Noah Wyle weighs in on 'ER' legal dispute as 'The Pitt' heats up
As "The Pitt" wrapped its first season on Thursday night with a gripping finale episode, its star and creator Noah Wyle got candid about a lawsuit filed by the estate of "ER" creator Michael Crichton.
Wyle, who also starred on "ER" as Dr. John Carter, opened up about the lawsuit, which was filed in August 2024, and said he was "sad and disappointed" by the legal dispute.
"This taints the legacy, and it shouldn't have," he told Variety. "At one point this could have been a partnership. And when it wasn't a partnership, it didn't need to turn acrimonious. But on the 30th anniversary of 'ER,' I've never felt less celebratory of that achievement than I do this year."
The lawsuit by Crichton's estate, which is overseen by Crichton's widow, Sherri Crichton, was filed following talks of an "ER" reboot between Crichton and show producers. After negotiations with Crichton's estate fell through, due in part to Crichton's frozen rights provision, the suit alleges that Warner Bros. Television, Wyle, producers John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill, "decided to move forward with the same show, same lead actor and the same producers, on the same network, just under a different name."
"Rather than afford Crichton the 'created by' credit he deserved, Defendants would pretend their reboot was not his creation at all, thereby enriching themselves to the tune of millions of dollars -- potentially hundreds of millions or several billion dollars in success -- and depriving Crichton's heirs of their rightful share," the suit continued.
"The Pitt" was announced in March 2024 by Warner Bros. Television Group. Produced by Warner Bros. Television, Wyle, Wells and Gemmill, the show follows a "realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in todays' America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania," according to a logline.
Like "ER," Wyle portrays a doctor in the Max drama series: Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, an emergency room physician.
The lawsuit claimed that "'The Pitt' is 'ER.' It's not like 'ER,' it's not kind of 'ER,' it's not sort of 'ER.' It is 'ER' complete with the same executive producer, writer, star, production companies, studio, and network as the planned 'ER' reboot."
In his interview with Variety, Wyle acknowledged the carry-over of the creative team from the "ER" reboot to "The Pitt." But he said "we pivoted as far in the opposite direction as we could to tell the story we wanted to tell."
He added, "We really wanted to find something new for ourselves. And in some ways, that's what was so disheartening about the whole thing. We really felt like we'd done it."
In November, Warner Bros. Television, WarnerMedia Direct, LLC, Wyle, Gemmill and Wells filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, according to a report in Deadline.
"GMA" has reached out to an attorney for the Crichton estate about Wyle's comments in Variety.
Despite the legal dispute, Wyle has said that his purpose behind "The Pitt" is to honor medical professionals.
"These people sacrifice so much in the service of others that I find it absolutely infuriating that their expertise is being called into question," he told Variety. "I find it infuriating that we still can't come to a consensus that masks cut down on transmission of disease. I find it infuriating that we still won't acknowledge that vaccines are an important way of eradicating disease. I find it all infuriating that we are where we are right now. So I wanted to make a show that brings back into sharp focus what an objective medical fact is."
In February, Max announced that "The Pitt" would be renewed for a second season.
