We Have an Important Question about the 'The Pitt' Season 2 Set Photo

Season two of Max’s medical drama The Pitt began shooting yesterday in anticipation of a January release, one year after the first season premiered. In this day and age, on a streaming network, and especially with a 15-episode season, that is impressive.

We already know a lot about season two ahead of its release. It will be set 10 months after the last season ended, around the time that Dr. Langdon returns from his treatment program, leaving Dr. Robby and Dr. Santos on edge. The med students will also be back, only now they’ve been promoted. Likewise, Nurse Dana will be back, too, despite hinting that she quit at the end of last season.

It’s also set over Fourth of July weekend, which, from what I understand (thanks to commenters), is the worst time to go to the emergency room because July 1st marks the changeover when all the inexperienced staff arrive. But here’s my question about the new set photo (above) and the short 13-second clip of the first day of shooting:

It’s the Fourth of July weekend. In Pittsburgh, the average temperature that day is 83 degrees. So why is Dr. Robby wearing a heavy coat? It’s certainly not your typical outfit for that time of year. The only explanation I can offer is that Dr. Robby is returning from a long vacation in a cold climate, which actually tracks, as showrunner R. Scott Gemmell has said that between seasons, Dr. Robby would be taking time off to “get mentally healthy again.”

The coat suggests somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand or South America), though it also implies he’s arriving straight from the plane and, presumably, will be working that first shift jet-lagged, which may not be ideal given the tumult in that emergency room.

The Pitt likely returns in January 2026.