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“The Pitt” said a sad goodbye.
Spoilers below for Season 2 episode 6 of “The Pitt.”
In Thursday’s episode of “The Pitt,” (which aired 9 p.m. on HBO Max) Louie Cloverfield (Ernest Harden Jr.) died. An alcoholic with frequent health issues, he’d been a recurring character on the medical drama since Season 1, as a “frequent flier” to the emergency room.
“We didn’t go into the season thinking about [killing him off], necessarily,” showrunner R. Scott Gemmill exclusively told The Post.
“What happens is that every E.R. has these individuals they call ‘frequent fliers,'” he explained. “Sometimes they’re there all the time, and they can be a pain in the ass. But to the doctors and nurses and everyone else, they become like family.”
The series creator said that he wanted to “explore what happens when one of them passes.”
Now in Season 2 – and already renewed for a Season 3 – the gritty medical procedural follows staff at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Each season is one shift, and each episode covers one hour.
“The Pitt” has been a critical darling, sweeping the Emmys and Golden Globes.
In addition to Dr. “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle), among others, the story also follows Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball), charge nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa), Dr. Samira Mohan (Surpriya Ganesh), Dr. Melissa “Mel” King (Taylor Dearden), and medical student Victoria Javadi (Shabana Azeez).
From consulting real doctors and nurses, Gemmill, who also worked on “E.R.” said he had been told that when a “frequent flier” dies, it “has an impact” on the E.R. staffers.
After Louie died, staffers including Dr. Langdon were visibly upset.
The episode ended with Robby and his staff gathering around Louie’s body to say a eulogy.
“I think for Ernest, it was a little disappointing to know that he’s gone,” said Gemmill.
“But, I think we gave him a great sendoff.”
When asked how many seasons the hit series might continue for, Gemmill said, “My whole thing is trying to keep a show on the air as long as possible, in order to keep people employed. I think that’s a really important part of my job. And so, I will stay as long as people want to do it, and keep watching it. I think Noah [Wyle] feels similar.”
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