Warning: The Pitt season two spoilers ahead!
We learned in early April that Supriya Ganesh — who plays fan favorite Dr. Samira Mohan on The Pitt — was being written off the show. Sources were saying it was purely to do with story lines for season three and that the nature of PTMC being a teaching hospital means there will always be lots of turnaround in nurses and doctors. All that may be true, but unfortunately, The Pitt now has a terrible pattern of cutting a woman-of-color doctor after each season (there was a similarly vague explanation given last year for the exit of Tracy Ifeachor’s senior resident Dr. Heather Collins). One character who the show is bringing back is night shift attending Dr. Jack Abbot, played by the infinitely talented Shawn Hatosy. Hatosy won an Emmy for playing Abbot last year, and even directed an episode this season while reprising his guest starring role. His character has had meaningful moments with Mohan across both seasons, and Hatosy just commented for the first time on Ganesh’s unexpected departure:
“I can’t really comment because I don’t really know exactly what’s going on there, but he’s obviously disappointed,” Hatosy, 50, told Gold Derby in a Friday, April 10, interview, referring to his character. “I’m disappointed just because of this dynamic [and] this relationship that they have … the writers teased these moments throughout season 1 and we explored it.”
…Throughout both season 1 and 2, fans have shipped Abbot and Mohan, especially when he offered to cover funds for a pricy procedure with no questions asked.
“There’s no there there other than this idea, so the idea isn’t finished,” Hatosy told Gold Derby. “I think Supriya’s characterization of Dr. Mohan and what she has brought to it has made the audience love her in a big way, you know, she’s a fan-favorite.”
He continued, “I would say that Dr. Abbot is the head of [Mohan’s] fan club, you know, and early on he’s believed in her and he sees her as the future. He says that she’s the smartest one here.”
According to Hatosy, he’d want to bring Ganesh’s Mohan to the night shift for a potential spinoff.
“I think the power dynamic is obvious, so I don’t see Abbot as someone who would cross that line,” he teased of fan hope for an onscreen romance. “I think that’s what makes the relationship so special because it’s clear that he’s got that attraction, but there’s nowhere to go with it. That creates this excitement, you know?”
Ganesh has not publicly addressed her The Pitt departure, though previously questioned her character’s future.
“It’s up to the writers. Let’s see where they end up taking her,” Ganesh exclusively told Us Weekly in March. “I think we left her in a really interesting spot. I’m really curious where she ends up going.”
Ganesh also canceled her planned appearance at the cast’s PaleyFest panel this weekend.
“Hi everyone — not sure why it’s not removed off the site but I will not be at Paleyfest this Sunday,” she wrote via her Instagram Stories on Thursday, April 9. “I know some of you bought tickets to see me and I hope you know this is not a decision I take lightly. Love you all.”
I think Hatosy does a deft job here of putting his feelings across while basically saying, “Hey, you gotta ask the writers!” Overall, I feel like the writers have done Mohan dirty this year. In season one she was struggling with pace, yes, but it was because she took the time to listen to her patients and cared about them! Not because she was frazzled from her personal life. She could’ve been written off a million different ways, but the way they chose is a discredit to the doctor they — the writers and Ganesh — created in season one.
Co-creators R. Scott Gemmill and Noah Wyle commented on Mohan’s exit for the first time at the show’s PaleyFest panel on Sunday. Basically, it’s the line we expected. Wyle said, “It’s an inevitability that’s going to happen every season with this show,” and “Emergency rooms have a high revolving door.” That’s true, but then we should be seeing A LOT more cast shake-ups than we are. Instead, the show has gone out of its way this season to bring back characters it wants to. Like the way they made night shift charge nurse Lena Handzo (played by Lesley Boone) a death doula for a patient who comes into PTMC during the day. That story line bumped up Lesley Boone’s episode count to seven this season! Same goes for Abbot, who made a dramatic entrance in the middle of the day thanks to his newly-revealed day job working with SWAT. The point is: they could be keeping Mohan around if they wanted to, and for a show that gets a lot of things so right, it’s a pretty bad look for them to keep writing off the women-of-color docs. Still, I could be appeased if we got an Abbot-Mohan spinoff. That would be AMAZING.
Photos credit: Warrick Page/HBO Max via Warner Brothers press
This really sucks. Dr Mohan is one of my favourite characters. I’d much rather loose Langdon who was never that interesting to me, and them hinting at a relapse storyline for him just made me tired.
“I think the power dynamic is obvious, so I don’t see Abbot as someone who would cross that line,” he teased of fan hope for an onscreen romance. “I think that’s what makes the relationship so special because it’s clear that he’s got that attraction, but there’s nowhere to go with it. That creates this excitement, you know?”
Yes. Agreed. The complete opposite thinking of Dr. Robby who did have an intimate relationship with Dr. Collins.
Robby has a lot of changes to make. He’s sexist and shows favoritism to the white male doctors. That needs to be addressed or that show will just be a Noah Wyle vanity project and as great as it is I know they don’t want that.
I love both characters honestly and I really related to Samira. She was trying so hard and I love how she was with her patients and the patience that Heather had for her, offering a different teaching style. Heather was great at her job. Maybe Samira leaving is typical in the real world because of the bullying and clear favoritism for other colleagues but this isn’t a documentary. She represented an opportunity for Robbie to learn about himself and grow and if the show were written that way it would have been phenomenal. I love what Shawn had to say. Bringing Samira back on his shift would be something I’d watch.
I haven’t seen the Pitt, but Shawn is a superb actor. I thought he gave a very fine performance in Animal Kingdom. I want good things for him 🙏
A spin-off would be great. It’s interesting to see what these men had to say about her departure. I’m at a point where I’d rather hear from Supriya. Teen Vogue generally does a good job of platforming poc within these shows. I can’t remember if we covered her interview here, from back in march, with the writer Max Gao, but here’s the link if I’m allowed to share. It’s really good. Hope to see her more.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/supriya-ganesh-interview-the-pitt
I’m sorry that Dr. Mohan is leaving because she is great, but it does make sense that things change over time in a teaching hospital. I hope that we see Joy again because she rocked!
Joy is such a delight. She is so funny.