The Pitt heads to court
The Pitt's next stressful shift might not take place in an emergency room but in a courtroom.
The Crichton estate prevailed in a recent appeal court decision against Warner Bros. Television, clearing the way for legal proceedings claiming The Pitt is derivative of ER. Sherri Crichton, widow of author Michael Crichton, and Roadrunner JMTC LLC, which she controls, won the argument. The trial will take place in Los Angeles unless a settlement is reached.
The case revolves around a 1994 contract between Crichton and WBTV, preventing WB from making derivative works without their mutual agreement. This contract was significant because Jurassic Park had made Crichton an in-demand author. In 2020, Roadrunner argues, Warner Bros. Television began developing an ER reboot, which was then reformulated as The Pitt without her involvement.
Court found similarities between the shows, including medical jargon, fast-paced sequences, depictions of medical gore, and a young incompetent doctor.
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