"The Pitt" stars are all over Pittsburgh
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Allegheny General is Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center on the set of "The Pitt" this week. Photo: Chrissy Suttles/Axios
"The Pitt" crew is winding down a busy week of filming in Pittsburgh, shooting scenes at an old-school North Side eatery Thursday and leaving a few clues about what's coming next season.
Catch up quick: Noah Wyle (Dr. Robby) and other stars of HBO Max's critically acclaimed medical drama returned to the Steel City this week to film exterior shots for the show's third season.
Zoom in: Filming locations included Allegheny General Hospital's exterior and LifeFlight helipad, along with Max's Allegheny Tavern, which closed Thursday for production.
- Crews filmed scenes with Taylor Dearden (Dr. Mel King) and, later, Wyle and Shawn Hatosy (Dr. Abbott) in front of Allegheny General Thursday. They also shot a scene of Dr. Robby running along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.
- Production built a makeshift homeless encampment beneath I-279. Wyle told reporters Monday the new season will explore federal health care cuts and homelessness. Writers drew on Pittsburgh's longtime street medicine program, Operation Safety Net, to develop the story, Wyle said.
What they're saying: Dr. Brent Rau, medical director of emergency medicine at Allegheny General, has become something of a sounding board for Wyle, whose character, Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, holds a similar role on "The Pitt."
- Rau has also helped cast members pronounce medical terminology — though Wyle, he said, rarely needs the assistance.
- "Noah doesn't need any help. He's been an ER doctor longer than I have," Rau joked, referencing Wyle's years on the medical drama "ER."
Fun fact: Dearden and Patrick Ball (Dr. Langdon) also stopped by the Fort Pitt Museum for a live musket demonstration — right up history buff Langdon's alley.
Context: Allegheny General inspired the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, but most of the Pittsburgh-set show is filmed on a California soundstage.
- Still, the show is full of Pittsburgh nods — and even the occasional flub that locals are all too happy to catch.
The bottom line: We asked Rau for his take on Axios Pittsburgh's debate about which neighborhood Dr. Robby calls home.
- "I'm gonna say he grew up in the South Hills, and moved here (to the North Side) because his whole life is here — probably the School House Apartments or one of these small homes nearby."