This Minnesota doctor is helping “The Pitt” keep it real
By Beret Leone
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MINNESOTA (WCCO) — The hit HBO Max series “The Pitt” is getting buzz for how real it feels, and there’s a Minnesota doctor making sure it stays that way.
Dr. Jacob Lentz is an ER physician at M Health Fairview Lakes in Wyoming, Minnesota.
“They really care to get things right, and so there’s a lot of doctors and nurses in the mix making sure that things are as accurate as possible,” Lentz said.
Lentz is one of them, serving as a technical consultant for the show. That gig is on top of his work as a physician, splitting his time between Southern California and Minnesota.
If you aren’t familiar with the medical drama, it takes place in Pittsburgh and follows an emergency department through a 12-hour shift. It has all the things fans are looking for in a medical drama: high stakes, great characters and medical “realness.”
“I continued to work full-time while consulting a bit. Most of last season or season two, I would like wrap up, like on a Friday, and they’re like, ‘Alright, we’re wrapped,’ and I was I like, ‘Cool, I’m going to go to work now,'” he said.
As a technical consultant, Lentz reviews each script, often writing 20 to 25 pages of detailed medical notes for a 70-page episode.
He outlines everything from what a wound should look like to which staff members would realistically be in the room, what should appear on patient monitors and how a scene should be choreographed. Then he’s on set, answering questions and ensuring accuracy.
“I’m there to sort of make sure that things look realistic and that everyone’s saying the words the right way and people are kind of like reacting the right way,” he said.
It’s no doubt a grind. He jumps from set to an overnight shift in the ER, but it’s a grind that Lentz calls a privilege. Medicine was a career he sought out later in life. He never thought it would bring him back to television.
“I really did not, yeah, so I think it’s been a pleasant surprise,” he said.
After college, the Mahtomedi, Minnesota, native moved to Los Angeles to become a television writer. He worked for shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” until he had the urge to do something different. He went to medical school, started his residency in Minnesota in 2019 and somehow ended up doing both years later.
“I will confess, like I felt, still feel pressure because I don’t, I want to, like, represent our field, and do, you know, make sure we’re doing things the right way and so on,” he said. “So it’s been really gratifying, you know, like to see that they actually did pull it off.”
He credits the show’s makeup, props and wardrobe teams for bringing authenticity to life, even when they’re recreating injuries most people have never seen.
“They’ll say, ‘You wrote that this wound is oozing, what does that mean?'” Lentz said. “They just want to get it right.”
The series is created by Scott Gemmill, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer, and it’s executive produced by former “ER” showrunner John Wells and “The Pitt” star Noah Wyle — who also played Dr. John Carter on “ER.”
Lentz described Wyle as earnest and deeply committed to portraying health care workers accurately.
“He needs very little coaching,” Lentz said. “He’ll ask one question, and then he’s got it. He works really hard.”
The show’s been renewed for a third season. Don’t bother asking Lentz for any spoilers.
“Um, no, because I like having a job,” he said.
While he didn’t want to give away any upcoming show secrets, Lentz did say “The Pitt” fans can expect some really good medical cases, great acting, amazing props and make-up work.
New episodes come out on Thursday nights. The season two finale airs April 16. There’s no word yet on when season three will air.
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