Noah Wyle is guest editor of the Radio Times app – The Pitt star reveals his must-watch picks

From classic Hollywood gems to groundbreaking TV dramas and modern cinematic standouts, Noah Wyle has curated a deeply personal watchlist that spans decades of storytelling. As guest editor of the Radio Times: What to Watch app, the ER and The Pitt star has shared the films and series that have shaped him — both as a performer and as a lifelong fan of screen entertainment.

From the anarchic brilliance of Young Frankenstein to the cultural impact of M*A*S*H and the rule-breaking drama of Hill Street Blues, Wyle’s selections offer a fascinating insight into the moments that defined his taste. Blending nostalgia, industry insight and genuine passion, his picks highlight not just what’s worth watching – but why these stories continue to resonate today.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

"This is a go-to for me. A pretty perfect movie. I first saw it when I was young, so young that I actually had a poster in my bedroom as a child — and I was young enough to think that Gene Wilder played Frank, and Peter Boyle played Stein, and it was 'Frank and Stein'. It took me for ever to figure out that was totally not true!"

M*A*S*H (1972)

Available to buy on Prime Video

"This is another big one from my youth. M*A*S*H ran for 11 seasons and was about the Korean War, hospital and frontline Mash workers. In fact, Mash medicine was ER medicine in its infancy. All those guys who performed medicine in those Mash units came back to stateside hospitals and created the discipline of emergency medicine, so I guess has a cool kind of lineage with The Pitt. Also, Alan Alda is a personal hero of mine, and I've had the opportunity to work with him many times and he's a special person."

Hill Street Blues (1981)

"Thursday night, 10 o'clock, Steven Bochco, 1981. I was young when I watched it, and the pilot was so jarring because through the whole thing you got invested with these two characters, Renko and Hill, and then at the very end of the pilot, those two characters get shot. I thought, “I didn’t know you could break rules like that? You could do that?” Way before they cut Ned Stark's head off, they shot Rinko on the stairwell!"

The Misfits (1961)

Available on Prime Video

"Somebody made a huge mistake early on in my career by saying that I reminded them — in a certain scene I was playing — of a Montgomery Clift moment. I had not familiarised myself with Montgomery Clift at that point, but then I did a deep dive on him. I would put his performance, actually everybody's performance, in The Misfits up against most: Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Eli Wallach and Montgomery Clift. And for three of the four of them, it was their last performance. Great movie."

The Big Chill (1983)

Available on Prime Video

"This made a huge impact on me when I saw it. There was something about those eight college friends coming back together for the funeral of a ninth one. They’re re-examining the passion and the politics and the activism of youth at middle age, which was an interesting theme when I saw it."

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Available on Prime Video

"This is a 1957 film from On the Waterfront director Elie Kazan movie with star Andy Griffith. It has a great commentary on the cult of celebrity that feels very relevant to today, plus a great supporting cast: Lee Remick, Walter Matthau and Patricia Neal."

Sinners (2025)

Available to buy on HBO Max

"I was really impressed with last year's movie crop. As much as movies seem to be about [box-office] 'tentpoles' and experiences are 'Marvelized' these days, every once in a while you get auteur film-makers making really specific movies. I thought Sinners was brilliant, I thought One Battle After Another was brilliant and I thought Sentimental Value was brilliant. Last year was a good year for movies."

Ace in the Hole (1951)

Available to buy on Prime Video

"This is another old one, but I think it's ripe for a remake. It stars Kirk Douglas and is a really interesting look at journalism and tabloid journalism, which feels very relevant with social media and the desire to be out in front of the story."

Deadwood (2004)

Available to buy on Prime Video

"This was a huge series for me. When I was a really young man, I saw a production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal in a small theatre in Los Angeles with Ian McShane. And his performance, which was about 12 feet away from me, was so impactful that I literally have it etched on my brain. I've followed his career all the way through Lovejoy and everything else like Sexy Beast. With his character Al Swearengen in this show, every week he was delivering this masterclass in acting — and I just couldn't get enough of it."

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

Available to buy on Prime Video

"I have been thinking about Rob Reiner, who I had the great pleasure of working with, but I was also thinking about his father Carl Reiner, and in 1981, Steve Martin, Rachel Ward and Carl Reiner made Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, which was a movie way ahead of its time. It’s a spoof of old noir movies that intercut tons of archival footage from actual old noir movies into a hilarious comedy starring Steve Martin and Rachel Ward and brilliantly directed and written by Carl Reiner."

HBO Max is available now in the UK and Ireland. Visit hbomax.com for more information. The Pitt season 1 is available to watch from launch – season 2 begins on 2 April.

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