After Tracy Ifeachor posted a cryptic Instagram post all but signing off from her time playing Dr. Collins in The Pitt, TV Line confirmed the actress will no longer be returning for the hit HBO Max show’s second season. Variety later followed up with a report that “the decision was made by the show’s creative team; Ifeachor is not leaving The Pitt of her own accord.”
What this will mean for a second season remains unclear, with rumors on social media platforms like Reddit alleging a variety of differing explanations f. Dr. Collins left halfway through season 1 when it was revealed she had a miscarriage in the ER toilets after initially keeping her pregnancy a secret.
The Pitt season 1 has no doubt been one of the best TV shows of the year so far, but there’s now some doubt cast over The Pitt season 2 with Ifeachor’s sudden exit. Where Dr. Collins and Dr. Robbie (Noah Wyle) were initially set up as enemies-to-lovers, with their budding romance now threatening to be left unresolved.
Dr. Collins and Dr. Robbie’s strained relationship can’t be revived in The Pitt season 2
Despite Dr. Collins intentionally getting pregnant as a single mother rather than with a partner, the chemistry between her and Dr. Robbie couldn’t be denied. She was initially introduced in The Pitt season 1 as a hard-nosed, unapproachable leading medic, marching to the beat of her own drum rather than working collaboratively as a team. She vanished before the shift got even worse later in the day (no spoilers here, but if you know, you know), leaving enough time to focus on her personal life being at odds with her professional one.
She was sent home shortly after the miscarriage, and it feels as though her arc has now had a firm line drawn under it. If online rumors are true, writers will want to draw the least amount of attention to her exit as possible, probably being explained with a brief one-liner as the ER once again descends into chaos. Annoyingly for us, this means Dr. Collins’ relationship with Dr. Robbie was never going to reach its full potential.
The pair are just as complex and flawed as each other, making their somewhat unexpected coupling all the more satisfying to dig into. Just before she was sent home they were at their easiest truce, tentatively leaning into physical affection while letting their guards down. With Dr. Collins gone, Dr. Robbie’s romantic guard might now be built straight back up, making him more vulnerable to external pressures in his working life (we all remember the episode 14 meltdown).
It’s a crying shame, and doesn’t seem like a move fans, nor the show’s cast, actually want. We were expecting her triumphant return in The Pitt season 2, which is set to take place ten months after season 1 over the Fourth of July weekend. Now, she’s potentially a forgotten part of HBO history, and that’s doing a huge disservice to everyone involved.