The Pitt Season 2 Welcomes A Former Suits Star To The Emergency Room
"The Pitt" has returned for a second season, and the medical drama features some familiar faces. In episode 3 of season 2, "9:00 A.M.," for example, Amanda Schull plays the estranged wife of one of Dr. Cassie McKay's (Fiona Dourif) patients. "Suits" fans should recognize Schull for playing Katrina Bennett, sometimes opponent, sometimes ally to Patrick J. Adams' Michael Ross, on the USA Network series.
"The Pitt" is all about medical accuracy and realism, so there's no A-list guest stars to distract from the immersiveness of life at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. But the show did sneak in few recognizable faces throughout its first season, including horror legend Brad Dourif, who joined "The Pitt" for an episode where he played Dr. McKay's father on the hit HBO Max series. It was inspired casting, since Dourif is Fiona's real-life father.
We're yet to see any familial connections with the guest stars in season 2, but the show has given us a "House of Cards"/"Suits" team-up. Derek Cecil, known for playing Seth Grayson on the Netflix series, plays Michael Williams, one of Dr. McKay's parents who's diagnosed with a mass in his brain. His ex-wife is played by Schull, who makes the absolute most of her very brief screen-time in the third episode.
Suits alum Amanda Schull plays Gretchen Lamden on The Pitt
In "The Pitt" season 2, episode 1, Derek Cecil's Michael Williams arrives at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center after falling in his home. In episode 2, he has a CT scan and in the following episode we find out that the scan revealed a small mass in the frontal lobe of his brain. McKay breaks the news to Mr. Williams, but is careful to state that until a biopsy can be done, it remains unclear exactly what the lump is.
Soon after, Williams' ex-wife arrives at the hospital in the form of Amanda Schull's Gretchen Lamden. Schull played corporate attorney Katrina Bennett across eight seasons of "Suits," joining in the second season and remaining with the legal drama until its ninth and final season. The actor, who also had recurring roles on "Pretty Little Liars" and "One Tree Hill" (the reboot of which is set to arrive in the near future) started in a recurring role on "Suits" but was upgraded to a series regular for the final two seasons.
As Bennett, she portrayed the ambitious lawyer's evolution from Assistant District Attorney to senior partner at Pearson Specter Litt. While she wasn't given as much screen time as she surely deserved on "Suits," which found renewed success on Netflix back in 2023 following the show's final season in 2019, Bennett became a favorite among fans.
Now, Schull has similarly made the most of her brief time on "The Pitt" season 2, episode 3, where we learn that she has remarried since leaving Williams. Needless to say, she's initially confused as to why she's still the emergency contact on her ex-husband's file. Still, she's clearly concerned about her former husband and agrees to see him.
Amanda Schull makes the most of her brief screen time in The Pitt episode 3
"The Pitt" season 2 continues to turn empathy and competency into great TV, but there's still plenty of tragedy and heartache — as demonstrated by Michael Williams and Gretchen Lamden's story.
In "9:00 A.M.," Lamden arrives at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center and is taken to see her ex-husband, who tells her the news about the mass in his brain. We learn that Lamden hasn't seen him for four years, and that the couple initially broke up due to Williams becoming "a really different person" towards the end of their relationship. Lamden recalls to Dr. Cassie McKay how her ex developed a "huge temper" and was even getting into fights with strangers. She then asks if the mass might have been there for a while and whether it could be responsible for her ex-husband's dramatic change in temperament. McKay says that it's possible.
This is one of the most quietly devastating moments in season 2 thus far, and Amanda Schull does an excellent job of conveying Lamden's sudden realization that her marriage likely broke down due to circumstances entirely out of her and her ex's control. You see the sadness wash over her in this moment and it's truly heartbreaking.
At this point, Williams is still awaiting his biopsy, so we don't know the prognosis. But before she leaves the ER, Lamden tells McKay to leave her as the primary contact on her ex-husband's file. Perhaps there will be some sort of reconciliation to come, which should make for a nice little moment amid the absolute chaos that's surely just around the corner this season.