Even among a slate of exciting January releases, The Pitt season two stands alone as one of the most anticipated shows of the not just the month, but the entire calendar year. As is its right: The first season of the HBO medical drama blew away audiences and critics alike with its highly accurate, often gruesome depictions of the modern hospital landscape and stellar performances from a cast that includes veteran ER doctor/actor Noah Wyle, earning heaps of praise and more than a few Emmys in the process.
Now, after months of waiting, The Pitt has returned. Season two promises much of the same medical procedural on nitro drama as the previous installation; set on one of the most dangerous days of the year (July 4) and predicated on the same episode-per-hour-of-the-shift premise as the inaugural season, it features a rotating cast of new and old faces, helmed by the inscrutable Wyle, while almost undoubtably commanding the same pop-cultural phenomenon status as last season.
As much as its medical realism and superlative acting, The Pitt is powered by excellent production. The show takes great pains to build a narrative through realistic, detail-heavy wardrobing; while scrubs may dominate much of the show’s overall look, the personal accouterment and accessories worn by the cast proved both highly insightful and emotionally resonate (read: the show’s “Beers of the Burgh” hoodie went viral) with a wider audience.
Every Part of “The Pitt” Was Brilliant, Right Down to Dr. Robby’s Watch
In a medical drama praised for its accuracy, a rugged Seiko sticks the landing“Every costume in The Pitt is curated in detail to create the character’s unspoken story before the actor even utters their first word,” said costume designer Lynn Paolo, who has stayed on for the second season; Wyle parroted the sentiment in a recent social interview with GQ, suggesting a form-over-function attitude was the driving for his character’s wardrobe: “I remember thinking, I can’t put any more thought into this than Robby would put into it on a given Tuesday.”
As if to prove this very point, the establishing sequence of the second season opens with Wyle’s Dr. Robinavitch cruising a Pittsburg interstate, sunglasses on and backpack slung precariously low, high school jock-style. Much has been made of the fact that the shot lacks an important piece of furnishing — always wear a helmet — and it serves and a masterclass in visual communication, a warning sign for the character’s psychic state long before the news of Robby’s imminent three-month solo soul-searching sabbatical breaks.
As with episode one on the whole, the opening minutes are immediately engaging, a instant recognition that this season will be a continuation of form. But as I sat watching emergency thoracotomies and uncertain prognoses, I was mostly consumed by another another early costuming choice, a question that’s had me ruminating since the minute I saw it: maybe, just maybe, did Dr. Robby buy his badass li’l jacket on Depop?
This may sound like a joke, but, given The Pitt‘s deft costuming, history of committing to “real world” trends in the show and the heavy implication of a midlife crisis for the good doctor, it feels, at least at face value, entirely plausible.
The outerwear in question, a boxy, dusty brown hooded bomber-style jacket, looks suspiciously similar to the hoards of vintage workwear jackets that have taken runways, TikTok and, subsequently, online resale platforms by storm, and Recent Axios polling cites demand for secondhand workwear styles increasing nearly 1000% year over year. And is it crazy for a senior attending physician to be dripped out in some vintage Carhartt? Could this even be a version of a hotshot Japanese label Auralee’s viral hooded jacket?
Realistically, the answer is…probably not. I’ve identified the style in question as a much more recent and more reasonable drop; dubbed the Workhorse Hoodie, the quilted canvas hoodie was released by San Francisco-founded menswear label Taylor Stitch a few seasons back. (The jacket is currently out of stock, although you can still find a few sizes floating around.)
Given the brand’s reputation for tasteful-meets-functional everyman apparel and Dr. Robby’s affinity for hardwearing designs, it’s a totally plausible, timeline-sound pickup, and probably more aligned with Robby’s character than Auralee’s viral hooded jacket. Nor is the workwear jacket the only utilitarian Easter egg in the season two premiere.
Eagle-eyed Redditors were quick to take notice of the charming cozy forrest-hued fleece that Dr. Robby wears through much of the episode, identifying it as a de-badged — the style stoic-championed practice of removing any tagging or embroidered logos from a garment — version of the highly practical Patagonia Better Sweater Fleece Jacket. (For interested parties, the style is similarly OOO in the “Torrey Pine Green” colorway, but available in a variety of other natural colors.)
What can be deduced from this plainclothes zip-up? And will a second season deliver more reckoning with TikTok trends? Only time will tell. Episodes of The Pitt season two are now being released weekly on HBO’s streaming service, or if you’re more interested in cribbing Dr. Robby’s big hog energy, check out a smattering of similar workwear styles below. Just wear a helmet.
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