A legal battle over the origins of The Pitt, the hit medical drama closely associated with Pittsburgh, is moving forward two years after the lawsuit was first filed.
The case began in 2024when Roadrunner JMTC LLC, successor-in-interest to the trust of Michael Crichton, creator of ER, sued Warner Bros. Television and several others, including Noah Wyle, John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill.
The lawsuit alleges Warner Bros. spent nearly a year negotiating with the Crichton estate over an ER reboot before those negotiations failed. The complaint claims the studio then moved the concept from Chicago to Pittsburgh, rebranded it The Pitt and proceeded without Crichton’s consent, attribution or compensation. Those claims remain allegations.
Now, the case has
reached a new stage.+
On Nov. 4, 2026, the California Court of Appealissued an opinion in Roadrunner JMTC v. Warner Bros. Television, upholding the lower court’s denial of the defendants’ attempt to strike the lawsuit. The decision allows the case to continue.
The development is particularly notable in Pittsburgh, where The Pitt has developed a strong local connection. The series is set in a fictional Pittsburgh hospital, and production for its third season recently brought Noah Wyle and other members of the cast and crew to the city, including filming at Allegheny General Hospital.
The appellate ruling does not determine whether The Pitt is legally an ER reboot or prove the estate’s allegations. Instead, it means the lawsuit challenging how the Pittsburgh-centered series came to be can move forward.
This story was produced by reporter Gabby Sartori, [gsartori@usatodayco.com], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more atcm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lawsuit over HBO’s ‘The Pitt’ moves forward after appeals court ruling
