The Pitt Creator’s New Show Is NOTHING Like Noah Wyle’s Groundbreaking HBO Max Series

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Published Sep 8, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.

Even though The Pitt co-creator Scott Gemmill has a new show on the way in September 2026, viewers should not come to this series expecting something similar to the hit medical drama from HBO. Even in an era when countless shows in every genre are earning critical acclaim thanks to the rise of streaming services, The Pitt is something special.

Developed by E.R. star Noah Wyle and co-creator R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt follows the understaffed, overworked denizens of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s chronically overrun ER. So far, the show sounds like it shares its premise with countless other ensemble medical dramas from over the decades. However, The Pitt’s ingenious twist is that its story is told in real-time, with each episode following single hour in a consecutive full-day shift in “The Pitt.”

So nicknamed due to its persistent overcrowding, the show’s setting is as vital to its success as The Pitt’s memorable cast of characters. From Gerran Howell’s sweet rookie Dr. Dennis Whitaker to Taylor Dearden’s Dr. Mel King, The Pitt’s protagonists are all well-rounded, compelling characters, and this only makes the chaos and stress of their work environment all the more compelling. This combination has seen The Pitt become one of the most successful shows of the last ten years, although its co-creator R. Scott Gemmill’s next series, NCIS: NY, could not be a bigger departure from the hit.

R. Scott Gemmill Returns To The Police Procedural Genre Amid The Pitt's Success

Gemmill began his Hollywood career working on 1989’s surprisingly solid slasher spinoff Friday the 13th: The Series, one of a rash of horror anthology shows that attempted to cash in on the success of HBO’s Tales from the Crypt. However, he truly found his footing in JAG, working as a writer in the first season and remaining there until season 4. Fans of the long-running procedural NCIS will recognize JAG as the show that spawned the series, before NCIS then went on to spawn spinoffs of its own years later.

After leaving JAG in 1999, Gemmill joined the crew of ER for season 6. While Wyle’s John Carter was the medical drama’s main character from its pilot episode, various cast departures meant that the show centered on Wyle’s Carter even more during Gemmill’s years working on the series. As such, it should come as no surprise that the star and writer reunited to work together on The Pitt, especially when E.R. was nominated for Best Drama Series at the Emmys twice during Gemmill’s tenure on the series.

After E.R., Gemmill moved on to the short-lived Women’s Murder Club, a starry ABC police procedural that blended Agatha Christie-style murder mystery with a story of various female lead characters from very different walks of life working together to track down killers. While the show’s source material of the same name came from bestselling author James Patterson, Women’s Murder Club lasted only one season before it was canceled.

A year later, Gemmill made a triumphant return to the world of network TV procedurals with the NCIS spinoff NCIS: LA. Fittingly enough, given his major role in the early years of JAG, Gemmill ended up turning NCIS’s spinoff into a hit that could rival NCIS itself. Gemmill remained on the show for years, becoming its show runner in season 8 before he began work on The Pitt with Wyle.

Gemmill is now returning to the NCIS franchise to direct the plot episode of NCIS: NY, which will return LL Cool J’s NCIS: LA hero Agent Sam Hanna to his hometown of New York. The show is set to co-star Hawaii Five-O’s Scott Caan as Nick Schaeffer, Sam’s roguish new partner who joins him in his mission to keep the Big Apple safe from international threats to America.

Gemmill's NCIS History Explained

David James Elliott's Harm and Catherine Bell's Mac looking emotional and laying next to each other in JAG

Since Gemmill spearheaded NCIS: LA, the showrunner has plenty of experience with LL Cool J’s franchise legend Hanna. This will come in handy in NCIS: NY’s pilot episode, but Gemmill’s earlier work as a writer for JAG means the creator can also bring the franchise back to its roots with this new outing. Since it has somehow been 29 years since JAG first debuted, the NCIS franchise has changed a lot, making Gemmill’s return a welcome one.

While Gemmill was only the show runner of NCIS: LA for a few seasons, he wrote for all 14 seasons of the series, making him a veritable veteran of the procedural franchise. Admittedly, there are also a handful of NCIS/JAG franchise outings he had no part in, including NCIS itself and NCIS: Tony & Ziva. However, considering the fact that the latter spinoff was canceled after only one season, Gemmill’s decision to steer clear may have been a wise one in that instance.

Why Gemmill's NCIS: New York Involvement Is Very Important For Its Start

The Pitt has proven that Gemmill is not just a master of the police procedural format, but also a legend in the world of medical dramas. While his work on E.R.’s later seasons was seminal, The Pitt’s urgent, grounded reinvention of the medical drama format proves that Gemmill’s style has matured and grown over time. This bodes well for NCIS: NY’s pilot, as its director can update the show's style for a new era.

The spinoff will need to hit the ground running to justify the prospect of yet another NCIS show, especially when NCIS: Tony & Ziva already flopped hard only a year ago. If a spinoff focused on two of the franchise’s oldest fan-favorite characters couldn’t sustain more than a single season, NCIS: NY needs to feel like much more than a mere carbon copy of the original show if the show hopes to last for more than a single outing.

Fortunately, Gemmill’s involvement gives the series everything it needs for a strong start. While securing Caan and LL Cool J as its stars was also important, Gemmill’s direction is likely to prove just as pivotal when it comes to the show’s success. Thus, fans of the NCIS franchise should be glad to hear that The Pitt’s acclaimed show runner is returning to the franchise to direct NCIS: NY’s pilot episode.