleagues, it also triggers some entertaining rivalries, namely, between Dr. Santos and Dr. Langdon.

The pair have been on each other’s backs since the season began, with Santos immediately taking issue with Langdon’s cocky behavior and ive aggressiveness. Equally, Dr. Langdon wasn’t too happy with Santos’ overambitious nature bordering on disrespect and her lack of proper procedure, which caused the pair to butt heads on several occasions. They’re two of the biggest personalities in the show, and it will be interesting to see how their respective storylines affect the dynamic between them.

3 Will The Pitt ER Be Bought Out By The Hospital Management Company?

Gloria Seems To Be Pushing For The Business Decision

While this question is only brought up briefly in The Pitt’s first season, it’s something that may become increasingly important as the show progresses. The Pitt deals with several real-world problems, one of which is the crippling lack of funding for hospitals across the country. This is shown through several different areas of The Pitt, such as Dana’s inability to control the waiting room and the lack of blood transfusions when the Pitt Fest victims start rolling in.

Early in the show, the hospital’s chief medical officer (CMO) Gloria reveals to Dr. Robby that a large management company is looking to buy out the ER. The pair clash over the idea, with Gloria affirming that it would be a good business decision while Robby understands that it would likely decrease their rate of care for patients. This will almost certainly come into play in season 2, particularly given how much the doctors struggled to treat all the Pitt Fest victims.

2 Will All The Student Doctors Return?

Javadi And Whittaker Seemed Put Off By The Pitt Fest Shooting

As mentioned, the official cast for The Pitt season 2 hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s fair to assume that most of the student doctors will be coming back to complete their rotation at the hospital. However, there have been several hints throughout the first season that certain individuals may not make it through their studies.

The first season of The Pitt is available to stream on Max.

The most obvious candidate to withdraw from the program is Javadi, who explicitly stated in the finale that she wasn’t sure she wanted to continue practicing medicine after such a stressful and emotionally horrifying first day in her ER rotation. Whitaker also seemed very shaken during Robby’s end-of-day speech, and his financial situation could make it difficult for him to keep coming to work and continuing his medical studies.

1 Will Robby And Collins Get Back Together?

The Show's Central Romance Could Take A Turn

Although Collins was absent from the final episodes of The Pitt’s first season, the prospect of her reunion with Dr. Robby is among the most exciting things about the show’s renewal. There were several moments in the first season that hinted at their romantic past, from the other nurses gossiping about them to Collins directly revealing that she was once pregnant with Robby’s child. This feels like far too much set-up to keep them apart much longer.

The romantic relationship between Robby and Collins ultimately fell apart because neither was ready for such a strong commitment, largely because Robby was emotionally distant because of the stress of his work. These are problems that both characters spent time overcoming in The Pitt’s first season; Collins’ heartbreak at her miscarriage proves that she may be ready for a serious commitment, and Robby’s conversation with Abbott proves that he’s trying to improve his workplace mentality. If they can overcome these obstacles, their romance will be perfect.