The Season 1 finale of The Pitt revealed Dr. Abbott as a single-leg amputee, totally changing how we’ve seen him through the traumatic shift. But does actor Shawn Hatosy have an amputated leg in real life?
In the final moments of The Pitt Episode 15, everything we knew about the ER shift from hell – including a mass shooting at a local musical festival – completely changes. As the day shift tries to decompress, Abbott is revealed to be a single-leg amputee, missing his right leg from the knee down.
It’s a sobering moment for both his fellow medics and viewers, with the latter already picking up on a blood bag strapped to Abbott’s leg in earlier episodes. We learn throughout the binge-worthy TV show that Abbott was previously in the military, meaning there are some procedures only he can carry out.
But does this reveal mean Shawn Hatosy has an amputated leg in real life, and what does this mean for The Pitt Season 2?
Does Shawn Hatosy have an amputated leg in real life?
As far as anybody who doesn’t know him personally can tell, Shawn Hatosy doesn’t have an amputated leg in real life. Alongside an unfruitful internet search if you Google it, the way Hatosy speaks about The Pitt’s reveal tells us a lot.
Speaking to US Weekly, Hatosy said, “I knew from the beginning. This revelation at the end is a big surprise to many of our characters who just met Abbott that day. But it’s also a big surprise for the audience.
“Him being a single-leg amputee doesn’t define him. What defines him is not this injury, it’s his strength, it’s his presence, it’s his talent in emergency medicine. He’s the guy that you want in the room when things are failing.”
While Abbott’s amputation ended up being a surprise reveal in the finale (more on that later), there were initially discussions about the medic having to navigate different physical attributes from the off… but this was quickly squashed.
“We felt that would maybe tip it in a certain way,” Hatosy added. “I definitely had it in my mind when I had to move fast. I tried to keep it a secret, without going too fast. But it’s amazing with these prosthetics, how mobile you can be now with the technology. It’s incredible, really.”
For the new TV show’s creators, having Abbott’s past in the military was a no-brainer. “We wanted to make Abbot a vet, and his experience in those scenarios, those situations, inform him somewhat as a doctor,” producer R. Scott Gemmill told The Hollywood Reporter.
“And when we got to see how well he performed during the mass casualty because he’s been in, unfortunately, those kind of situations before, and that seemed like if he suffered an injury, a pretty significant one, as a result of that, I think it makes for a more interesting and a more sympathetic character.
“So we knew that that was going to be a reveal from the get-go go but also not going to be revealed until the very, almost the last moment of the show.
“Certainly it’s in the last scene, and that was really just to see that he’s a physician who has lost a part of his leg. He’s not a guy with part of his leg who became a physician.
“So he really, it’s really just more about who he is. And we didn’t want to make a big deal about it. It was just to show that, you know, so that nobody judged him ahead of time. And at the end, it’s a big, hopefully a good reveal, and you realize it has never slowed him down one bit.”
The Pitt Season 1 revealed Abbott as an amputee at the last second
The final scenes of The Pitt Episode 15 were a subtle turning point for Abbott. Not only do fans learn he has a prosthetic foot – most likely due to an injury from his time in the military – but he explicitly tells Robby he prefers working nights.
Leaving the center, Robby asks Abbott what time he thinks he’ll be back in, with the day shift due to resume at 7am. Abbott replies he’ll be back around 2am, met with baffled confusion from Robby. Why? “You know me, I prefer working nights anyway,” is the reply we get.
As Robby and Abbott walk off and join some of the others in the park for a beer, Abbott is seen taking off a prosthetic leg. His right leg has seemingly been amputated from the knee down, with Abbott giving no explanation while he whips it out in front of everyone.
Judging by the looks other medical staff are giving each other, Abbott’s prosthetic isn’t a well-known fact. Previous episodes have touched on the fact he’s a military veteran – being the only person to know how to do a packing procedure in the season finale thanks to his time on the front line – but again, this information only comes up in passing.
What does this mean for Season 2?
Now it’s all out in the open, The Pitt openly hints at Abbott’s past being explored in Season 2. On top of this, we also learn he prefers working nights, making him an ideal candidate for the second season night shift theory.
Speaking to Dexerto, co-star Gerran Howell said, “Dr. Abbott would be incredible [on the night shift]. I think he’s a real amazing pairing with Robbie. I’d love to see those two interacting with us as med students or residents outside of a mass casualty event.”
“Abbot loves the night shift, so he’s not going to work a day shift if he doesn’t want to, but we have a surprise for him next season,” Gemmill told TV Line. “We’re going to introduce a couple of new characters, as well, because there are always new people coming in and out of the hospital. So that will give us some new dynamics as well.”
Where Abbott fits into the wider Season 2 storyline remains to be seen. So far, it’s been confirmed the next shift will take place over the Fourth of July weekend, picking up 10 months after our Season 1 shift was brought to a close.
“When we come back a lot of story has transpired between our characters, and so we get a chance to catch up, whereas if we’d done the next day, everyone would still just be dealing with their PTSD and the grief about it, so we wouldn’t have as much story to tell,” Gemmill told The Hollywood Reporter. “And this just seemed like the best way to re-engage the audience and let them play a little bit of catch-up as they probably see some new faces.
“There’s a holiday; there’s lots going on in the city, a lot of unique things to summertime that bring you into the ER, so we can tap into those with whatever we decide to do.”
Hatosy himself has all but written off the popular night shift idea as a potential spinoff. Speaking to Vulture, he said, “Would I love that? Yes, let’s do it! I don’t know what’s going to happen in Season 2; I have no idea. But, sure, let’s create The Pitt: Night Shift.”
The Pitt Season 1 is streaming on HBO Max now. Check out new TV shows streaming this month and anticipated 2025 releases you cannot miss.
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