Season 2 of The Pitt is going to premiere on the 2026 TV schedule in January, which means it’s almost time for the staff to clock in. However, when we return to this Pittsburgh hospital next season, things will have changed, as one doctor returns after a major controversy and another completely leaves.
So, when we finally get to the first hour of this second shift, there are two questions I need answered – one is about Langdon’s return and the other is about Collins' exit.
Why Is Dr. Langdon Allowed To Come Back?
At the end of Season 1, Langdon was not on good terms with Robby, and that’s putting it lightly. After Santos was suspicious of him for a while, it was revealed that he was stealing medicine from the hospital. Robby told him to leave after that, but he returned to help the hospital handle the victims of the mass shooting not long after.
So, his fate at the hospital at the end of Season 1 was uncertain at best, and it seemed highly likely he’d be out of a job. However, Patrick Ball, who plays Langdon, is returning for Season 2, which means his doctor will be back at work. Now, I’d like to know why he was allowed to return.
Thankfully, it turns out his return is an important point of the upcoming episodes, as showrunner R. Scott Gemmill told EW:
It was really driven by wanting to have the Langdon character back and knowing how much time he would've had to spend in rehab and going through his recovery process. We knew it had to be about 10 months, [which] took us into the summer. We played Labor Day, essentially, for the first season, so we decide to play this on the 4th of July.
The showrunner also explained that when we come back, Langdon’s issue will have spread around the ER. This will also serve as the first time Ball’s doctor and Robby have seen each other since the end of Season 1.
So, there will be a lot to unpack when this Emmy-winning show returns, and that includes why Langdon was allowed to come back.
Where Is Dr. Collins?
Now, while Langdon’s return is surprising, I don’t think it was as shocking as the news that Tracy Ifeachor wouldn’t be returning as Dr. Collins.
Noah Wyle confirmed that Collins’ exit was a creative decision, noting how much they love the actress who plays her. Meanwhile, executive producer and director John Wells gave a bit more context about why her character won’t be on The Pitt while speaking with THR. Noting the reality of hospital staff turnover, he explained:
Look, the show is set at a teaching hospital. And if you’re a fourth-year resident in a teaching hospital, your time there is done at the end of that year. Not to scare any of the other cast members, but people don’t stay at these hospitals forever. They’re going to roll off, and that will be part of the evolution of the show. We’re not committed to doing a year every season as we go on, but we can’t say that we’re going to be true to the medicine and teaching hospitals and maintain the same cast for the entire time.
This is a great point. Hospital staffs evolve and change, so this kind of decision is natural. However, after Collins had a miscarriage and left work early in Season 1, I think many were hoping to hear what happened to her next.
Hopefully, we will learn something, because I’d like to know where she went. So, when Season 2 returns, I’d like at least a sentence of dialogue that tells us where Collins is and what she did between seasons.
Thankfully, we don’t have to wait long to return to The Pitt, because it will be back in January. In the meantime, you can theorize about the answers to these questions while streaming Season 1 with an HBO Max subscription.
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