| Michael Robinavitch | |
|---|---|
| The Pitt character | |
 Noah Wyle as Robby inThe Pitt season one | |
| First appearance | "7:00 A.M." (2025) |
| Created by | R. Scott Gemmill |
| Portrayed by | Noah Wyle |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Michael Robinavitch |
| Nicknames |
|
| Occupation | |
| Home | |
| Nationality | American |
Michael "Robby" Robinavitch is a fictional character and protagonist of theHBO Maxmedicalprocedural drama seriesThe Pitt, portrayed by American actor and series executive producerNoah Wyle. The character was introduced in "7:00 A.M.", the show's pilot episode, as theSenior Emergency Attending Physician of theemergency room of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. He is depicted as a talented if slightly reckless and irascible physician with a sharp wit and intense dedication to his patients and his team, which earns him the respect of the doctors and nurses, but often the ire of the hospital's administrators. During the first season, Robby contends with the trauma of losing his mentor, Dr. Adamson, during theCOVID-19 pandemic while working a shift on the anniversary of his death.
The character and Wyle's performance have received acclaim from critics, with Wyle receiving several awards and nominations including aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Arriving for his shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, affectionately nicknamed "The Pitt", Robby deflects concerns from charge nurseDana Evans about working on the fourth anniversary of Dr. Adamson's death, something he has previously avoided doing. He also brushes off a rumors that the department is going to be sold, gathering the staff, including new residents Trinity Santos and Mel King, and studentsDennis Whitaker and Victoria Javadi, and instructing him to prioritise treating patients efficiently.
As he begins seeing patients, hospital administrator Gloria Underwood chastises him for the department's lowpatient satisfaction scores, while Robby tells her that systemic issues like staffing and overcrowding are to blame. Throughout the day, Robby is shown as a dedicated teacher, supporting Whitaker when he loses his first patient, encouraging Dr. Cassie McKay's concerns of elder abuse in one of her cases, and working alongside Dr. Frank Langdon and Dr. Heather Collins.
He has a contentious relationship with resident Samira Mohan, with whom he becomes frustrated due to her cautious and slow pace when treating patients, instructing her to act more decisively and balance her empathy with efficient treatment. He is challenged by McKay over the treatment of a troubled teenager, David Saunders, whom was brought to The Pitt by his mother Theresa, who faked an illness to get him psychiatric help after finding a list of girls in his journal along with the phase "all should be eliminated". McKay pushes Robby to contact the police, but he is resistant due to the impact it could have on David's life if they have misread the situation, leading McKay to defy Robby and call the police anyway, leading David to flee.[needs copy edit]
Robby also clashes with Langdon after Santos proves he has been stealinglibrium from the department, and sends him home, disguised.[clarification needed] Early in the shift, he is visited by Jake, the son of his former girlfriend Janey whom he sees as a surrogate son, and is later distraught when Dana informs him there has been a mass shooting at the local music festival Jake was attending.
As patients begin streaming in, Robby and night shift attending Dr. Jack Abbot lead on the critical cases, and he reluctantly permits Langdon to join them. Robby is unable to save Jake's girlfriend, Leah, who was shot in the chest, and Jake refuses to forgive him. This, alongside the memories of Adamson's death, overwhelm Robby, and he has a panic attack and emotional breakdown in the makeshift mortuary. He is found by Whitaker, who is able to reassure him and convince him to return to the ER by imparting some advice that Robby had told him earlier that morning.
At the end of the shift, Robby delivers a speech condemning the mass shooting and praising his colleagues for their work through the day. Dana consoles Robby when he stares at a memorial, explaining that Adamson's death could not be prevented in any way. On the roof of the hospital, Robby and Abbott have a conversation, in which Robby confesses to his panic attack, and Abbott reassures him that he did a great job. They then leave for the day, planning to go for a drink with a few colleagues at the park.
Ten months later, on theFourth of July, Robby arrives at The Pitt on a motorcycle, riding helmetless. After the shift ends, he plans to go on a three-monthsabbatical, with Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi acting as the interim senior attending physician, though the two immediately clash over her advocacy forartificial intelligence in healthcare. Robby avoids and dismisses Langdon, who returns for his first shift after a period in rehab, and continues mentoring the other staff, particularly Whitaker, who has usurped Langdon as his protegee. He also reassures King about her impending malpractice deposition, saying that he has been sued multiple times.
Robby is especially impacted by one of his patients, a Jewish lady named Yana Kovalenko, who survived thePittsburgh synagogue shooting and challenges his lack of commitment to his faith. He is also challenged by psychiatrist Caleb Jefferson, but ignores his advice to consider seeking therapy for hisPTSD and insists that his sabbatical is what he needs.
Wyle co-createdThe Pitt alongsideR. Scott Gemmill andJohn Wells, with the idea originating from Wyle's suggestion that they develop a show based on the experiences ofJohn Carter, the character he played inER, as a frontline worker during theCOVID-19 pandemic. When negotiations with the estate of ER creator Michael Crichton broke down, the trio conceived of a new idea for the show, with Wyle starring as Michael Robinavitch.[1][2] Robby's surname is the maiden name of Wyle's great-grandmother.[3]
Gerran Howell, who portrays Dennis Whitaker, considers the scene where Whitaker finds Robby having a panic attack during the first season to be very valuable scene for the two characters and helped to establish a closer working relationship between them.[4] Wyle added that Whitaker was Robby's "new favorite" by the start of the second season following his fallout with Dr. Langdon in season one, with Howell expressing that he felt the two men had a "weird trauma bond" because they had seen each other "at their lowest" and that Robby subtly shows this through various ways throughout the series.[5]
Discussing the exploration of Robby's relationship with his Jewish faith in the second season Wyle explained, "Well, Robby's faith, or lack thereof, or grappling with his faith last season and including him and his lowest moment reciting the Shema — almost like this childlike prayer, this sort of very primal plea for help — was a really important part of the character's evolution."[6]
The character of Robby, and Wyle's performance, have received critical acclaim. Richard Lawson ofVanity Fair called it a "commanding performance", writing that, "Wyle is an endlessly compelling lead ... His bedside tone, personable and clinically distant at once, is a precise depiction of the guarded compassion of a real doctor. Wyle deftly manages the shifts in emotional temperature as each hour unfolds, selling us on the relentless roller coaster of it all."[7] Laura Bogart ofThe A.V. Club described it as "a lead performance that feels truly lived-in", writing that "Wyle is remarkable at giving empathy a dramatic alacrity, making the act of listening rich with purpose and potential."[8] Kristen Baldwin ofEntertainment Weekly described him as "a master at compassionate calm" and said the emotional unravelling of his character was "executed with breath-taking skill."[9][10]
For his portrayal as Robby, Wyle won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the77th Primetime Emmy Awards, theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama at the83rd Golden Globes, and theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the31st Critics' Choice Awards.[11][12][13][14] He also won the Best Actor – Television award at theAARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Actor in a Drama Series at theAstra Awards, Best TV Performance - Drama award at theDorian TV Awards, and theTCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama.[15][16][17][18] Wyle is currently nominated for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series alongside the rest of the cast at the32nd Actor Awards,.[19]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)