As The Pitt gets through another shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center during Season 2, the show is preparing to tackle immigration amid a crucial time.
Executive producer John Wells recently recalled his discussion with the execs at HBO about an upcoming episode of the medical procedural drama, which includes an ICE storyline.
“I don’t want to be in a situation where it’s a surprise,” explained Wells to The Daily Beast. “And their response was, ‘Good story. Just make sure it’s balanced, and we’re not just treating the situation as if it doesn’t have other points of view.’”
Noting that the episode filmed in December, shortly after Warner Bros. announced its planned merger with Netflix, Wells felt it necessary to consult the parent company amid the multibillion-dollar deal.
Wells added, “When we first pitched it, I thought, ‘Uh oh,’ you know. I can say that all of us are approaching what’s going on in this country right now with a certain trepidation, and also awareness that there are some possible risks to telling certain kinds of stories.”
Following the killing of U.S. citizen and LA local Keith Porter Jr., who was shot on New Year’s Eve by an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, protests and public outcries have broken out over the fatal ICE shootings of Minnesota’s Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as the death of Savannah, Georgia’s Linda Davis, who was killed this month in a chase involving ICE.
The Pitt has been known to take on some real issues, including gun violence, fentanyl addiction and the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, earning the Emmy Award and Golden Globe for Outstanding Drama Series after its first season.
