Ever found yourself questioning the authenticity of medical dramas? While Grey’s Anatomy is known for its romantic escapades, The Good Doctor sometimes misrepresents autism, and Scrubs dives into outright zaniness. It’s true that not all TV needs to mirror real life. However, the recently released trailer for Max’s The Pitt will make you rethink this by delivering a starkly authentic look at the medical field in the 2020s.

The series employs a narrative style similar to 24, with each of the 15 episodes unfolding over an actual hour of a single ER shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. Adding to the timing intrigue, The Pitt is set to debut next year, coinciding with the five-year mark since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The show’s characters, frontline medical workers, are depicted as still grappling with the personal impacts of the pandemic. Notably, the trailer reveals that Dr. Robby (played by Noah Wyle) experiences a flashback to his coronavirus-related PTSD exactly five years to the day of the hectic shift featured in the show.

The Pitt kicks off with a tense moment as Dr. Robby talks a colleague down from potentially jumping off the hospital’s roof, humorously remarking, “If you jump on my shift, that’s just rude, man.” As the teaser progresses, Dr. Robby finds himself on the ledge, a visual metaphor for the pressure the staff faces. The hospital’s chief remarks on the national nursing shortage, hinting at the intense and escalating pressures as their ER shift advances. Watching the relentless pace and high stakes may be intense for viewers, especially those with firsthand experience of medical crises. Yet, The Pitt demonstrates that the everyday challenges faced by healthcare professionals inherently contain enough drama without needing to add typical soap opera elements.

The Pitt will premiere with two episodes on January 9, followed by weekly episodes every Thursday until April 10.