An appeals court ruled Wednesday that 'The Pitt' and 'ER' share enough in common to allow a lawsuit from Michael Crichton's widow to proceed.

In a unanimous opinion, a three-judge panel denied an appeal from Warner Bros. Television, which has argued that the two shows are unrelated.

“There are clear and numerous similarities between ‘The Pitt’ and ‘ER,” the court ruled, citing the emergency room setting, the fast pace, the medical jargon, the graphic depictions of injuries, and a young, incompetent doctor fresh from medical school. “We find the details here suffice for a prima facie case.”

  • yeahiknow3English
    21·
    2 days ago

    Again, this isn’t about WB. It’s about art and copyright.

    • velma@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      I mean, it’s also about Warner Bros since they’re the ones who had the contractual agreement with Crichton, but ok.

            • velma@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
              21·
              3 days ago

              Sherri Crichton, his widow, filed the suit in August 2024, months before “The Pitt” debuted, alleging that Wells and Wyle had originally wanted to reboot “ER” and only changed course after failing to secure her permission.

              It’s not his estate, she filed it as an individual.

              That’s not to say I agree with her filing it, but it’s not his estate doing this.

                • velma@sh.itjust.worksOPMEnglish
                  1·
                  3 days ago

                  You’re calling me anti-artist for indulging in a conversation about this case with you?

                  Yeah, ok.

                  You seem to be really fired up about this.