The Pitt Season 2 Has a Sneaky Breaking Bad Connection

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If you’re watching The Pitt and wondering where you’ve seen the actor who plays Dr. Mel King, Taylor Dearden, you’re not alone! I bet a lot of us will spend half the first season trying to place her before finally Googling it – it’s actually someone you definitely know! Once you realize who it is, you can’t unsee it, honestly. But that’s not the only thing that connects The Pitt to Breaking Bad; there are other nods to that show too.

While Bryan Cranston isn’t currently planned to return to The Pitt, another familiar face from the hit show Breaking Bad has joined the cast. Charles Baker, who played Skinny Pete, recently appeared in an episode, likely surprising many fans.

Who Does Skinny Pete’s Actor Play in The Pitt?

You’ll have to look closely to recognize the actor in this role, as his character is intentionally made to look very dirty and disheveled. He plays Mr. Digby, a man experiencing homelessness who comes to the hospital to have his cast taken off. The story introduces him when Dr. Robby arrives for work and notices other patients reacting negatively to Mr. Digby’s odor in the waiting room.

Eventually, the odor becomes so overwhelming that other patients plead with the nurses to treat him first. As viewers saw in last season of The Pitt, people fiercely protect their place in the emergency room waiting list, so this situation must be truly awful. Dana and her trainee, Emma, assist in cleaning Mr. Digby, and the head nurse observes that even simple kindness, along with soap and water, can make a huge difference.

The story of Mr. Digby continues with a focus on the issues highlighted in The Pitt – the shame surrounding homelessness in Pittsburgh and the difficulties within the healthcare system. Healthcare workers helped a man known as the “Kraken,” who was experiencing homelessness and often reacted aggressively when approached. They later discovered his name was Michael Krakozhia and that he had schizophrenia, but couldn’t afford the medication he needed.

A recent article in The Pitt shed light on the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness by sharing the story of Dr. Whitaker, who is unable to afford housing and has been living in an unused hospital room. In response, Santos offered Whitaker a room at her home, free of charge, if he would help with cleaning and minor repairs.

Despite the incredible care and kindness healthcare workers provide to people experiencing homelessness, The Pitt argues this isn’t a real solution to the underlying problems. It highlights how exhausted healthcare staff face obstacles even when trying to help, while the root causes that harm vulnerable individuals remain. This pattern will likely continue with Mr. Digby – Dana is helping him today, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to stay on track. Unfortunately, overwhelming medical debt makes a full recovery and lasting stability very difficult.

Would The Pitt Be Open to Bigger Guest Stars?

Some actors are incredibly talented at portraying difficult situations, even if they only appear briefly on screen throughout a season. They convincingly act as if they’re having a terrible or highly inconvenient day. For example, Mr. Digby’s role is a departure from Baker’s previous character, Skinny Pete, and it takes dedication to endure messy makeup and costumes for a minor part.

With The Pitt consistently casting actors from popular past shows, it’s natural to wonder if these guest appearances will become more significant. One of the show’s strengths is its use of familiar faces – actors you recognize, even if you can’t quite place where you’ve seen them before. They’re great at blending into the background, but really shine when given a chance to stand out.

So far, the most famous guest on The Pitt has been an Academy Award nominee for his work in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He played Dr. McKay’s father last season, and interestingly, he’s also Fiona Dourif’s real father. However, it doesn’t look like the show plans to feature any other well-known actors in upcoming episodes.

Director and executive producer John Wells explained that while bringing back characters from the show has been discussed, they’re hesitant to do so. He said they want to keep the focus on the medical stories and the current cast, rather than distracting the audience with returning faces.

There’s good news for TV fans: George Clooney, known for his role on The Pitt, recently appeared in another acclaimed show. While it’s unclear if The Pitt will continue to feature big-name guest stars, Breaking Bad fans were thrilled to see the actor who played Skinny Pete on a different Emmy-winning series.

New episodes of The Pitt premiere every Thursday at 8 PM ET on HBO Max.

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2026-01-09 18:15