Many fans believe that The Pitt lawsuit spearheaded by the Crichton estate, which oversees the ER series, is overblown. The suit filed in August 2024 by Sherri Crichton, the widow of ER creator Michael Crichton, claims that Max’s new hit medical drama is too close to ER. It sues Noah Wyle, the actor for Dr. Robby (and for ER’s Dr. Carter); Scott Gemmill, the creator of The Pitt; executive producer John Wells; and Warner Bros Television for breach of contract, among other claims. However, followers of the show think the suit’s accusation that “The Pitt is ER” is wildly off.
Fans believe The Pitt lawsuit is “dumb” and “petty”
Viewers of The Pitt find that the lawsuit from ER’s Crichton estate doesn’t make much sense, since the format for both shows is different even though they are both in the medical drama genre.
Commentors reacting to the lawsuit on Reddit say the claim that The Pitt is an ER reboot is a stretch, with one writing that it is “crazy weak.” The suit describes The Pitt as “ER complete with the same executive producer, writer, star, production companies, studio and network as the planned ER reboot.”
Fans write that it’s clear the show isn’t canon to the ER universe and the fact that Wyle stars in both shows is not strong enough of a connection. One commenter says “The Pitt isn’t ER the Pitt is 24,” noting that The Pitt’s real-time format, where every episode is one hour of a 15-hour shift, clearly separates it from ER. Others have called the lawsuit “petty,” “greedy,” “gross,” and “a money grab.”
Wyle admits that there was an ER reboot in the works that would have starred John Carter when he was in his 50s, per Variety, but talks between Warner Bros. Television and Sherri Crichton fell apart. Still, Max was still interested and so they reworked the concept. The lawsuit has made Wyle feel “profoundly sad and disappointed” and says that “on the 30th anniversary of ER, I’ve never felt less celebratory of that achievement than I do this year.”
Despite the pending lawsuit, Max has already greenlit the second season for The Pitt, which is expected to arrive in January 2026.
