“Did you see on ‘The Pitt’…?” It’s becoming a regular refrain after the HBO Max medical series airs Thursdays.
Each episode, set in a fictional Pittsburgh hospital, becomes a scavenger hunt of familiar yinzer treasures.
The most recent included references to the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings and Zambelli Fireworks. Others have included Primanti Bros., the Hill District’s Freedom House Ambulance Service, Mister Rogers and broader regional nods to Monroeville and Westmoreland County.
Whether you are in Southwestern Pennsylvania or simply hail from this corner of the Keystone State, there is something about seeing those familiar breadcrumbs pop up that delivers a small, unmistakable rush.
Is this what it feels like to be from Manhattan or Los Angeles, where so much is set and where local color becomes shorthand for America overall?
“The Pitt” is not the first foray into a Steel City spotlight. “Watson“ draws less attention, but it similarly uses Pittsburgh’s rebirth as a hospital town to fuel a medical procedural that owes more to “House” than “ER.” A decade ago, “This Is Us” sparked another hometown must-see-TV moment.
This isn’t just recognition. It’s representation.
There is a difference between being noticed and being seen. One is being among the dozen names an author thanks in the acknowledgments at the back of a book. The other is sharing credit on the cover.
There is value in seeing yourself reflected in something being shown to the world — especially when that something is earning the kind of popular and industry praise that “The Pitt” is garnering. In some ways, it’s like a little girl watching Sally Ride go into space and realizing that is a dream she can have, too.
Pittsburgh is a proud city, steeped in important accomplishments that too often can be painted over with the black-and-gold brush of team spirit. Southwestern Pennsylvania loves its sports teams, but it is also so much more, in so many ways.
Being represented on screen in moments that are ordinary, extraordinary and sometimes simply in the background allows the city to become another character. You can root for Pittsburgh, fall in love with it, get mad at it and empathize with it.
This representation is earned through the city’s medical landscape, along with the cultural and historic tidbits dropped along the way. When Pittsburgh is represented, its people feel seen.
