Jewish fans of HBO’s “The Pitt” heard a familiar verse in the hit medical drama’s latest episode when the show’s main character, Dr. Michael Robinavitch, consoled himself by reciting the Shema.
A scene at the beginning of the 14th episode featured the character, known as “Dr. Robby,” clutching his Star of David necklace and shakily singing the verse, one of Judaism’s central prayers, as he experiences a mental breakdown in the emergency room where the show is set.
Wyle, who is an executive producer on the show, collaborated with its creators, R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells, to help create the character of Dr. Robinavitch, who is Jewish.
During initial conversations about the show, the group adopted Wyle’s father’s Russian-Jewish heritage as a starting point for the character.
In an interview with Kveller where he recounted the charter’s origin, Wyle recalled being asked by Wells, “Well, what’s a name? What can we play with there? Would you want to play in that blood memory?”
While religion was not a large part of his upbringing, Wyle’s parents’ backgrounds were still influential in his experience growing up, according to the Kveller interview. His mother was Episcopalian.
“The Pitt” takes place in Pittsburgh, which is home to around 50,000 Jews. In one scene, the city’s heavily Jewish neighborhood Squirrel Hill is mentioned as Wyle’s character’s son visits him in the emergency room.
At the end of his character’s breakdown, Wyles tucks his Star of David necklace into his shirt and scrubs, and reenters the chaos of the ER.
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