HBO Max has expanded the world of its acclaimed medical drama, The Pitt, with the addition of three new recurring guest stars for its second season. Rusty Schwimmer, Jayne Taini, and Annabelle Toomey have joined the cast of the Emmy-winning series, which will premiere its new season on January 8, 2026.
The new actors will portray patients and staff navigating the relentless pressure of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s emergency department over a Fourth of July weekend. Their casting comes as the show, led and executive produced by Noah Wyle, prepares to return with a 15-episode season that continues its real-time, hour-by-hour format.
Meet the New Season 2 Cast Members
The latest casting news brings a mix of seasoned character actors and rising talent to the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. According to an exclusive report from Deadline, the three most recent additions are joining as recurring guest stars.
- Annabelle Toomey will play Kylie Conners, a patient in the Emergency Department. Toomey is best known for her role as Stevie in the hit FX series The Bear.
- Rusty Schwimmer will play Monica Peters, a hospital clerk. Schwimmer’s recent credits include HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones and The Last Frontier.
- Jayne Taini is set to portray Evelyn Bostick, an Emergency Department patient living with Alzheimer’s. Taini has appeared in series like Ray Donovan and Unbelievable.
They follow another wave of casting announced just days earlier. As confirmed by both Deadline and Variety, the following actors have also joined the show:
- Luke Tennie (Shrinking, Abbott Elementary) as Dr. Crus Henderson, a fourth-year resident on the night shift.
- Meta Golding (Ransom Canyon, Rabbit Hole) as Noelle Hastings, a nurse.
- Christopher Thornton (The Lincoln Lawyer) as Dr. Caleb Jefferson, a psychiatric attending physician.
- Travis Van Winkle (Fubar, You) as Curtis Larson, an aggressive ER patient.
Season 2 is set 10 months after the events of the Season 1 finale and takes place over Fourth of July weekend.
Setting and Story Context for Season 2
Season 2 is set to begin 10 months after the events of the first season’s finale, placing the action during a Fourth of July weekend. The time jump allows for significant character development, most notably the return of Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) for his first day back at work after completing rehab for drug addiction.
Series creator R. Scott Gemmill explained the choice of setting, noting it was driven by the narrative need for Langdon’s recovery time. “It was really driven by wanting to have the Langdon character back… We knew it had to be about 10 months, [which] took us into the summer,” he told Entertainment Weekly. The holiday weekend is expected to bring a surge of patients and a high-stakes crisis to the hospital, compounded by a major digital system failure that forces the staff to work without their modern technology.
For Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle), the new season finds him on the verge of a sabbatical. Wyle revealed that Robby “was really hoping not to see [Langdon]” on his first day back, due to a deep sense of personal betrayal that lingers beyond Langdon’s professional rehabilitation.
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A Proven Formula Returns with New Dynamics
The Pitt quickly established itself as a critical and awards success following its January 2025 debut. Its first season won five Emmy Awards from 13 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting awards for Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Shawn Hatosy. The show was renewed for a second season just six weeks into its initial run.
The series distinguishes itself with a rigid real-time structure, with each episode covering one hour of a grueling 15-hour shift in the ER. This format returns for Season 2, promising another intense, continuous narrative. While the core staff returns, the show will also explore new tensions, such as the dynamic between Dr. Robby and the new attending, Dr. Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), who has a more progressive approach to medicine.
Notably, the season will proceed without Dr. Heather Collins (Tracy Ifeachor), whose departure was described by executive producer John Wells as a natural part of the evolution at a teaching hospital where residents eventually move on.
The Pitt Season 2 will premiere on HBO Max on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes of the 15-episode season will be released weekly, culminating in a season finale on April 16, 2026.
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