R. Scott Gemmill and EP John Wells talk about crafting the new Noah Wyle-led "The Pitt," and the perks of making a procedural for streaming

Time to check the pulse on Max's spiritual successor to ER.

HBO’s streaming platform Max is emulating network TV with a weekly medical drama. Each episode tracks an hour of a shift in the ER.

The cast of Max's medical drama "The Pitt" is clocking in for their shift, meet the stars of the intense new streaming series.

"The Pitt" is a smart show that values character detail and intricate medical science that sometimes succumbs to doses of melodrama that can be forgiven for everything that it does very well.

"The Pitt" is a medical drama from the studio behind "ER," the producer behind "ER," and centered on one of the signature stars of "ER." But it's not "ER." Sure, it may or may not have begun its life as an attempt to reboot "ER,

The premiere of The Pitt covers 07:00-08:00 and 08:00-09:00 of a single continuous shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center; it’s a two-episode, two-hour span of drama that turns out to be long enough to make it feel like you’ve been punched in the stomach,

Max's medical drama The Pitt draws immediate comparisons to ER, thanks to Noah Wyle leading the show as Dr. Michael "Robby" Rabinavitch and John Wells being an executive producer.

Max's first foray into medical dramas is intense and uneven, but The Pitt will likely delight fans of the genre — and especially ER.