Healthcare cuts, ICE and AI: 'The Pitt's' creator on telling authentic stories in Season 2

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R.Scott Gemmill, the creator and showrunner of “The Pitt,” has always felt comfortable in a hospital.

He initially had ambitions of going into medicine — he studied gerontology, which explores the processes and problems of aging, and did some volunteer work at hospitals.He also took a nurse assistant course.

“I really thought I was going to try and get into a med school,” he said recently while seated in the recognizable lobby of the show’s fictional hospital set on the Warner Bros.lot in Burbank.

“I just wanted to have a job and medicine seemed like there was always going to be a need.I’m comfortable in a hospital.

I wish I followed through on a certain level because I loved that ability to go in and solve problems.But my writing kicked in and that’s it — I never went back.”But in TV land’s school of medicine, Gemmill has gone far.

He did a rotation at Chicago’s County General Hospital, joining the writing staff of NBC’s popular medical drama “ER” in its sixth season.And now his turn at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, through HBO Max’s “The Pitt,” has been a breakout success, revitalizing the medical drama genre with a fresh spin on the format — each episode tracks one hour in a shift — and energizing its audience with a traditional weekly rollout.

The Emmy-winning series returned Thursday for its second season that revolves around a shift on the Fourth of July.But the fireworks arrived well before that, with HBO Max announcing on the eve of the show’s premiere that the drama has been renewed for a third season.

In the hiatus before shooting began on this season’s finale, Gemmill, whose other TV credits include “Jag” and “NCIS: Los Angeles,” talked about the show’s momentum heading into the new season, navigating how personal to get with characters, and introducing a new doctor to the mix.1 2 1.

Noah Wyle as ...