After The Pitt’s Controversial Exits, 6 More Characters Who Deserve Bigger Stories In Season 3

The Pitt is currently several months into the latest hiatus, and the Emergency Department of PTMC is going to look very different when season 3 arrives on HBO Max. Supriya Ganesh was cut from the ensemble as Dr. Mohan, just one season after Dr. Collins was unceremoniously written out between seasons. Add on the fact that Shabana Azeez may have less screentime in season 3 as Javadi, and it's worth looking at more of the cast members who deserve bigger stories for their characters.

The format of the show means that cast members can rotate in and out, depending on the length of the time jump and their role at the hospital. One season covering one shift even means that the night shift doctors only appear in a few episodes per season, despite the characters being popular enough that Noah Wyle weighed in on the possibility of a night shift spinoff of The Pitt.

Dr. Collins moving on after her fourth year of residency made sense in-universe for Tracy Ifeachor's absence in season 2. Gloria Underwood, PTMC's chief medical officer, and social worker Kiara Alfaro missing season 2 can be explained as the characters having the 4th of July off. Even Javadi's reduced role in the ED in season 3 tracks with the time jump, and The Pitt went to great lengths in season 2 to justify how Dr. Langdon could come back to PTMC after he was caught stealing drugs.

All of that said, Dr. Mohan's arc didn't end with any kind of closure for the character, and the time jump is short enough that she should still be in her fourth year of residency at PTMC. The explanation for Mohan's absence in season 3 wasn't received well by fans who were unhappy about Ganesh being cut from the cast. Now, since Mohan's absence has been confirmed, and Javadi's new role has been outlined, there are still several other characters who deserve meatier material than they got in season 2.

NP Donnie Donahue

Donnie received some major character development off-screen between seasons 1 and 2, with the reveal that the nurse had become a nurse practitioner. The character, played by Brandon Mendez Homer, had more to do as a caregiver in the NP role. He also delivered some of the best laughs of the second season after he was paired up with Langdon. Their buddy comedy dynamic was a fun break from the stress of the rest of the ED, before Langdon ultimately returned to his own major storyline.

The Pitt usually handles nurses with more respect than medical dramas like Grey's Anatomy, which generally treats nurses more like glorified extras than key members of a medical team. In fact, the episode that focused on the nurses dealing with Louie's death was one of the best of season 2. Dana is often the only nurse who gets a lot of attention, and her duties as charge nurse mean that she's not as hands-on with patients as Donnie. Plus, there aren't many nurse practitioners in primetime, so Donnie really does hold a unique position that deserves to be explored more.

Nurse Perlah Alawi

Perlah is one of the most hands-on nurses in the ED, but that doesn't stop her from taking time to gossip in Tagalog with Princess. She was pivotal during the mass casualty event of season 1, and even stepped up (albeit reluctantly) as charge nurse after Dana was assaulted. The character, played by Amielynn Abellera, stepped up even more in season 2, and she had one of the most touching reactions to Louie's death. Princess' reduced role in season 2, which was due to actress Kristin Villanueva's real-life pregnancy, also meant that Perlah had time to shine on her own.

The Pitt has barely delved into who Perlah is beyond her abilities as a nurse. She dropped a few details about her family in season 1, and season 2 touched on her faith when she was treating a Jewish patient. There's just a sense that there's more to Perlah than fans have seen so far, and Abellera rose to the occasion when she got meatier material a few times in season 2. There's no reason why The Pitt can't have fun with her and Princess' dynamic while also giving Perlah more to do.

Nurse Emma Nolan

Emma Nolan was the least jaded member of the entire PTMC staff at the beginning of season 2, as it was her first day on the job after nursing school. She went through the wringer over the course of her first shift, and was even brutally attacked by a patient. Emma never broke down, however, and she was key to getting the sexual assault victim to open up to Dana. The Pitt was also actress Laëtitia Hollard's first TV role after graduating from Juilliard, and she held her own opposite veteran actors like Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa.

The Pitt has a potential storyline all set and ready to go after how season 2 ended, if the writers intend to pick it up. She was still enthusiastic by the end of her shift, and it would be interesting to see whether her perspective has changed after four months in the ED. Most of her shifts presumably weren't as traumatic as her first, but season 3 could explore whether she has become more jaded over the time jump, or how she avoided it.

Dr. Mel King

While Mel technically did get a substantial ongoing storyline in season 2, Taylor Dearden didn't have much to do with a lot of the material for the first half of the day shift. Her best moments involved the arc with her sister, but the season still ended without letting Mel really react to the full situation with Becca. She skipped right from anger to acceptance of the situation, and the story just fizzled out by the end of the season while characters like Robby, Dr. Al-Hashimi, and Langdon got emotional climaxes to their arcs.

Season 2 ended on a positive note for Mel connecting more with her coworkers. The bond with Langdon seems to be developing into a genuine friendship, and her relationship with Santos could be warmer after their post-credits karaoke outing. The finale did drop the hook that Mel might have to do another deposition; ideally, that would happen during the time jump, so Mel won't just get the same story all over again in season 3.

Dr. John Shen

If The Pitt has one character who became a fan favorite without actually having that large of a role, that character would be Dr. John Shen. The night shift attending, played by Ken Kirby, kept a cool head even during the mass casualty event in the first season. Instead of visibly struggling with the same kinds of emotional turmoil that have affected other doctors, the problem that phased Shen the most in season 2 was when there wasn't any goodbye cake for Dr. Robby. He's charming, he's collected, he's an excellent doctor, and he loves his iced coffee.

That's enough to make him a fan favorite, but the show hasn't shed much light on him beyond those qualities. The episodes with night shift and day shift overlapping are always entertaining, and it's possible that The Pitt switching formats for season 3 will mean more of Dr. Shen and the rest of the Nightcrawlers. Dr. Ellis moving to day shift for the new season means that fans probably won't get much of them as a dynamic duo, but perhaps there will be time for Dr. Shen to get more focus than as just the doctor who runs on Dunkin'.

Dr. Crus Henderson

Dr. Henderson was a new addition to the night shift in season 2, and his work as senior resident was calm enough that Dr. Abbott described it as "Crus control." He's clearly a capable doctor, with Abbott Elementary's Luke Tennie proving that he can handle drama as well as the comedy of Quinta Brunson's sitcom. Henderson works so well with others that Robby's interpersonal skills look much worse by comparison.

The Pitt obviously isn't going to follow up on his offer to help Mohan, but Henderson will likely still be part of the ED team in season 3. The time jump of just four months means that he'll still be in his final year of residency, like Ellis, Langdon, and (off-screen) Mohan. With only three episodes of season 2 to his name, The Pitt could do pretty much anything with him moving forward, and Tennie fit right in with the rest of the cast.

There are, of course, many characters who deserve meaty storylines, but large arcs are practically already guaranteed for Robby, Langdon, Dana, and Dr. Al-Hashimi. The Pitt continuing to explore Langdon's recovery as a major plot likely means Santos' story will be closely tied to his, and Whitaker will have plenty to do if Robby continues to favor him in the ED.

Dr. McCay hasn't gotten the most A plots during the first two season, but she does get some of the most emotional storylines. Dr. Ellis' move from night shift to day shift could be a storyline all on its own. Other characters just don't have the same kinds of guarantees.