Ranking 'The Pitt's 7 Best New Characters on the HBO Max Drama

Created by R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt has become the best new medical procedural drama, continuing to rack up awards. With many real-world topics dropped into the series, the hit ensemble series has given viewers an hour-by-hour look into the high-stakes, high-stress medical world. The Pitt is a raw examination of how the individuals who put everything on the line to save lives maintain their sanity when curveballs get tossed their way. For Season 2, The Pitt has introduced a handful of new characters working in the emergency room. We're going to rank the best new characters based on the first batch of episodes.

7 James Ogilvie

Played by Lucas Iverson

Part of working in a teaching hospital is putting your skills to the test as your hands-on experience is actually present to save lives. But what happens when you try to show off so hard that you end up making mistakes? You get fourth-year medical student James Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson). Overly ambitious and desperate to be liked, Ogilvie, the resident "gunner," is the type of individual who doesn't think before he acts. Or speaks. While you want to be a step above your peers, Ogilvie is unafraid to belittle and correct his equals. It's not a good look, at all. Though karma came back to hit him straight in the chest in the form of a shart.

Played by Lucas Iverson, Ogilvie is this season's Dr. Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) in a sense. Like the brilliant Santos, Ogilvie is desperate to jump at the chance to perform. It's fitting that he's been paired with her, as she might be able to help guide him toward a redemption arc. Though we're waiting for him to learn bedside manners. Easily the most fascinating relationship he has in the ER is with the beloved Dr. Dennis Whitaker (Gerran Howell). The intern has come into his own, using the experience he gained under Dr. Robby to put Ogilvie in his place. Not hurt, but help.

Ogilvie is not the most well-liked character, and Iverson is a bit surprised at the reaction from the fans. "I'm really relieved that it has sparked as much discourse as it has, and kind of shocked! What I can tell you is I hated him for a long time. I would get the scripts and I would understand in theory what it was. For the first few episodes, I remember feeling that I was missing some key component of him — that I understood how he was but not necessarily all of why he was," he told Gold Derby. "Eventually, I got a better picture of why Ogilvie is in the story that he represents, and I think that that’s a really current conversation politically and topical in our world. Then I had sympathy, and that opened my heart to him." Iverson has teased that the fans may finally come around to Ogilvie. Fingers crossed!

6 Dylan Easton

Played by Becca Blackwell

While the doctors and nurses are on the front lines trying to help the patients who waltz into Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center's emergency room, it's the individuals who come in next that sometimes have an equally hard job. Social workers are often put in some of the most difficult situations. Just look at Dylan Easton. Sporting a man bun, Dylan comes to the ER when Kylie (Annabelle Toomey), a little girl with a chin laceration, bruises, and blood in her urine, required further examination when the doctors feared that there could be some nefarious instances happening at home. A concerned Dylan did not want to rule out an abusive home, though it was eventually revealed that she suffered from immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

One of the most important castings of the series, Dylan is played by transgender actor Becca Blackwell. Though we don't know Dylan's identity, charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) refers to Dylan by they/them pronouns. Last season, our resident social worker was Kiara Alfaro (Krystel V. McNeil) swung by often. Has she left? According to Gemmill, she's not gone, just not on shift. It's a logical explanation as it reflects the industry and high turnaround at hospitals.

5 Noelle Hastings

Played by Meta Golding

Every now and then, in between treating patients, some of the staff of PTMC find the time to engage in social conversations. Some even subtly flirt. This season, it appears that the person for Dr. Robby might be new nurse and case manager, Noelle Hastings (Meta Golding). Noelle first arrives to inform Dr. Robby and Dr. Cassie McKay (Fiona Dourif) that their patient, Allen Billings (Michael Cognata), was ineligible to receive surgery as his insurance only covers treatment at Westbridge Memorial. McKay is none too pleased, walking away. But her departure allows for some subtle relationship between herself and Dr. Robby to ignite. He plans on leaving on his motorcycle that evening, but she wants to know why he can't leave in the morning, clearly intimating that she may want one last night together. If you had any doubts if they were a thing, Dourif thinks, "they're boning." To make matters worse, Dana pops over, greets her coldly and asks if she knows what she's doing. Dana is protective over Dr. Robby. She later returns to help Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) address the Diaz family's mounting medical bills.

Played by Meta Golding, Noelle is a very important character this season on multiple levels. First, when it comes to Dr. Robby, she serves as a new element to his persona. Dr. Robby's personal life was briefly explored during Season 1, but now, we have further insight that ten months later, whatever was happening with Dr. Heather Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) is over. There's still time for Noelle to woo Robby before he departs. The most important element of Noelle's character is her becoming the mouthpiece for real-life conversations regarding the American health insurance situation. She does a strong job spelling out the reality of hardships revolving around the red tape without becoming preachy. She shows great empathy toward the Diaz family, doing everything she can to pull strings. Her approach to being the bearer of bad news is angelic, making her a really likable character.

4 Dr. Caleb Jefferson

Played by Christopher Thornton

Robby is our central character, so anyone who revolves around him is crucial to the story. Robby has some deep-rooted issues that he's discussing in therapy, but they don't seem to be taking. Luckily, while he's working, Dr. Caleb Jefferson (Christopher Thornton) is around to try to help ground him. With a calming demeanor, Caleb is the attending psychiatrist at PTMC. When any of the doctors call, Caleb comes by providing necessary psychiatric evaluations. A brilliant man, his ability to assist through his expertise and resources is of great assistance. He does come by more often than you might think, but that's the reality of a busy emergency room.

Christopher Thornton does a remarkable job as Caleb. Though he is primarily there for the patients in the ER, it's his connection with Robby that is some of his best moments. He knows that Robby needs an ear. While we don't know how long they've worked together, Caleb has Robby clocked. He knows that in the high-stress environment, Robby needs a quick chat. Conventional therapy isn't working for him, so that's where Caleb comes in. "He's coming up against what a lot of physicians face, which is really hard for a doctor to be a patient," Wyle told The Hollywood Reporter. And that's why Caleb serves as a confidant with experience rather than a doctor.

3 Joy Kwon

Played by Irene Choi

One of the new class of medical students is the dry and confident Joy Kwon (Irene Choi). A third-year, Joy has a vast knowledge of medicine, particularly pathology and infectious diseases, that leans toward the macabre. Perhaps a trend with the new kids, Joy has little interest in patient care, often clashing with her superiors. But hey, that's what hands-on experience is meant for. Joy hadn't been more than a fun source of side comments until she came to the rescue when the ER went black. Her photographic memory came in handy when she was able to memorize the board and translate it onto the dry-erase board. As much as her cynicism rubs some of her mentors the wrong way, they have to temporarily accept it because she saved the day.

What makes Joy such a fascinating character is the performance by Irene Choi. She brings a strong understanding of the character who sees the job in a way of education rather than practicality. Luckily, having Whitaker guiding her, she might learn how bedside manners are equally important. That said, she just might not like working in the ER due to her dislike of being round people who are dying. A foil to Ogilvie, Joy is already impressing the room, but we should keep an eye out for whether her detached exterior will crack. She's got a bit of Santos in her in the sense that she uses her comments to protect her.

2 Emma Nolan

Played by Laëtitia Hollard

For the most part, the new kids on the block are the doctors, but for Season 2, The Pitt welcomed a fresh-faced nurse by the name of Emma Nolan. A recent nursing school graduate, Emma is a deer-in-headlights type of individual. Perceived as a tad naive, Emma is getting to experience everything she learned by being tossed to the wolves. Literally starting her time at PTMC on the Fourth, her day begins with an abandoned baby and a homeless man with maggots under his cast. Let's just say, she wears shock on her face quite well. She's quite nervous about working in this fast-paced world, and it shows. This was on full display when she was tasked to take blood from Joy, only to fumble the blood sample causing it to be run over by the gurney.

Emma is a unique character on The Pitt because she's an enigma. Why? She's not confident. There are certainly individuals who have trepidation at times, but they mask it well. Not Emma. And in a sense, that's what makes her endearing. She is terrified of messing up or getting wrong, so she overprepares. And by doing so, that's when the mistakes come in. Thankfully, with Dana as a mentor, one rough first day might likely be her last. Played by Laëtitia Hollard, the actor and character seem to be one and the same. Speaking to The Cap Times, she revealed that she was very shy at first but felt welcomed when co-star Taylor Dearden, who plays Dr. Melissa King, ensured the cast and crew pronounced her name correctly.

1 Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi

Played by Sepideh Moafi

The ER is run by Dr. Robby, but with his sabbatical only hours away, someone needed to step in. Welcome Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi). If Robby is the face of the classical approach to medicine, Dr. Al-Hashimi is the face of the future. A future that this emergency room may not be prepared to shift toward. Not all at once, at least. The new attending has some prior working relationships with some of the staff, namely Mel and Samira. They can vouch for her, as Robby is a bit skeptical about how aggressive she is. Rather than serve as a shadow, she goes all-in in bringing her approach and style. She is the new attending after all. This bothers Robby, who refuses to see her as an equal. A major factor in their tension is her willingness to allow Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) to come right back into the fold while Robby prefers to continue his punishment.

Her progressive and modernization techniques in the medical field come with some issues. She has a very specific way that she likes to run her emergency department. First, is the introduction of the patient passport. Brilliant in concept, terrible in practicality. Especially when you have desperate patients taking it as gospel. For the doctors, rather than spending time charting, she wants AI to help. Santos, who is in trouble for being behind on her charts, is apprehensive, and is proven correct when the AI gets one of her patient's charts entirely wrong. But fret not, Dr. Al-Hashimi gets reemed out for it. But her reliance on technology comes crashing down when the system blackout forces the entire building to go analog. At least she's there to teach the children about the wonders of a fax machine!

More composed, emotionally restrained, and analytical, Dr. Al-Hashimi brings a brand-new energy to the screen. It's thanks in part to the brilliant performance coming from Sepideh Moafi. Both attendings are great at what they do, but because they are so confident in their mindset, they cannot see eye-to-eye. Because Robby knows they don't have to work together, he's not invested in establishing a solid relationship with her. Yet, he does not want to come back three months later to an unfamiliar emergency department. This newfound top doc tension is exactly what The Pitt needed.