The Pitt and ER are similar enough for lawsuit to proceed, judge rules

A US appeals court has ruled that a lawsuit alleging *The Pitt* copied *ER* has enough evidence to proceed to a jury trial. Michael Crichton’s widow, Sherri Crichton, says the newer medical drama is an unauthorised reboot that breaches a contract restricting spin-offs, sequels and reboots of *ER*.

The three-judge panel cited similarities in the emergency-room setting, pace, medical jargon, graphic injuries and training of young doctors, as well as parallels between the opening episode scripts. Warner Bros called the claim baseless and argued the similarities were generic. The court dismissed separate claims against *The Pitt*’s Noah Wyle, John Wells and R Scott Gemmill, finding insufficient evidence they knew of a possible breach. *ER*, based on a Crichton screenplay, ran for 331 episodes from 1994 and won 23 Emmy Awards.