The Watch – “The Pitt” Is Back! Plus, Our Most Anticipated Shows of the Year (Jan 9, 2026)

Overview

In this episode of The Watch, hosts Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan reunite in the studio to celebrate the return of HBO Max’s hospital drama “The Pitt,” break down notable news in the TV business (especially a new Emmy award), and share their most anticipated shows of 2026. As always, their conversation spirals through TV, industry developments, pop culture in-jokes, and reflections on the shifting culture around television and streaming.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Audience Interactions, Celebrity Likes, and Podcast Culture

• Chris and Andy muse about the podcast’s “fan inbox,” with Chris maintaining it’s full of thoughtful messages, while Andy admits his favorite new fan interaction is receiving screengrabs of celebrity likes—specifically, Travis Kelce engaging with their content.
• The joy of being “Taylor adjacent” (because of Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift) highlights how even podcasters become star-struck by pop proximity.
• Banter about whether Helen Mirren has ever heard a podcast (they conclude she probably hasn’t) pokes fun at podcast reach and audience demographics.
• Playful competitiveness emerges about credit and gatekeeping when their favorite shows get mainstream recognition ("you wasn't with us shooting in the gym" - [25:45]).

2. TV News: The New “Legacy Emmy” ("The Wire Award")

• Andy and Chris break down the announcement of the “legacy Emmy”—a new award to retroactively recognize shows that were overlooked in their time, widely understood as being designed to right the Emmys’ snubbing of The Wire.
  • “Are we trying to correct The Wire? ...That was not necessarily the intent, but it is obviously something that we see as an opportunity.” – Maury McIntyre, president of Television Academy (quoted at [09:05])
• Andy is optimistic, seeing it as long-overdue respect for television history, but Chris is sharply critical:
  • “Take the L with dignity. You didn’t recognize The Wire. You continue to not recognize great television. You’re not correcting a historical record… It needed those nominations when it was on, not now.” ([13:00])
• They debate whether such awards mean much to creators long after the fact, and whether celebrating shows years after their run can ever truly "rectify" past omissions.

3. Kate Winslet’s Mare of Easttown Season 2 Hints & the “Ingallsverse”

• Chris relays news from Deadline: Kate Winslet suggests “Mare of Easttown” Season 2 could shoot in 2027 ([20:00]).
• Andy is skeptical about the timing, given showrunner Brad Ingelsby’s current commitments, but both hosts are excited by the idea of a “Delco crime universe” or “Ingallsverse,” possibly with crossovers to Task and Tires.
• They reflect on how anthology series like Task are designed structurally to accommodate such expansions.

4. The Return of “The Pitt” Season 2

First Impressions & Tonal Reset

• Both hosts express excitement about “The Pitt’s” return and note the unexpected choice to “take the temperature down” after last season’s traumatic mass-casualty finale ([30:21]).
  • “The very thing that I thought was very smart about this episode is the only thing that anyone will have to say where it’s like, ‘huh?’—which is that they took the temperature down... much more calm.” – Chris ([30:52])
• The time-jump (about 10 months) allows the show to reset and avoid retreading last season’s chaos.
• They praise the show’s blend of traditional episodic “bones” with modern prestige pacing and layered characterization.

Returning & New Characters

• Robbie’s heading on sabbatical; Langdon's back, but quieter; Dana’s still trying (and failing) to quit smoking; Santos is eyeing a promotion; Mel is worried about malpractice, and Whitaker is teaching new ER staff ([29:00]).
• New face: Dr. Alhashimi (Sepideh Moafi) arrives with plans to integrate AI and efficiency measures, making waves among the old guard ([36:52]).

Medical Cases & Serialization

• Andy and Chris discuss standout cases—a young girl with bruises, an abandoned baby, and an elderly woman with a “12 weed cookies a day” habit ([29:42]).
• They recognize “The Pitt’s” unique pacing: recurring patient stories develop over several episodes, deepening emotional impact compared to classic episodic procedurals ([44:44]).
  • “Not knowing which case will linger and which one won’t… if you stretch it across four hours, it just hits much harder.” – Chris ([45:08])

“Cliffhanger” Debate & Binge vs. Weekly

• The episode ends with an ambiguous medical note about the abandoned baby, setting a "classy" suspenseful tone for the season rather than a cheap shock ([39:44]–[41:48]).
  • “Do you do a super dramatic cliffhanger… or you see a show like Task that is contoured in a way that doesn’t… drop you off the cliff and you’re hanging—you are perched on the precipice of something. It’s a classier kind of cliffhanger.” – Andy ([41:48])
• Both resist watching ahead with screeners, intent on preserving the weekly viewing ritual.

Tone, Style, and Transition

• The show’s blend of 1990s network drama spirit with current prestige TV sensibility is both nostalgic and refreshing, with Andy calling out the “corny” but fitting opening—Robbie riding helmetless with Gin Blossoms-y rock ([32:00]).
• Subtle character shifts illustrate the show’s commitment to realism and growth after trauma ([46:08]).

Memorable Quotes

• “The strong bones of this show are definitely from a different era...this is not a show made by young guns trying to change things, nor should it be.” – Andy ([32:55])
• “If the baby was a robot, I bet Alhashimi would be like, that's dope.” – Chris ([40:35])

5. Most Anticipated Shows of 2026 (Hour 1:17+)

Chris and Andy scroll through their personalized lists of 2026’s most hyped new and returning shows, pulling from a raft of industry sources:

New Shows:

• All Sinners Bleed (Netflix): Adaptation of S.A. Cosby’s southern noir starring Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù; showrunner Joe Robert Cole.
• Criminal (Amazon): Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips’ comic adaptation; co-showrunner Jordan Harper; “dark, interlinked urban anthologies.”
  • “I think that Ed Brubaker’s love of this form is very different than Frank Miller’s [Sin City]. Brubaker knows a good yarn in a different way.” – Andy ([58:30])
• The Terror: Devil in Silver (AMC): Victor LaValle novel adaptation; cast includes Dan Stevens and Marin Ireland; set in a psych hospital.
• East of Eden (Netflix): Major Zoe Kazan-led Steinbeck adaptation starring Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, and newcomer Joseph Zada.
• Pride & Prejudice (Netflix): Adapted by Dolly Alderton, starring Emma Corrin, Jack Loudon, Olivia Colman.
  • Kaya joins to share her excitement for Alderton’s writing and the slow-burn Darcy dynamic ([65:31]–[66:36])
• Blade Runner 2099 (Amazon): Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, Tom Burke; “way more first Blade Runner vibes than 2049.” ([69:09])
• Cape Fear (Apple): Javier Bardem as Max Cady, Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, from Nick Antosca.
• Vladimir: Campus drama starring Rachel Weisz, Leo Woodall; adapted from Julia May Jonas’s novel—explained by Kaya ([80:43]).

Returning Series:

• Euphoria S3: “We’re fucking back. Shot in VistaVision. I think Sharon Stone’s in it…” ([75:25])
• House of the Dragon S2
• Beef S2: New cast (Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, Kayli Carter); anthology format ([71:12])
• Lanterns (DCU / Max): Green Lanterns as “space cops” in “True Detective with power rings” mold; creators Chris Mundy, Tom King, Damon Lindelof and cast including Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre ([77:14])
• Scarpetta (Prime): Nicole Kidman as Patricia Cornwell’s iconic pathologist; Liz Sarnoff showrunning ([79:07])

Other Notables:

• Presumed Innocent S2, Task, Tires, more

6. Classic “Watch” Banter and Pop Culture Deep Dives

• The hosts compare book-to-TV adaptation strategies, e.g., “Netflixification” of classic literature for miniseries, versus “event” series expectations ([61:37]).
• Food tangents: ordering risky dishes at Italian restaurants, toggling between vongole and chicken parm ([66:30]).
• Nostalgic asides about late-night cable, city teachers, and their mothers’ mystery paperback collections ([79:23]).
• Jokes and light jabs about podcast parties, who goes to them, and how celebrities must crave familiarity at events ([72:23]).

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• On the “Legacy Emmy” (‘The Wire Award’)

  • Chris: “Take the L with dignity. You didn’t recognize The Wire… You’re not correcting a historical record. You’re just bummed out because… people are constantly rewatching these shows and being like, damn, this is the best thing I ever saw. How come it doesn’t have any Emmys?” ([13:00])
  • Andy: “I think that… for all the things we’re saying about how familiar The Pit is…it is unique because the first season was so thrilling and the experience of watching it was so thrilling. But the charge of the show is we’re just gonna do it again in a different day.” ([46:06])

• On the Return of The Pitt

  • Chris: “The very thing that I thought was very smart about this episode…is that they took the temperature down. Last season ended in such a…viscerally ragged place… to start at a much more calm…place is smart.” ([30:52])
  • Andy: “When the season opened with Dr. Robbie riding a motorcycle helmetless…while sort of an anonymous Gin Blossoms-eat Rock song played, I was like, broadcast. We are so back, baby." ([32:00])
  • Chris: "If the baby was a robot, I bet Alhashimi would be like, that's dope." ([40:35])

• On TV’s Changing Landscape

  • Andy: “It is a testament to how much the medium has changed…Because even the suggestion of an award like this 10 or 20 years ago would have been absurd...work that was made in the past [now] could endure or re-enter the conversation.” ([10:06])

• On Anticipated Shows

  • Chris: “This is the kind of thing that gets me just like fired up to do this podcast is the prospect of talking about this show.” (on All Sinners Bleed, [56:25])
  • Kaya: “I just love Dolly Alderton...this is her first foray into television writing. I'm really intrigued." (on Pride & Prejudice, [65:31])

Important Segments & Timestamps

• TV News: The “Legacy Emmy” – [06:42]–[18:19]
• Mare of Easttown S2 Rumors & Delco Crime Universe – [19:20]–[24:06]
• The Pitt S2 Recap & Review – [29:00]–[50:50]
• Most Anticipated Shows of 2026 – [52:26]–[80:27]
• Food Tangent / Pride & Prejudice Cast Hyping – [65:31]–[68:22]
• Blade Runner 2099, Cape Fear, Scarpetta, Vladimir, and More – [68:22]–[81:54]

Tone & Style

The tone remains casual, irreverent, but genuinely invested in storytelling and craft—full of industry references, quick in-jokes, and a sense of old friends sharing their TV obsessions with listeners. Kaya's “producer cameo” adds another layer of insight and humor.

For Those Who Haven’t Listened

This episode is a tour through The Watch’s signature blend: sharp, sometimes contrarian takes on industry news (the "Wire Award”), enthusiastic breakdowns of returning TV favorites (with “The Pitt” as the centerpiece), and the kinds of TV lists and cultural predictions that make this show a fixture for any serious television and pop culture fan. Mixing informed critique, trivia, and personal tangents, it’s a must-listen for anyone curious about where TV—and TV criticism—are headed in 2026.