Noah Wyle has a lot to say about Dr. Robby’s love life.

The actor’s character, senior attending physician Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, had a budding romance with Tracy Ifeachor’s senior resident Dr. Heather Collins in the first season of The Pitt.

But now that Ifeachor departed the show between seasons, where does that leave the headstrong doctor?

“She’s the one that got away in some ways,” Wyle, 54, exclusively tells PEOPLE about Dr. Robby and Dr. Collins in an interview about the show’s season 2 return on Thursday, Jan. 8.

“He could not have given her what she wanted,” the actor, who also writes and executive produces, continues of Ifeachor’s character. “She was a rockstar on an ascension that he would only have been an impediment towards. And if she’s found happiness, God bless.”

Dr. Robby takes the loss as a moment of self-reflection, Wyle says, adding that “there’s a touch of holding the mirror back to yourself.”

“He is a pretty lonely guy outside [of the hospital]. That’s what we build towards the end of the season. This is the only place he’s a fully realized individual, but this is the last place he’s able to exist in right now,” the Emmy winner explains.

Each season of the hit medical drama follows a team of healthcare workers in a Pittsburgh emergency room during a 15-hour shift. The first season left viewers wanting to know more about the romantic history between the Dr. Robby and Dr. Collins, but Ifeachor’s final appearance was in the 11th episode of the debut season.

In the episode, Dr. Collins tells Dr. Robby that she had a miscarriage during the work day and he encourages her to go home early.

The actress announced her exit from the show in July 2025, calling the experience a “blessing” and an “absolute privilege.”

There wasn’t much of a break between the seasons, the second of which takes place during a busy shift on the Fourth of July. Wyle says he was back in the writing room just weeks after they wrapped the first season. “We were off and running, trying to figure out how to pick up the narrative thread,” he explains.

The sophomore season didn’t face any hiccups because of Ifeachor’s exit. The show’s co-creators R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells say it was “built into the character from the get go.”

“We always had a plan for that sort of trajectory for that character. The show is set in a teaching hospital. People come and go all the time,” Gemmill says.

In fact, this season sees a few new faces, including Sepideh Moafi as Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, who comes in as Dr. Robby’s potential replacement while he prepares for a three-month sabbatical.

There’s also Meta Golding as Nurse Noelle Hastings, Luke Tennie as Dr. Crus Henderson and Christopher Thornton as Dr. Caleb Jefferson.

The Pitt season 2 premieres Jan. 8 at 9pm ET on HBO Max. Episodes air every Thursday until the finale.