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With hit medical drama The Pitt finally available to watch in the UK on HBO Max, leading man Noah Wyle has shared some tantalising insight into its future beyond season two

The Pitt’s Noah Wyle has delivered an exciting update on the third season of HBO’s smash-hit medical drama.

He also teased his hopes for the future of the drama, hinting it could run “forever” if audiences are still tuning in.

Wyle portrays Dr Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch, a senior attending physician working in a crowded and underfunded emergency room in Pittsburgh.

Throughout each season, Dr Robby, along with a team of doctors, nurses, and medical students, experience a single 15-hour shift, with the second instalment taking place during a busy 4th of July.

The former ER star was in London this week for the UK launch of the series where he spilled two important rules that every episode of the hit series must follow.

Speaking to HBO Max Chairman Casey Bloys, Wyle was asked how soon the cast and crew will be ready to start up production on season three.

“Very soon, boss, very soon,” Wyle joked. “We are in the process of writing character arcs for season three for everybody.”

He went on to explain how the series’ unique storytelling format presents a compelling challenge for the writers, which includes himself and creator R. Scott Gemmill.

“It’s a very interesting show to break because, unlike a lot of shows that are 22 episodes that may play over a calendar year, this is 15 hours of one day,” he continued. “So you’re painting with a much finer brush.

“The character’s arc is not really enough to go through the courtship of a romance, but it’s enough to get your head turned.

“It’s maybe enough to lose faith, maybe enough to find faith, but these are really small arcs that happen over the course of the day but can be really satisfying if you’re engaged with that character.”

Thankfully, The Pitt quickly found a devoted audience in the States, with the second season premiere amassing an impressive 7.2 million US viewers within its first week of release.

“We have these characters who seem to be resonating on a one-to-one with audiences,” Wyle added.

“Everyone’s feeling, ‘I’m a little Javadi (played by Shabana Azeez), I’m a little Samira (Supriya Ganesh), and I have a little Langdon (Patrick Ball) in me, or I know a Whitaker (Gerran Howell)’, and that makes it really exciting to see where they’re going to go next, and to write for where they’re going to go next.”

Hinting at the third season’s narrative, Bloys and Wyle revealed that the upcoming instalment is also building to an explosive and potentially life-changing event in much the same way as the first two seasons.

“We’ve built a pressure cooker where every hour we turn up the temperature, we add more ingredients, then just when it’s about to explode we drop a piano on it,” Wyle revealed.

“You’ve done that successfully for season two and now you’re thinking about it for season three?” Bloys clarified, and Wyle confirmed “Yes”.

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“One of the gratifying things about season two is that we realised we don’t need a big ‘deus ex machina’ plot device to keep this engaging,” he said. “There’s something really satisfying about watching everyday people trying to get through the course of the day, beset by all the trials and tribulations that come over the course of that day.

“If that is satisfying television then this show could run forever, because we don’t need a helicopter to come down in the ambulance bay, we don’t need to jump the shark.”

The Pitt is available to stream on HBO Max with new episodes on Thursdays.

Fans now know when they can look forward to the new adaptation

Fans of Harry Potter admit that they are ‘dancing in their room’ after the first ‘incredible’ trailer finally landed for the upcoming HBO series.

We have known for some time now that a new adaptation based on the series of books written by J.K. Rowling has been on the way. Most have welcomed the news with cautious optimism. Some have said to be unsure we need another version after the much admired film series.

This new iteration is set to be a faithful adaptation of the iconic novels, with the author credited as an executive producer. Each season of Harry Potter will be introduced to both new and existing fans, exclusively streaming on HBO Max which finally launches in the UK this month.

The original classic films will continue to be accessible for viewing globally. While fans should be able to stream the new series on HBO’s dedicated platform, Sky and NOW users should also have access providing they have the correct subscription.

It’s been previously suggested that the studio is optimistic about the series being as successful and well-received as the films, with hopes of it running for a minimum of 10 years. The series is penned and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner, known for her work on Killing Eve and His Dark Materials. Multiple episodes will be directed by Mark Mylod, renowned for directing several episodes of the HBO hit series Succession.

Last year it was confirmed that emerging talents, Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout, will take on the legendary roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively. We now have a first glimpse of their much anticipated performances.

That also includes the new portrayals of other beloved characters. This includes Hagrid played by Nick Frost and Professor Dumbledore, with Hollywood star John Lithgow taking on the responsibilities of the role.

Fans now also know when they can expect to start watching the series and it is sooner than many think. The caption for the video as shared on YouTube states: “A new era of Hogwarts begins. The HBO Original series Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premieres this Christmas.”

As expected, fans were quick to share their thoughts and opinions on the first footage shared from the series. Many were actually surprised at how much they enjoyed it.

One person replied: “This actually looks incredible! I love that they’re going to show more of Harry’s life with the Dursleys!” Another added in a similar vein: “THIS LOOKS INCREDIBLE!!! God Bless HBO!! THIS CHRISTMAS.”

Someone else confessed: “I’m dancing in my room right now.” While one person noted: “I actually love the take on Harry trying to be a muggle student at a school.”

Surprised by how the first episode seems to be approaching faster than first anticipated, one said: “Also, Christmas??? YESSS!!! I thought we’d have another year!!”

Plenty of others recognised that the series will allow them to explore more events of the book and reflect on characters more deeply. Some fans even admitted that they were left emotional and even in tears at the thought that the series could allow them to relive their childhoods. One person commented: “I shed a tear…my childhood is coming back to me again.”

One person posted: “I’m sobbing this is incredible” and another “I’m literally crying.”

Harry Potter is streaming on HBO Max this Christmas.

Should Paramount Skydance prevail in its $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the Larry Ellison family would control two historic Hollywood film studios, dozens of cable channels, HBO and two legendary newsrooms, CBS News and CNN.

Concerns about the potential loss of more Hollywood jobs, and questions about newsroom independence dominated a hearing Friday to address Los Angeles’ crisis of shrinking film and TV production jobs.

Paramount wants to wrap up its Warner merger by September — a rapid timetable. The takeover deal, which was struck last month after Netflix bowed out, would put HBO and CNN under the control of Larry Ellison and his son David, the chairman of Paramount, which includes CBS.

Both Ellisons maintain friendly relations with President Trump. Those bonds, along with challenges to legacy media and changes at CBS News in recent months, sparked handwringing during the hearing called by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale).

“The questions surrounding this merger go beyond jobs, contracts and consumers,” Schiff said. “They also go to editorial independence of two of America’s most significant news organizations, CNN and CBS News.”

Trump has long agitated for changes at CNN, and members of his cabinet, including War Secretary Pete Hegseth, have openly cheered for an Ellison takeover of CNN.

To pave the way for the Ellisons’ purchase of Paramount, the company paid $16 million to Trump last summer to settle his lawsuit over edits to a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris in October 2024. Most 1st Amendment experts had deemed Trump’s suit “frivolous.”

Since the Ellisons took the helm, there has been a change in direction at CBS News and a reduction in its size and scope. Staff members at CNN are bracing for similar changes, including to the tone of its newscasts.

In addition to the long-term health of Los Angeles’ film economy, the merger’s fate could determine “whether we have state sponsored media … or whether we have journalists who can truly follow the story,” Friedman said.

A Paramount spokesperson declined to comment.

The deal is currently before regulators in the U.S. and abroad.

Paramount Chairman David Ellison has vowed to “build a stronger Hollywood,” by increasing the creative output of the two legendary movie studios — Paramount and Warner Bros. — to 30 theatrical releases a year. Warner Bros., which owns such prominent franchises as “The Matrix,” Batman, Harry Potter, “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Friends,” has long been one of Hollywood’s most prolific studios.

But Paramount has suffered from years of under-investment and Ellison and his team have been working to boost the film pipeline.

Ellison has also pledged to keep both studio lots and preserve HBO.

“HBO will continue to operate independently under our ownership, enabling it to create more of the world-class content it is renowened for,” Ellison wrote in the Feb. 28 letter to Schiff and Friedman, responding to their concerns about consolidation.

During Friday’s hearing, the lawmakers turned to former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, who famously jousted with Trump during his first term, for his reflections. He was asked whether any “guardrails” could protect against potential merger harms.

“If this merger goes through, the guard-rails are gone,” Acosta said bluntly. “If we continue to go down this road it will be lights-out for the news industry… We need media options that are not controlled by the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country.”

The hearing occurred the same day that CBS News imposed another sweeping round of layoffs and disbanded its CBS News radio network. It also came the same week as Trump’s Federal Communications Commission approved a massive television station merger, which will allow Texas-based Nexstar Media Group to control more than 250 stations, despite a legal challenge from state attorneys general.

The proposed Paramount-Warner merger would prompt at least $6 billion in cost savings, according to Paramount. Industry veterans warn that billions more in cuts may be necessary to make the deal math work.

A combined Paramount-Warner would carry nearly $80 billion in debt, a legacy of the proposed leveraged buyout and the mergers that came before it.

The hearing at Burbank City Hall —“Lights, Camera, Competition”: Promoting American Film Production,” — was wide-ranging. Award-winning actor Noah Wyle, the star and a producer of Warner Bros.’ “The Pitt,” discussed the need to bring more productions back to Los Angeles where thousands of out-of-work film professionals have been suffering. “The Pitt” is filmed in Burbank.

“Over the last six years, the aggregate effect of projects leaving the state in search of tax credits, the pandemic and last year’s fires has been a near cratering of our once thriving industry,” Wyle said. “We lost 42,000 film and TV jobs between 2022 and 2024.”

The hearing unfolded down the road from the massive Warner Bros. studio complex, and was held to explore ways to boost the Hollywood economy, including the potential for a national tax credit under consideration in Congress. The campaign is intended to keep film jobs in the U.S. amid an increased migration to Britain, where Warner Bros. maintains an expansive studio complex in London, and other countries that offer generous subsidies.

“Work in the entertainment industry is precarious,” said Matthew D. Loeb, International President of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). “Past studio mergers have meant fewer jobs.”