An official clip from The Pitt Season 2, Episode 2 introduced Meta Golding's new character who is deemed by many as Dr. Heather Collins' replacement in Dr. Robby's (Noah Wyle) life. While The Pitt Season 2 brought back most of the core characters from the show's debut season on HBO Max, a key character didn't return in the form of Tracy Icheafor's Dr. Collins. She was a senior resident in emergency medicine at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, and her departure left a hole in Dr. Robby's day-to-day operations and apparently, his personal life. However, Season 2 is set to swiftly introduce her replacement as soon as the second episode.
Entertainment Online shared a new clip from The Pitt Season 2, Episode 2 which introduced Meta Golding's Noelle Hastings, and it seems that sparks are brewing between him and Dr. Robby. The clip focused on Nurse Hastings, a new administrative nurse tasked to manage The Pitt's persistent overcrowding issue.
Hastings arrive to interrupt the conversation between Dr. McKay (played by Season 1 breakout and Chucky actress Fiona Dourif) and Dr. Robby about sending the former's patient to surgery. What's odd about Hastings' introduction is the fact that she outright called Robby as "sailor," before correcting herself to formally address the head of the Emergency Department.
Hastings suggested to move McKay's patient to Westbridge Memorial instead of staying at the Pitt. A decision that Dr. Robby backed up, noting that it benefits both the patient and the hospital because they are going to "free up a bed and discharge a patient." This is an unusual move for Robby because he is known as a patient-first, bureaucracy-second kind of doctor.
While McKay tried to change the decision, Robby and Hastings appear to be on the same page, with Hastings pointing out that it is "just a simple insurance transfer."
Watch the clip below:
The 60-second clip strongly hints that something else is going on between Dr. Robby and Nurse Hastings, indicating that there is a hidden romance between them that have yet to be disclosed to the rest of the staff (and the viewers).
This means that Nurse Hastings serves as the replacement of Dr. Heather Collins in terms of workplace romance for Dr. Robby. It's worth noting that Season 1 established that Dr. Robby and Dr. Collins had unresolved romance years before the events of the show's debut season. Collins eventually let Robby know about her miscarriage in The Pitt Season 1, and it clearly showed that he still cared for her even after all these years.
Dr. Collins was not included in The Pitt Season 2 on HBO Max mainly due to a creative decision by the writers. Tracy Ifeachor's character was in her last year of residency and would have already graduated by the events of Season 2. This would mean that Dr. Collins completed her training and decided to move on to another hospital or even a fellowship.
The Pitt Season 2 follows the doctors and nurses of Pittsburgh General Hospital as they endure a long shift treating patients during the Fourth of July weekend. The show's sophomore run premiered on HBO Max on January 8, 2026.
Is The Pitt Making a Mistake By Giving Dr. Robby a Love Interest?
It's clear that there is instant chemistry between Dr. Robby and Nurse Hastings in The Pitt Season 2, and this 60-second clip appears to indicate that they have already spent time together due to their familiarity each other and the fact that Dr. Robby lowered his guard upon meeting her. This is on top of the obvious "sailor" nickname that Nurse Hastings gave to Dr. Robby before their conversation even started.
Some fans have already sparked some debate over giving Noah Wyle's Dr. Robby a love interest in The Pitt Season 2 because they pointed out that the show thrives on its realism amid the gritty Emergency Room chaos and not relying on cheap romance as a way to move the story forward.
Dr. Robby had a lot of things to handle in an already jam-packed The Pitt Season 2 in terms of storylines, such as the (early) arrival of his replacement, Dr. Al-Hashimi, and the return of Dr. Langdon following his 10-month rehabilitation. A romance being sprinkled through his arc could disrupt the core focus of The Pitt, which is to showcase the reality of how health issues are being handled in the face of chaos.
Despite that, a possible romance could humanize Dr. Robby as long as the show finds the perfect balance by focusing on what matters, which are the patients and the dynamic between the doctors and nurses. The only way for The Pitt to perfectly handle this brewing romance storyline is for it to stay low-key and not placing the prime focus on it so that Dr. Robby can still become the best doctor whom fans know and love.
