“The Pitt,” HBO Max’s medical drama juggernaut, is back for its second season, and, this time, fireworks are in the sky and fireworks victims are in the ER. The entirety of the hit medical procedural’s sophomore season is set during a single hectic shift for the show’s fictional Pittsburgh hospital on the Fourth of July. “The Pitt,” which has been praised for its realistic depiction of health care work, could have taken place on any day, so why Independence Day?
As it turns out, the Fourth of July is one of the single-most dangerous and hectic days for Americans and American hospitals, said Leah Prasse, who has 26 years of experience as a nurse and works as a visiting assistant clinical professor at Northeastern University’s Charlotte campus, which focuses on health care. “Anything that mixes alcohol and explosives turns into a recipe for disaster,” Prasse said.
