The Pitt Set the Blueprint in Nuanced Character Work With Only Four Episodes

I cannot think of the last television character I felt instantly attached to quite like The Pitt‘s Jack Abbot.

It doesn’t hurt that one of my all-time favorite actors, Shawn Hatosy, portrays him, but truthfully, it’s so much more than that.

As someone who profoundly enjoys character-driven stories or just vibrant characters, The Pitt expertly does something that many series struggle to do even when they have the time to do it: they nail the execution of multifaceted television characters.

What’s remarkable about this series is that even guest stars, those characters who barely have screen time, have such rich characterization and gravitas that they linger in your mind.

On most shows, background characters and extras are just that: placeholders and fillers rounding out a scene, warm bodies to create a larger arc, or focus on a more pronounced character.

In most series, there’s a clear line between characters who “matter” and those who don’t.

But The Pitt isn’t like that in the least. They treat everyone, from those leading the charge and at the forefront to guest stars and individuals with minor roles, with the same respect. Because of that, the storytelling is far richer, resonant, and even immersive.

When I’m watching The Pitt, I don’t feel like I’m tuning into a series so much as a (not-so) quiet observer holding up the wall and watching the action unfold before my eyes.

The patients, other staff members, and others feel real, and they casually feed us bits and pieces about so many of them that feel as natural as getting to know a real person.

I literally talk about these characters like they’re real people in my life, and that, my friends, is the mark of the best form of character-building.

Ironically, The Pitt’s strongest, most multifaceted, compelling character of the series isn’t even someone who has been there for the full 15 episodes, thus having the full season for the show to flesh out.

Pitt’s most deeply rich character, a true stalwart for impressive character work — so much so that he should be the blueprint — is Jack Abbot.

We don’t spend much time with Abbot during The Pitt series premiere.

Our introduction to him is that he’s coming off a tough shift. He finds himself standing on the rooftop in a precarious position, which gives us a striking amount of insight into his mental well-being and what the particular job does to him.

The natural chemistry between Abbot and Robby in those moments leads us to believe that they’re close friends, at the very least, the type of brothers-in-arms where they’ve likely experienced some serious things together, working alongside or passing each other.

Even when Abbot disappears for the remainder of the series, his presence still lingers as we understand why someone could find themselves decompressing on a rooftop after a purely chaotic shift.

The thing is, you don’t even realize how impactful Abbot is as a character until he strolls in during the mass casualty event, and as a viewer, you find yourself as relieved as Robby.

Because even when Abbot wasn’t around, little throwaway lines give us insight into his character and how incredible of a doctor he is. Offhand, we learned he fudged some paperwork to help a woman seeking an abortion.

Bits and pieces about Abbot are so casually tossed in, establishing who he is as a character and a person, that by the time he returns ahead of the shooting, he feels far more familiar than one would expect.

His and Robby’s reunion feels like the Dream Team coming together to “rock that shit,” and that’s precisely what happens. We spend the remainder of the season watching Abbot “cowboy” through traumas and procedures.

Initially, The Pitt didn’t outright tell us he was a combat medic. One of the best aspects of this show is that it doesn’t insult the intelligence of its audience.

But he rolls in with all the energy of a combat medic, a camo backpack, and a kickass go-bag that impresss his colleagues and has him MacGyvering his way through some of everything.

He knows when to take charge when necessary while comfortably playing second to Robby.

His way of practicing medicine is thrilling, full of adrenaline, impulse, and the type of creativity that comes from real-life experience rather than a textbook.

It’s not too long that we spend with him before we surmise that he uses humor as a coping method for pretty much everything. In fact, Abbot is the funniest character in the series.

He has wisecracks and sardonic humor for days.

Humor is one of the shared traits of the entire Pitt Night Shift crew, as they add a bit of levity to everything, even when the series is at its most intense.

With Abbot, we notice all of these fun details, like his antagonistic relationship with Walsh, which could imply they were involved at one point or that they simply get off on driving each other mad.

Abbot practically has an unspoken bond with Dana, as the two spend more time shooting each other looks and silently communicating than outright doing it when it comes to their friend’s quiet unraveling.

One of his most badass moments, donating blood from what we now know is his one good leg while saving a patient, only reveals how much he lives from the thrill and action.

He’s a guy who has to keep going and be in everything; fast-paced action is where he thrives, which is most likely why he enjoys the night shift in the first place.

But it also makes us ponder if he uses the action and intensity of working in the ER to distract himself from the quiet, haunting thoughts that could befall him when he’s not distracting himself.

The series never has to tell us all of these little things about Abbot outright, yet we can piece them together anyway. They click into place, giving us the full picture of this character puzzle.

The Pitt’s season finale gave us the strongest Abbot episode yet. The levity he offered throughout the final hour of the series was instrumental in helping viewers and his colleagues’ wind down from the devastation not long before.

He hawk-eyed Robby the whole way through, very in tune with Robby’s fraying mental state, and covered for him throughout, ensuring that Robby didn’t have to face scrutiny during his dark moments.

He stepped up, served as a leader, and filled the cracks where Robby couldn’t. Their brotherhood culminated in that full-circle moment on the rooftop when he talked things through with Robby and revealed, in the process, that he’d been familiar with therapy well before he actually acknowledged it shortly after.

By the time the series matter-of-factly reveals that this hilarious, badass, trauma-aware combat veteran is also an amputee, I’m gleeful. It’s just such satisfying work. It’s easily some of the best disability representation I’ve seen onscreen in a while.

The casual nature of the reveal adds more layers and context to such a complex character, but it’s at the end after we’ve gotten to know him. His status as an amputee doesn’t in any way define him because he’s already been so wonderfully defined.

It’s merely another layer to his character. The writers craft that moment so well, and it’s then that my level of enthusiasm over this character reached new heights.

Jack Abbot is a testament to The Pitt’s ability to excel at character building, and it exemplifies how effortlessly a series can do that within only a few episodes.

We’ve only spent time with this character for four episodes, not including his introduction in the premiere. With roughly a quarter of the screentime of most of The Pitt’s primary players, he somehow walked away as one of the most layered and evolved of them all.

I’m obsessed with this series’ ability to do that, especially since I frequently lament underdeveloped characters on television series.

I haven’t even had the man for a full season, and he’s already one of the greatest characters of all time in my book.

Over to you, Pitt Fanatics. Are you an Abbot Fanatic, too? Let’s discuss this below.

Watch The Pitt Online

TV Fanatic is searching for passionate contributors to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.