We’re losing another member of The Pitt.
Variety has officially reported that Supriya Ganesh, who plays Samira Mohan, will not be returning to the series for its third season.
And the reasoning behind that is all creative. The series opts to stay true to some level of realism, and for a resident in her final year of residency, possibly seeking a new fellowship, it’s not a surprise that she would leave, just as many other characters would.
(Warrick Page/HBO Max)
This poses a bit of a double-edged sword for a show like The Pitt, though. The entire setup for the series has us dropping into the lives of these characters whom we’ve come to know, and we’re only following them around for a single shift.
One single day out of 365, and yet, in that day and that one shift, we learn so much about these characters, enough to become attached to them and the prospect of their stories and where they could head.
The setup almost always calls for a revolving-door cast, a sea of exits from characters we’ve come to love as they move on for any number of reasons, ranging from the end of their internship or residency to burnout or something else.
And by spending one day out of the year with these characters every season, it means that we don’t get to see them any other time of the year. There’s a sense of stories feeling incomplete when that happens, though.
The Pitt Season 1 saw Heather Collins’ disappearance close to the final stretch after a miscarriage at work, missing out on all the action.
(HBO Max/Warrick Page)
And it was one of those sendoffs wherein, had we known it would be the last time we’d see her, it would’ve landed most strongly.
We don’t fully know when the character departs from the ED, what her dynamic with Robby looks like, or much else when that happens.
Instead, we get an information dump about her whereabouts a few episodes into the season by Whitaker, of all people, when he shares the news with Louie.
I’ve previously discussed why Heather Collins’ absence felt a bit off or left a lesser discussed void in The Pitt Season 2.
Now, ahead of the final episodes, we’ve learned that Mohan will be exiting the series, too. In what capacity? We’ll have to stay tuned for that. But the season has built up to Mohan at an inflection point in her career where she has to figure out where she wants to land.
(Warrick Page/HBO)
Samira is having a HORRIBLE day on The Pitt.
It’s been a bit demoralizing, especially for fans of the character, where so much of what she has to offer has been overshadowed by her increasingly distressed portrayal as an emotional and verbal punching bag for Robby.
She’s become some cautionary tale about how the ED can break a great doctor, as all the traits we champion in a doctor are held over her head as flaws that make her ill-suited for the gig.
They’ve spent most of the season telegraphing why she should shift to Geriatrics instead, with Al-Hashimi presenting it as a genuine path where her great skills are of use in an underserved field of medicine, and Robby offers up the choice like it’s some form of banishment for someone like her who can’t “hack it.”
Samira has also been at a crossroads personally because of her mother.
(Warrick Page/HBO)
The season gives her some content, likely in this effort to build up the why and how of her leaving the series and the department, but it hasn’t been wholly satisfying.
Dare I say her arc has been more “here, damn” than having the zest and complexity of counterparts like Dana, Al-Hashimi, or Langdon.
As a result, her exit will likely be met with mixed results. For those who haven’t become attached to her, largely because of the substance she’s had, it’s no big deal that she’s leaving.
However, for those who liked the empathetic doctor and the potential of what she had to offer, it’s a bit frustrating.
It’s because The Pitt’s setup doesn’t allow for a proper deep dive into some of its characters. Ironically, it can balance that out incredibly well, despite that, just not with all of its characters.
What The Pitt Season 2 manages to do with Langdon this season is stronger than with Samira, who is onscreen often but feels like a footnote.
(Warrick Page/HBO)
By now, her departure makes sense on paper, given her trajectory. Still, it feels weirdly incomplete and unsatisfying, almost like a mirror of some of the issues many had with Heather Collins’ absence. It’s a loss of potential.
The Pitt is so selective in how it navigates the confines of its character work within the show’s structure and narrative. So when they plot an exit, and the pathway there isn’t as compelling, it, well, sucks.
Interestingly, Supriya Ganesh’s exit is also announced with Ayesha Harris‘ promotion to series regular for the third season. It’s another way in which the cast rotation feels like a double-edged sword.
Ellis is a fascinating character in her own right; we barely see her as much because she’s usually on another shift.
Presumably, the third season will have her pulling a double to justify why she’s placed towards the center of the season in a way she hasn’t been before.
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Personally, I still feel The Pitt had the perfect setup for a night shift spinoff to truly capitalize on some of its most compelling yet conceptually underused characters.
I can’t be the only one who thinks Shawn Hatosy helming a spinoff with Ayesha Harris and Ken Kirby would be pure perfection.
It’s exciting that this means we’ll get more of Ellis, even if there’s some curiosity in how that’ll pan out. She deserves this upgrade.
Also, it works because when you have a revolving door for exits, the best way to lessen the blow is to give familiar characters more prominence, so it doesn’t feel like a net loss.
The move also feels like a way to rectify a previous issue and get ahead of frustration and criticism. I don’t know that it will, or it’ll mitigate some of the discourse surrounding how the series approaches some of its characters.
To put it bluntly, there is genuine frustration among viewers with how The Pitt handles its WOC, and … those rumblings won’t go away.
(Warrick Page/HBO Max)
If anything, it’ll likely invite more scrutiny regarding how some characters are treated as interchangeable.
Nevertheless, by design, the show requires cast shakeups. It’s baked in that losing some of these characters is inevitable.
The Pitt struck gold, delivering rich character development for half its characters amid chaotic cases, banter, and workplace conflict.
It means the idea of these same characters’ tenure on the show feeling like pit stops is a bit unsettling.
The show’s success has largely been due to its cast, introducing a bunch of lesser-known actors, placing underrated veterans at the center, and presenting us with an ensemble that shifts but still draws people in and makes them root for it.
I think the cast shakeups are a startling reality that hits like a sledgehammer. We consciously know they’ll happen, but it hurts all the same.
(Warrick Page/HBO Max)
So much of The Pitt comes with an attachment to its characters, and reconciling with the idea that they may not have full-fledged arcs or ever reach maturation is a reality check that viewers can’t fathom and is risky, depending on how The Pitt executes it.
Also, there’s no rhyme or reason to whose time is up and whose isn’t, leaving a disquieting air of uncertainty. If Langdon had the perfect exit story, why did he return?
If McKay is so underutilized, what does her future hold? And if Javadi has a similar trajectory, is her time up, too?
It leaves us to wonder, “Who’s next?” And maybe even “Why wasn’t this person next?”
Sound off below, folks!
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