The Pitt‘s executive producer, John Wells, recently disclosed the note HBO gave after learning that one of the upcoming episodes of the series will feature a storyline about the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Pitt is a medical procedural drama series that premiered on HBO Max (known at the time as Max) on January 9, 2025. It returned with Season 2 on January 8, 2026.
John Wells details the note The Pitt received from HBO about an upcoming ICE episode
Wells revealed in a new interview with The Daily Beast the feedback the team behind The Pitt got from HBO for the ICE episode. He stated that he didn’t want the issue to become a “surprise” for the network. Wells added, “And their response was, ‘Good story. Just make sure it’s balanced, and we’re not just treating the situation as if it doesn’t have other points of view.’”
The executive producer further explained that they reached out to HBO about the episode because of the parent company’s (Warner Bros.) then-planned merger with Netflix. Its production began in December, after the announcement about the merger, which ultimately didn’t happen.
Well Continued, “When we first pitched it, I thought, ‘Uh oh,’ you know. I can say that all of us are approaching what’s going on in this country right now with a certain trepidation, and also awareness that there are some possible risks to telling certain kinds of stories.”
Further, this isn’t the first time that Wells has mentioned the upcoming storyline about ICE. He talked about the episode during an appearance on The Town with Matt Belloni podcast, observing how “it’s a real issue in emergency rooms” and referring to a New York Times article on the subject.
R. Scott Gemmill created The Pitt. Its cast includes Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, Patrick Ball as Dr. Frank Langdon, Katherine LaNasa as Dana Evans, Supriya Ganesh as Dr. Samira Mohan, Taylor Dearden as Dr. Melissa “Mel” King, Isa Briones as Dr. Trinity Santos, Fiona Dourif as Dr. Cassie McKay, and Sepideh Moafi as Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi.
The Pitt Season 2 airs on HBO Max weekly on Thursdays.
