The Pitt isn’t set to premiere its third season until January 2027, but HBO Max is already starting to build anticipation for the medical drama’s return. The streamer has dropped a teaser trailer for The Pitt season 3, with a few brief but tantalizing details about the season ahead. It looks as though we’ll be starting with the night shift, led by Dr. Abbot, before Dr. Robby finally comes back from his sabbatical and gets back to work in the ER.
The trailer has a few exciting teases for character dynamics. We see that Dr. Robby is begrudgingly starting to warm up to Dr. Langdon, after having felt betrayed by his addiction, and we see that Dr. Santos and Dr. Whitaker are still the best of friends after becoming roommates in the season 1 finale and growing closer throughout season 2. The teaser also promises that an underserved character from season 2 won’t be forgotten about.
In its second season, The Pitt brought in Lou Ferrigno Jr. — the son of the Incredible Hulk — to play an orthopedic surgeon named Dr. Brendon Park (or “Park the Shark,” as his fellow doctors have dubbed him). Despite the stunt casting, Ferrigno didn’t end up having much of a role in season 2. But maybe that will change in season 3, because he can be spotted in the teaser trailer, just as Dr. Robby is walking out of the elevator.
The Pitt Season 3 Isn’t Forgetting About Lou Ferrigno Jr.’s Dr. Park
Ferrigno debuted on The Pitt in season 2, episode 10, “4:00 P.M.,” and never came back after that one guest appearance. Park was called down to the emergency department to provide some much-needed consultation on the impending tib-fib amputation of waterslide survivor Emily Werner. Within seconds, we can see how Park earned the nickname “Park the Shark.” He’s very blunt and abrasive. He’s razor-focused on work and doesn’t like to waste time with small-talk or unnecessary details. Whenever anyone asks a redundant question, he loses it. When Whitaker points out the obvious, Park snaps that he’s not blind.
But maybe he has a heart of gold. There’s a rich history of abrasive characters who turn out to be a sweetheart deep down: Tony Stark, Rosa Diaz, Howard Hamlin — even Ralph Cifaretto broke down crying in Tony Soprano’s arms. With Dr. Park confirmed to return in The Pitt season 3, there’s a chance we’ll see a softer side to this so-called shark. Alternatively, he could just continue being a jerk.
Despite His Brief Appearance, Park The Shark Had A Memorable Entrance In The Pitt
Although he only showed up in that one episode and treated that one patient, Dr. Park made enough of an impression that his return in season 3 is cause for excitement. Park is quick, decisive, and won’t stand for any of his fellow doctors slowing down time-sensitive medical treatment with benign comments and pointless questions and Park’s pet peeve, stating the obvious. He comes in, determines that the waterslide survivor has a clean wound, no crush injury, and enough time for replantation, and books her into an operating room to begin the procedure.
Just from this one scene, played spectacularly by Ferrigno, we can see that Dr. Park is very competent and knows what he’s doing, like all the best characters in The Pitt. There are a lot of doctors to keep track of in this show, so the forgettable ones fall by the wayside. But Dr. Park has a memorable demeanor, memorable conflicts with the other doctors, and a memorable nickname.
And it’s not just a nickname; he even acts like a shark. While he’s assessing the leg injury, he circles the team like a shark, which is a great little character detail. The Pitt season 3 premieres in January.
- Release Date
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January 9, 2025
- Network
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Max
- Showrunner
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R. Scott Gemmill
- Directors
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Amanda Marsalis
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Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch
