ER Reboot Controversy
Warner Bros. has taken legal action to dismiss a lawsuit from Michael Crichton’s estate, which claims that its upcoming Max series The Pitt is essentially an unauthorized reboot of the hit medical drama ER, a show originally created by Crichton.
Filed by Crichton’s widow, Sherri Crichton, in August, the lawsuit accuses The Pitt's creators, including former ER showrunner John Wells and actor Noah Wyle, of developing a show that mimics ER in all but name. Sherri contends that the team acted without consent from the estate, despite what she describes as Crichton's “frozen rights” to oversee any reboots or spin-offs of ER.
Warner Bros., however, claims that The Pitt is a fresh, standalone project that shares only the general setting of a hospital with ER, arguing that the genre of emergency-room drama isn't unique to any one series. In their motion, Warner Bros. points to other popular medical dramas, like Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Med, as evidence of the genre’s broad appeal, emphasizing that Crichton’s contract does not prevent the creation of another show about emergency medicine.
The estate's lawsuit highlights specific similarities between the two shows, including Wyle's involvement, alleging that his new character in The Pitt strongly resembles his original ER role as Dr. John Carter. Yet, Warner Bros. insists these resemblances are superficial and that the two series differ significantly in character dynamics, pacing, and even stylistic choices such as music and lighting. Furthermore, the studio argues that The Pitt’s freedom from network restrictions — like those on language and nudity — also sets it apart from ER's tone and storytelling.
Sherri Crichton criticized Warner Bros.' motion, calling its timing on her late husband’s anniversary "insensitive" and accusing the studio of dodging discovery. She argues that Warner Bros. spent a year negotiating, knowing they needed approval from Crichton’s estate to create a series like ER. When talks failed, she claims the studio rebranded the show as The Pitt to sidestep the estate’s rights.
Ultimately, the estate says it is ready to present its case to a jury, confident that The Pitt will be seen as an unauthorized attempt to revive ER under a different name.
