The cast and creators of ‘The Pit’ tease season 2. Star and executive producer Noah Wyle said he has finished filming 10 of the season’s 15 episodes.
Weil, who won an Emmy for her role as Dr. Robbie, told me Sunday at the Rape Treatment Center and Stuart House annual brunch at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. “We obviously set a very high bar for ourselves. We’re now competing with our own shadow.”
Regarding the pressure to live up to the success of Season 1, Weil said, “I feel like the show has become a popular show in the sense that it’s become a popular show, but then it’s become a lighthouse show where people watch it to reaffirm their own humanity and to remember that there are still people out there who are selflessly dedicated to picking up the broken parts of us.”
Season 2 will take place over the 4th of July weekend. “Our prosthetics team is working overtime,” Wiley said. “We have a little treat for you. It’s Independence Day weekend. Americans hurt themselves in all kinds of ways.”
Katherine LaNasa, who won an Emmy for her role as Nurse Dana, said just reading the script can be difficult. “A lot of it is very unpleasant, disturbing (and) heartbreaking.”
she continued. “Sometimes it’s really painful experiences, like death, or really sad experiences I’ve had in my life, and sometimes they’re shockingly grotesque and really difficult to read.”
Wiley also said that there will be no celebrity guest stars in season two, saying, “We’re not that big of a show, but everyone we have is great.” “Kathy Sandrich won this year’s Emmy for Best Casting, and it’s no surprise. Everyone she brings to our show is fully committed. You know, it’s no longer some kind of speculative adventure. Everybody on the show knows what they’re getting into, and everyone is fully committed.”
Executive producer and director John Wells said “The Pit” will continue to tell stories focused on the U.S. health crisis, but will not veer toward politics. “What we’re most proud of is being able to dramatize what’s actually happening in the medical world, and with Medicare changes, rural hospital closures, and the fact that many hospitals are under tremendous pressure, things are only going to get worse,” he said. “If I could contribute even just a little bit to raising awareness of the extent of the crisis we are in in the medical industry…the situation is not getting any better, in fact, it is only getting worse.
“I think we have to step away from the politics and just tell the human stories, because the reality is that we tend to think about politics from 10,000 feet up. The human stories, what’s actually happening to people, is really right in front of us,” he continued. “It’s very human, it’s very emotional, it’s very specific. If we just tell the real story and don’t try to get into politics, if we just talk about what’s going on, we’re not really subject to accusations of anything.”
When asked if friends and family are seeking medical advice from her now, LaNasa smiles. “People think I’m an expert on compassion,” she said. “I had a friend who had to take her mother to the emergency room, and she called me and said, ‘I just want Nurse Dana.’
Taylor Dearden, who plays Dr. Mel, said: “I get a lot of emails about swelling in weird areas and I’m like, ‘I don’t think that’s necessary. I can’t help you yet.'”
Mr. Wiley returned to co-host the charity at UCLA Health Medical Center after first doing it about 25 years ago when Mr. Wells and his wife, Marilyn, introduced him to the organization while working in the ER. This time, she was joined by her “The Pit” co-star Katherine LaNasa and several of her castmates.
RTC consulted on the upcoming storyline for Season 2. “They were invaluable in helping us prepare for Season 2,” Wiley said. “This is the most realistic portrayal of that procedure and that process that has ever been portrayed on television, and I really hope that it honors the work they do in rape treatment centers,” LaNasa said. “Your legacy is who you are, so by appearing at events like this, you set an example for the world of how to be an actress and say yes to things that are important to people.”
Patrick Ball, Sean Hatosy, Supriya Ganesh, Sepideh Moafi, Katherine Ranasa, Noah Wyle, Shabana Azeez, Taylor Dearden and Jaelan Howell at the Rape Treatment Center and Stuart House Annual Brunch held at the Skirball Cultural Center on October 26, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo credit: Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty Images)
Variety (via Getty Images)
In the afternoon, $2 million was raised and a live auction was held. One item, Magic Johnson’s use of the Crypto.com Arena suite during a Los Angeles Lakers game, sold twice for a total of $55,000.
For more information about the Rape Treatment Center and Stuart House, visit uclahealth.org.
