TV chatter builds once more. Much focused on The Pitt.

I’ve been beating the drum for The Pitt for a good five months now, both in the lead-up to the release of the show and from when the review embargo lifted. And when it did launch… everything around the show just felt a bit quiet.

Were people not into it? Not watching it? I have an alternate theory… I think for a while there we all fell out of the habit of talking much about TV in the way that we were.

If you want a good example of this, look at season 2 of Squid Game. It came back with massive viewership, but the organic conversation around it seemed like a whisper compared to the first season.

But, there does seem to have been a reboot of enthusiasm around TV of late. Last year, following the 2023 Hollywood strikes, the US broadcast shows came roaring back to life quicker than streamers thanks to their factory-like production styles. A year on from that, it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that US broadcast procedurals have a lot more enthusiasm around them than they have for years.

But we’re starting to see green shoots around streaming shows too - Adolescence has obviously been a hot show generating the sort of proper buzz that used to be more common place a few years back. And The White Lotus’ second season has felt exceptionally buzzy.

Which brings us back to The Pitt, a network procedural style TV show made for a streaming environment. That quietness I felt early in has given way to the show now feeling exceptionally buzzy. Maybe it just needed that word of mouth? But maybe also, it just benefitted from everyone talking more about TV again recently.

The show streamed its season finale on Friday, which has generated *so much* coverage over the weekend. A lot of this is the Max/WBD TV marketing teams doing their job, but the interest is clearly there. Don’t dismiss this as THE one to watch at the Emmy awards in September.

From that coverage, there are a few must-reads if you’re into the show.

• TV Line has an interview with Scott Gemmill, Noah Wyle, and John Wells about which characters will be back for season 2. Read: TV Line

• The first 14 episodes of the show have averaged around 10 million viewers each, with around 16 million watching the first episode. That number will increase over the next month or two - this show is a proper success and not just a show that my fellow elites talk up a lot (see: Succession). Read: Deadline

• Shawn Hatosy talks about being part of the show, despite only being there for the bookends of the season. Read: TV Line

• Related: How much of a shock was that character reveal supposed to be in the finale? Read: Radio Times

• Taylor Dearden on starring as a realistic neurodivergent character on TV. Read: Vanity Fair

• Don’t expect a The Pitt universe of shows anytime soon. Read: TV Line

---

News Desk

• James Longman, the EP of The Late Late Show With James Corden, is expected to be taking on showrunner duties for SNL UK. Read: Deadline

• RIP Boston Public star Nicky Katt. He died at age 54 with no details revealed about how he passed. Read: NYT

• Mythic Quest has been canned at Apple TV+ after four seasons. An alternate version of the final episode of season 4 will be released to replace the existing episode, providing closure. Read: Deadline

• There is talk of Apple readying a cheaper and lighter Apple Vision Pro headset. Fantastic. Read: UploadVR

• RIP actor Jean Marsh at age 90. She was credited as a co-creator of Upstairs Downstairs and starred in the series as housemaid Rose. Read: NYT

• Rumours that the Phoebe Waller-Bridge Tomb Raider TV show has been canned after years of development with nothing to show for it. Read: Dark Horizons

• Some Australian and NZ Netflix customers are able to opt-in to a trial to introduce search results powered by OpenAI. Read: The Verge

• Enola Homes 3 has begun production in the UK.

• The Writers Guild of America says the number of TV writing jobs fell by 42% for the 2023-2024 season. Read: Deadline

• With Pamela Hayden leaving the voice cast of The Simpsons, her character voices will be recast. Among them is Jimbo Jones, who will now be voiced by Mo Collins. Read: EW

• Following it’s cancellation by Max, efforts to find a new home for The Sex Lives of College Girls has left the girls homeless. Maybe they can just do it in the car, or something. Read: The AV Club

---

Trailer Park

Weak Hero Class 2 debuts on Netflix April 25.

New school, new friends. Haunted by his past, Si-eun faces harsher brutality but stands by his friends - growing stronger as he finds himself.

---

That’s the newsletter for today.

Consider becoming a paid supporter of Always Be Watching.

Connect with Dan on Bluesky. Connect with Dan on Letterboxd. Connect with Dan on Linkedin. Email Dan @ alwaysbewatching.com or just reply to this email.