Soundscapes and Silence in HBO’s The Pitt

Author

Abstract

In this project I take an extensive look at R. Scott Gemmli’s 2025 series The Pitt. The Pitt is a medical drama on the HBO Max streaming service that aims for realism in many different ways, one of those being the show’s entire format as a real-time hour by hour season. Through this essay I take a look at research on silence in film as well as multiple instances of diegetic and non-diegetic sound throughout season 1 of the series. I also compare two similar scenes between The Pitt and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in order to highlight the difference in the silence of The Pitt and the “needle-drop” in Grey’s. I close by examining the sound’s place in the non-verbal and oral mode.

Project: Soundscapes and Silence in HBO’s The Pitt