Are ‘Pitt’ bullies real? Diagnosing the newest fandom menace | CNN

Almost every episode of the award-winning medical drama “The Pitt” goes like this: Intrepid emergency room doctors treat patients, banter and reveal pieces of their personal histories. With the story moving more or less in real time — 15 hour-long episodes for a single 15-hour shift — patients with gory injuries and tragic stories come and go more quickly than the health care workers can process. Mild cliffhanger. Repeat next week. It’s about as straightforward as it gets, short of crime procedurals that introduce and resolve an entire case within one episode. “The Pitt” is old-fashioned, top-down television that doesn’t ask viewers to look for clues to solve season-long puzzles. Yet in the absence of dramatic mystery or subtext, a small but vocal segment of its viewers has become notorious for seeking extra meaning — and, more importantly, conflict — in material outside the frame: casting decisions, interview responses, Instagram posts. And they’ve found a target for their complaints in the show’s foundational star, executive producer, sometime-writer and director Noah Wyle, whose grizzled attending physician Dr. Robby has spent much of this season spiralin