TV Talk: CMU grad John Wells sets Noah Wyle medical drama in Pittsburgh; former WTAE forecaster exits TV

Rob Owen | Tuesday, March 26, 2024 2:04 p.m.

Invision/AP

Noah Wyle

John Wells, a 1979 Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama grad, will executive produce “THE PITT,” a Pittsburgh-set medical drama to star his “ER” alum Noah Wyle that received a straight-to-series order from streaming service Max.

R. Scott Gemmill, another “ER” grad, will serve as showrunner of the series that is expected to film in Los Angeles. Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer said she has not been contacted by the production but she would welcome the return of Wells, who shot the pilot for the short-lived CBS crime series “Smith” in Pittsburgh in 2006.

Max ordered 15 episodes of what it describes as “a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.”

The Hollywood Reporter already dubbed this new series “ER 2.0.”

In a prepared release, Wells said he was glad for the opportunity to “return to the world of urban medicine. The myriad of challenges facing the doctors, nurses, technicians, patients and their families who work in the trenches of modern medicine have become only more pronounced in the decade and a half since we last visited their stories. We’re thrilled to be able to return to this world with the support of our partners and are looking forward to pushing the boundaries of dramatic realism and medical accuracy in following the lives of these heroic men and women.”

“THE PITT” marks the third Pittsburgh-set series in the past year to film elsewhere.

Amazon Freevee’s yet-to-premiere “Pradeeps of Pittsburgh” filmed last summer in Toronto. CBS’s upcoming medical/crime drama “Watson” will film this summer in Vancouver, Canada, although it’s expected to come to Pittsburgh to film some exterior scenes to be dropped into episodes, similar to what CBS did with the 2001-04 Simon Baker-starring, Pittsburgh-set series “The Guardian” and 2009-10 Pittsburgh-set medical drama “Three Rivers.” It’s possible “THE PITT” could take this route as well. Publicists for Max, production studio Warner Bros. and John Wells Productions did not respond to inquiries.

????Job Announcement????

I am incredibly humbled to announce that I’m the new Public Information Officer for the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services. I can’t wait to continue serving my community for the second largest county in Pennsylvania! pic.twitter.com/J4fSmIGEty

— Kasey Reigner (@KaseyReignerWx) March 25, 2024

Of local note

Former WTAE-TV forecaster Kasey Reigner announced on her social media channels that she’s left broadcast journalism to become public information officer for the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services. … Jim Britt, former executive director of the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, will join WQED Multimedia as head of partnership solutions, working to build partnerships between the public broadcaster and local and national corporations, arts groups, colleges and other nonprofits. … Sign language game show “SignTasTic!” filmed its 11 episodes in a WQED-TV studio in January 2022 and the first two episodes are now streaming on vsyn+, a streaming service ($6 per month) that features on-screen ASL interpretation on select programs, including “SignTasTic!” One additional episode will debut each Tuesday. … Pittsburgh cartoonist Joe Wos (WQED-TV’s “Cartoon Academy”) will create an activity book tie-in for Andrews McMeel Publishing to the upcoming animated Netflix series “Exploding Kittens,” based on the popular card game. Both the series and the book, filled with mazes and illustrated puzzles, are expected to be released this fall.

Kept/canceled

Apple TV+ renewed Jennifer Garner’s “The Last Thing He Told Me” for a second season.

Netflix renewed Greek drama series “Maestro in Blue” with season two premiering May 16.

Disney Channel has now ordered “Wizards,” a sequel series to “Wizards of Waverly Place,” with original stars Selene Gomez and David Henrie reprising their roles.

Nickelodeon canceled “Erin & Aaron” after a single season.

Channel surfing

“The Golden Globes” awards show will remain on CBS for the next five years and “The American Music Awards,” previously on ABC, will relocate to CBS. … Season three of HBO’s “Euphoria” has been delayed until 2025 at the earliest. … Keith Urban will join season 25 of NBC’s “The Voice” as a “mega-mentor.” … Nicole Kidman will reprise her role in season two of Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers.”