The Emmy Award-winning medical show The Pitt now finds itself in a legal abyss. The estate of the late Michael Crichton, creator of EASTsued the original HBO series for copying it.

The medical drama EAST ran from 1994 to 2009, with 331 episodes spread over 15 seasons. The group led by Noah Wyle The Pitt premiered in January 2025 to major success, winning several Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series. By DeadlineWarner Bros. TV has shut down claims that The Pitt is a EAST scam.

Appellants’ opening brief, filed by WBTV, Wyle, John Wells, R. Scott Gemmill and others, asserts: “There was no evidence that The Pitt was made by copying or using EASTthere was therefore no evidence that The Pitt was a “derivative” of EAST— even if the copyright test for a “derivative work” does not apply. »

Shortly after its debut in January, viewers were quick to compare The Pitt has EASTboth because of its realistic themes, but also its common actors. Lead star and executive producer Noah Wyle was also part of EASTwhere he played an intern called John Carter. He has appeared in 254 episodes since the medical series’ debut.

The Michael Crichton estate trial dates back to August 2024, before the series even premiered on HBO. They claimed the HBO medical drama was a ripoff of a planned sequel to the hit medical series. EAST. The estate sued Warner Bros. Television, Gemmill, Wells and Wyle for breach of contract.

“This case provides a textbook example of why anti-SLAPP exists,” Warner Bros. said. said the party in the filing, hoping that the Los Angeles Superior Court’s decision would be overturned or the case would be dismissed in its entirety. “The plaintiff is abusing the court system to try to prevent important speech because Ms. Crichton could not reach an agreement she was happy with, even though The Pitt does not use any copyrighted material from EAST“, the document from a legion of Gibson Dunn lawyers highlights Christon’s wife, Sherri, on behalf of the John Michael Crichton Trust’s JMTC Roadrunner.