‘The Pitt’ Guest Stars Are My Favorite Part Of The Show

I’m afflicted with something that even Dr. Robby’s proficient hands couldn’t treat — an insatiable need to pause The Pitt when I see a familiar-looking patient or loved one, pull up IMDb to confirm where I recognize them from, and say to myself: “I knew it.”

In Season 2, fans delighted in seeing Amanda Schull of Suits and Center Stage fame play Gretchen, a woman who supports her ex-husband through a medical mystery. Depending on your TV habits, you might have recognized Dr. Robby’s friend Duke as the landlord Remy from New Girl — or Joe, a gang leader who meets a very violent end on The Walking Dead (to name a few roles on a very long resume). And most recently, I practically whooped when Max Adler, who played Dave Karofsky on Glee, appeared in the March 19 episode as Ralph, the friend of a belligerent golfer.

On the one hand, sure, that’s how acting works — people from one thing will generally appear in other things. But there’s something about how The Pitt uses its visiting actors that feels uniquely compelling. The gritty, real-time nature of the show often lends itself to surprising performances — meatier than you might expect from a traditional guest spot. And there’s an art to casting experienced performers who aren’t so overexposed that they break the realism of the immersive emergency-department setting.

Fiona Dourif and Amanda Schull in The Pitt.HBO Max

As Cathy Sandrich Gelfond (who, with Erica Berger, won The Pitt an Emmy for Outstanding Casting) recently told Backstage, “I think the secret sauce of the show is that we don’t know these people.” The casting director explained that the team tends to opt for actors who are a little “less known” over movie stars. So, it’s all the more exciting to spot them amidst the show’s chaotic day in the life — cheering them on as they get their due and flex their skills in a new playground.

HBO Max

The love goes both ways. “To finally be recognized for the work that you put in, there’s nothing better than that,” Ernest Harden Jr., whose career spans a whopping five decades, recently told The Ringer of his heartbreaking turn as “frequent flyer” Louie Cloverfield.

Though her screen time was short, Schull wrote on Instagram that appearing on The Pitt was a “privilege and absolute delight.” She added, “I truly don’t have enough kind words to capture how amazing my experience was with the sensational cast and crew, led by a true mensch among men.”

Sure, it’s fun to pat yourself on the back for correctly ID’ing a guest star (proof that all the TV you’ve watched was for something), but it’s even more satisfying to know that the actors derive so much joy from their visit to The Pitt.