Noah Wyle is no stranger to playing a doctor on TV, but he is doing things differently the second time around.
The Pitt star, 54, rose to fame playing Dr. John Carter in ER, and nearly 20 years later, he has taken on the role of Dr. Michael 'Robby' Robinavitch in the hit HBO show.
According to reports, Noah eventually earned nearly $9 million per season for ER, but in a new interview, he revealed that he faced financial struggles before landing his comeback role on The Pitt.
"Well, not to make it a sob story, but everything I pretty much had made and earned on ER, I spent," he told GQ.
"I'd taken it down to the studs a couple years ago, to the point where I was doing work for the money, for the experience, and for the need to work."
He added: "But I was looking at the rest of my career [thinking], 'Let's shrink this footprint down and turn it into something that's sustainable and manageable."
Noah teamed back up with ER creators R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells to create a new show after their idea to reboot ER with the focus on what Dr. John Carter was doing in the 2020s wasn't greenlit by Warner Bros.
© Warrick Page/MAX"I just wanted to put this spotlight back on these first responders. I wanted to put the attention back on this community that needed it," Noah told Vulture. "And Wells goes, 'We could still do that.'"
Season one of the medical drama, which first aired in January 2025, proved a huge success with audiences, earning a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and receiving 13 Emmy nominations. Noah took home the award for Best Lead Actor, while Katherine LaNasa won Best Supporting Actress.
© Getty ImagesSeason 2 returned on January 8, 2026, and featured none other than Noah's wife, Sara Wyle (Californication, Nip/Tuck, Leverage: Redemption), in a guest-starring role, marking one of her first appearances since she and Noah welcomed their daughter, Frances, in 2015.
Sara made her debut as patient Ashley Davis, who was taking health advice from TikTok, in episode 13, which aired on HBO Max on April 2.
© FilmMagicDespite Noah being the star of the series, as well as a writer and director on the show, Sara auditioned the way everyone else did – through an audition tape – and Noah praised his wife for the decision, admitting he wanted her "to go for something bigger."
"Sara had a really good time – well, it seemed like she had a good time!" he told HELLO!
© Warrick Page/MAX"She's a wonderful actress who has dedicated the last 10 years to raising our daughter and is now getting back out there. I had my eye out for a good part for her, and I wanted her to go for something bigger, but she wanted something manageable, and she did a great job. I'm really proud of her."
