Before The Pitt, Noah Wyle Starred In An Underrated Steven Spielberg-Produced Sci-Fi Series

You can essentially describe "The Pitt" as a gritty, realistic look at the modern healthcare industry and the challenges — physical and psychological — that healthcare workers face in their day-to-day lives. After its first season, it won several Emmy awards, including for Outstanding Drama Series, Casting, and a number of acting wins, even one for Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch. It really is a phenomenal show.

While "The Pitt" was renewed for a second season, which should premiere in early 2026, you might wish to see Noah Wyle beguile on screen some more while you're waiting. In that case, you may be interested to hear about an underrated Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi series from a few years ago called "Falling Skies." It's also quite prescient with all the interstellar news and potential alien life discoveries lately.

"Falling Skies" follows Tom Mason — played by Wyle — a former history professor turned second-in-command for the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment. Their goal is to fight back against an alien invasion in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Over the course of five seasons, the story is peeled back like an onion, and you learn what happened to Earth, why the aliens are attacking, and what they're planning for the future of humankind. It's a lot more fantasy than something like "The Pitt," but you can see Wyle's acting chops, especially alongside his excellent co-stars, Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, and Colin Cunningham. You can watch "Falling Skies" right now on HBO Max, just like "The Pitt".

Both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb feature fairly positive reviews for "Falling Skies." No, they're not the end-all, be-all decision-makers about media good and bad, but they can tell you whether a movie or show is worth the watch. With a 79% Tomatometer from critics and a 70% Popcornmeter from users, that's an impressive start for any TV series. But it also scored a 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb with over 96,000 reviews.

People say it's entertaining, worth watching, and still a "surprisingly good show after all these years." One reviewer, who scored it a 9/10, says they "definitely recommend [it] if you're a sci-fi fan." Others, have found the show just as good upon rewatching as during the first time they watched, after forgetting about it for years.

It does go in a different direction than "The Pitt," which is much more realistic and dramatized. As it's a medical show, "The Pitt" is also excellent if you loved NBC's ER. But that's what makes "Falling Skies" so interesting. Wyle's acting still shines through even in a dystopian, alien-invaded world with lots of TV-grade CGI and B-grade acting. He trades a scalpel for a futuristic gun and eclectic on-screen colleagues. Anyway, if you have some downtime, and you're an HBO Max subscriber, it's worth giving a shot.