Few actors are as closely associated with TV medicine as Noah Wyle. His star-making role as Dr. John Carter on “ER” spanned more than a decade and established him as one of the defining faces of the iconic NBC drama.
Years later, Wyle would return to the emergency department in HBO Max’s “The Pitt,” taking on the role of Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch — and earning two consecutive Emmys for his performance. TVLine has covered “The Pitt” extensively since its debut, speaking with Wyle multiple times about Robby’s journey and the “ER” revival that almost was.
But Wyle’s television career extends beyond those two acclaimed doctor dramas. From alien invasions and fantasy adventures to a short-lived but ambitious CBS drama, he’s built an eclectic small-screen résumé. With that in mind, we’re looking back at six TV shows that have featured Wyle in a significant role — and ranking them all.
6. Leverage: Redemption
“Leverage: Redemption” marked Wyle’s last series-regular gig before he reunited with John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill on “The Pitt.” Its third and final season even arrived between Seasons 1 and 2 of the medical drama, but was largely overshadowed by Wyle’s shiny new series. Wyle fit in rather nicely as Harry Wilson, a high-powered corporate lawyer and fixer seeking redemption for years spent helping powerful clients evade consequences. But for longtime fans of the original “Leverage,” Harry was no substitute for Timothy Hutton’s Nate Ford, the mastermind at the center of the original five-season run. Like “The Librarians,” it was a fun if forgettable detour ahead of Wyle’s return to the emergency room.
5. The Librarians
It was Wyle who started it all, headlining a trio of made-for-TV movies: 2004’s “The Librarian: Quest for the Spear,” 2006’s “The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines,” and 2008’s “The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice.” He later reprised his beloved role as Flynn Carsen in “The Librarians,” recurring throughout the Rebecca Romijn-led sequel series, which ran for four seasons on TNT.
The franchise has since continued with “The Librarians: The Next Chapter,” which has thus far aired two seasons and welcomed back original series stars Christian Kane and Lindy Booth — but not Wyle. Ultimately, though, “The Librarians” was never really Wyle’s show. While still an amusing continuation of the franchise he helped launch, the capers in those Flynn-fronted TV movies were more entertaining.
4. Falling Skies
In his first post-“ER” gig, Wyle traded emergency medicine for alien warfare, starring as history professor-turned-resistance leader Tom Mason in the TNT sci-fi series. The Steven Spielberg-produced drama ran for five years, giving Wyle his first opportunity to carry a series after leaving County General behind.
“Falling Skies” was an entertaining summer adventure that gave him plenty to sink his teeth into, even if it didn’t always live up to its potential. And its 2015 series finale proved particularly divisive, with TVLine readers sounding off on everything from the Espheni queen reveal to Anne’s apparent death and subsequent resurrection. TVLine would later include the episode among its worst series finales of the decade. Still, a five-season run is no small feat, and “Falling Skies” proved Wyle could carry a genre series far removed from the halls of County General.
3. The Red Line
“The Red Line” may have lasted just eight episodes, but it gave Wyle one of his richest post-“ER” roles. In the 2019 CBS original, he played Daniel Calder, a high school history teacher whose husband, Harrison, is shot and killed by a white police officer after being mistaken for an armed robber. The tragedy leaves Daniel to grieve while raising their teenage daughter, Jira, whose search for her birth mother connects their family to another branch of the story.
“The Red Line” tackled grief, race, policing, adoption and identity. Not every element worked, but Wyle gave the material a deeply felt performance that demonstrated just how effective he could be outside the genre trappings of “Falling Skies” and “The Librarians.” Its brief run makes it easy to overlook, but among Wyle’s TV projects, it’s perhaps the one most deserving of rediscovery.
2. The Pitt
Returning to TV medicine was a risky proposition for Wyle, who spent so many years synonymous with Dr. John Carter. Instead, “The Pitt” gave him another defining role in Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch — and arguably the best work of his career. In our Season 1 review, TVLine praised the HBO Max drama for prioritizing medicine over melodrama while building on, rather than simply recreating, what made “ER” so groundbreaking.
But it’s Wyle’s performance that elevates “The Pitt” to another level. We named him TVLine’s Performer of the Week for his devastating work during Season 1’s mass-casualty event, then bestowed the honor on him again for the Season 2 finale, as Robby finally confronted just how much the job had taken from him. Add two consecutive Emmy wins, and Wyle has accomplished something remarkable: He returned to the genre that made him a star and created a doctor every bit as memorable as Carter.
1. ER
“The Pitt” may represent Wyle at the peak of his powers, but there would be no Dr. Robby without Dr. Carter. When “ER” began, Carter was an idealistic medical student just finding his footing at County General. Over the course of 11 seasons as a series regular, Wyle transformed him into the heart of the NBC drama, earning five consecutive Emmy nominations for the role.
More importantly, few TV characters have been afforded such a complete and rewarding journey. We watched Carter stumble through his early days at County General, survive a near-fatal stabbing and subsequent drug addiction, succeed Mark Greene as the doctor who “sets the tone,” endure unimaginable personal loss, and eventually return home in the show’s final season. Wyle grew up alongside Carter, delivering some of his finest work in episodes like “All in the Family,” “May Day,” and “Midnight.”
“The Pitt” may someday surpass it, but for now, “ER” remains the definitive Noah Wyle TV show.
