Why Max Is Bringing Back “Appointment Television” With Shows Like ‘The Pitt’ and ‘The White Lotus’

Despite the fact that The Pitt is a streaming-exclusive sequence, it has loads of parts that may make you suppose it is not. With an even bigger episode depend than most streaming exhibits — Season 1 will finish in Episode 15 — and a selected day and hour to launch new episodes, the medical sequence’ launch technique mirrors one which TV followers are accustomed to on community tv. In a brand new interview with Vulture, Max CEO Casey Bloys defined that that is by design.

Through the interview, Bloys commented that he sees “appointment tv” as one thing that audiences resonate with and that the plan for future seasons of The Pitt and different Max exhibits is to make use of the identical launch window in order that followers know when to anticipate new episodes — very similar to it occurs with procedural hit exhibits like Chicago Fireplace, Tracker, Regulation & Order and several other others. The CEO additionally revealed that he was “very intentional about wanting a network-style present,” which is why The Pitt strays from the standard streaming format. He said:

“Once I began with the Max platform, I stated, ‘Why are we releasing exhibits at midnight?’ and I obtained some reply like, ‘Effectively, once we report the numbers, you need as a lot knowledge from the night time earlier than as doable, blah, blah, blah…’ It didn’t make loads of sense. Individuals like appointment tv. Now look, nearly all of the individuals watching ‘The Pitt’ or ‘The White Lotus’ will watch off premiere night time. However I do suppose there’s something vital about having a day and time for launch. We’ve all gotten a bit extra savvy about how and when individuals are watching on streaming and the best way to measure that. So, I consider in releasing exhibits on a Thursday night time or Sunday night time.”

Is ‘The Pitt’ Returning For Season 2?

Noah Wyle as Dr. Robby in The Pitt — Picture by way of Max

In fact, the constant launch technique is not the one motive why The Pitt turned an enormous streaming hit. From the beginning, the present has managed to maintain audiences engaged by following a real-time format by which every episode covers roughly an hour of Dr. Robby’s (Noah Wyle) difficult shift within the emergency room of the underfunded and understaffed fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Heart.

The present has already landed a Season 2 renewal, and Bloys additionally revealed how lengthy the hiatus goes to be after Season 1 ends: the following batch of episodes will begin rolling out in January 2026. From the appears to be like of it, Max is sticking with the identical launch window for so long as the sequence continues operating.

Max drops new episodes of The Pitt on Thursdays at 9 P.M. ET.