The Sopranos slowed modern TV procedurals, and HBO's The Pitt may be reviving them

The article argues that the prestige TV era begun by shows like The Sopranos shifted attention away from procedurals, and that HBO's medical drama The Pitt returned for a second season while reintroducing procedural storytelling within a prestige format.

An article examines how television changed after The Sopranos and similar early-2000s prestige dramas, and how HBO’s medical series The Pitt is positioned in that history. It reports that prestige TV encouraged creators to move away from traditional formats such as the procedural. The piece says procedurals declined in prominence over the past two decades but have persisted in various forms. It notes The Pitt returned for a second season after a well-received debut and applies prestige-era storytelling to a medical procedural. Key points: - The article argues The Sopranos and the broader prestige-TV shift reduced the dominance of procedural formats on television. - It names 1990s procedurals such as Law & Order and ER as earlier exemplars of the form that later waned in prominence. - The piece describes The Pitt as blending prestige-TV techniques with the step-by-step focus of a medical procedural, emphasizing both medical work and character moments. - The article reports The Pitt returned for a second season following a critically lauded first season. - It lists production details reported in the article: Release date (January 9, 2025), network (Max), showrunner (R. Scott Gemmill), and cast members including Noah Wyle and Tracy Ifeachor. Summary: The article frames The Pitt as a revival of procedural storytelling within the prestige-TV era, arguing it restores procedural focus while retaining character-driven drama. Undetermined at this time.