TV Drama's 'Analog Chaos' Echoes Past ER Realities

The new television drama "The Pitt" throws its Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center into analog chaos, a situation that would have been routine a quarter-century ago. Before electronic charts and digital monitors became standard, emergency rooms relied on paper files and dry-erase boards. Series creator R. Scott Gemmill, who previously worked on NBC's "ER," finds the irony of treating analog medicine as a crisis noteworthy.

Gemmill admits his initial writing process for the show was influenced by his past experiences with paper charts. Spending time in emergency rooms again allowed him to observe the evolution of medical practices. For Gemmill and other veteran writers, including "ER" alum Joe Sachs, the stripped-down workflow felt comfortingly familiar, bringing back memories of working with film light boards in a more old-school era.