'The Pitt' stars Noah Wyle, Gerran Howell embrace the #Hucklerobby fan art

The relationship between Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Dennis "Huckleberry" Whitaker (Gerran Howell) of HBO's "The Pitt" is precious enough to earn the ultimate compliment: inspired fan art of the stars together.

Wyle, 54, who won his first Emmy for his role as emergency room doc Robby nearly 30 years after his last nomination for "ER," has noticed the outpouring of affection for the show's dynamic duo, known as #Hucklerobby on social media.

"I get sent a lot of art of Gerran and me," Wyle said at a media event for the show before Season 2 kicks off on Jan. 8 (streaming on HBO Max). "Sometimes we're cowboys, and sometimes we're in a hammock. Sometimes we're taking a nap or having a sandwich."

Often, #Hucklerobby consists of video clips of the doctors during their "trauma bonding" work at the fictional ER. More often, the videos suggest a steamy romantic relationship between the two Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center colleague characters. 

Howell believes the fan creativity reflects the show's popularity since kicking off a year ago, in January 2025, for 15 episodes, showing one harried shift in the emergency room known as "The Pitt."

"I get shown it. Sometimes against my will," Howell said, laughing about the fan art. "But it's a signifier of how much [the drama] is resonating with people."

How the 'medical community embraced' HBO's 'The Pitt'

"The Pitt" is TV's latest breakout show, led by fervent medical professional fans who appreciate its realistic (and bloody) procedures and the saucy drama amid the stress. It also made USA TODAY's best shows of 2025 and best medical shows of all time list.

"The medical community embraced it first and embraced it loudly," Wyle said. "Their stamp of approval gave other people the confidence to watch it and feel like it wouldn't be a waste of their time. Then word began to spread from there."

The show shot to 13 Emmy nominations, taking three trophies home in September, including best drama.

Now, "The Pitt" is stepping into Season 2 with another 15 episodes set in one shift, taking place 10 months after the Labor Day dramatic events depicted in Season 1. But the success of its first season brings a new kind of real-life pressure.

Noah Wyle says the 'sophomore slump' is real ahead of Season 2

"The proverbial 'sophomore slump' is real," said Wyle. "When you have something as impactful and as successful as our first season, it's inevitable that you're going to be combating expectations."

Executive producer John Wells, who also executive-produced "ER," combatted that pressure by telling the cast before filming that they "didn't have to do it bigger, better or faster," Wyle recalled.

"He said, 'You just have to do it again, remember what you did the first time, and stay true to the characters,'" Wyle recalled.

Season 2 focuses on a new holiday shift, the July 4 weekend, and brings in new cast members, including Sepideh Moafi, who enters as the new attending physician, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi. Dr. Al-Hashimi is set to take over as Robby heads off on a soul-cleansing motorcycle sabbatical after what looks to be a lethal final shift.

Why does 'The Pitt' take place 10 months after Season 1?

Waiting 10 months in "The Pitt" storyline allows for the return of the smoldering fan favorite, Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball), who was suspended pending treatment for stealing prescription drugs from his patients in Season 1.

Episode 1 of the new season features both Langdon's tense return after 10 months and Dr. Al-Hashimi's first day.

The July 4 holiday setting feels apt since it's "huge in emergency rooms across the nation," R. Scott Gemmill, creator and executive producer of "The Pitt," tells USA TODAY. "With all the barbeques, the explosions, the alcohol, it seemed like a perfect fit."

"The Pitt" actors stepped right back into form after Season 1, almost too effectively on the Los Angeles ER set. Wells had to add some bumps to the emergency room choreography to reflect the reality of an overcrowded ER filled with medical students.

"Things were starting to look too polished, too choreographed, the composition was too perfect," said Wyle. "It was almost like he was telling us, 'Don't be so good at your jobs.'"