What to watch this weekend Jan. 10, 2025: TV awards contenders

Give us 15 episodes of The Pitt STAT! 

Max’s newest original series merges the best of ER and 24, combining the stakes of life-saving emergency medicine with a real-time format to deliver one of the year’s most engaging shows (so what if the year is only 10 days old?). The medical drama, the first two episodes of which are now streaming, also counts several ER vets amidst its ranks, as it was created by R. Scott Gemmill, produced by John Wells, and stars Noah Wyle. They know what they’re doing, and it shows. 

Set in a trauma hospital in Pittsburgh, the first season follows a 15-hour shift in an emergency department led by Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch. Maladies range from the relatively mundane to the gruesome and dire as Robby and his team, including overconfident interns and green student doctors, attend to the never-ending flow of patients. Comparisons to ER are unavoidable, but there are worse things in life than successfully following in the footsteps of a long-running, Emmy-winning show. So yes, The Pitt is the awards contender to watch this weekend.

SEE What to watch this weekend Jan. 3, 2025: TV awards contenders

However, if medical dramas make you queasy, other contenders include:

• All Creatures Great and Small: Technically, the doctors in this beloved Masterpiece series are veterinarians, so it might not actually count as a true medical drama. And even if it does, who cares — it’s as cozy and comforting as it’s ever been. In Season 5, James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen’s (Rachel Shenton) young son, Jimmy, joins the fray at Skeldale House, while Callum Woodhouse returns to the show as Siegfried’s (Samuel West) younger brother Tristan. The season premiere airs Sunday at 9/8c on PBS.
• Rogue Heroes: Sticking with the period theme, this World War II-set drama is back after more than two years. Created by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, it depicts the origins of the British Army’s SAS. While the freshman outing was centered on operations in North Africa, the new episodes, which star Sex Education’s Connor Swindells as David Stirling and Godless’ Jack O’Connell as Paddy Mayne, take the boys to the European theater of the war. The Season 2 premiere streams Sunday at 9/8c on MGM+.
• The Traitors: And now for something completely different. The second season of Peacock’s hit reality competition series earned multiple Emmys, including one for host Alan Cumming. In Season 3, the show — in which contestants known as traitors secretly work together to eliminate people in order to win a cash prize before they’re voted out — is no less addictive, adding surprising new players and new missions. The first three episodes are now streaming on Peacock.