Does ‘The Pitt’s Nurse Dana Evans Look Familiar? She Was One of Seinfeld’s Most Infamous Exes
What To Know
- Katherine LaNasa stars as Nurse Dana Evans, the resilient leader of the ER in HBO’s acclaimed medical drama The Pitt.
- Before The Pitt, LaNasa had a memorable guest role on Seinfeld as a police officer who famously forced Jerry to take a polygraph test.
HBO Max’s The Pitt‘s is in its second season, and the highly-acclaimed medical drama has been hailed as a modern masterpiece by both critics and viewers. Known for its gritty, no-nonsense approach to hospital storytelling, using visceral medical realism, each season covers a single, continuous 15-hour shift in an underfunded, understaffed Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Headed by Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle), he credits Nurse Dana Evans, played by Katherine LaNasa, as the “ringleader of our circus” and the most important person to know in the emergency department.
A veteran nurse with decades of experience in hospitals, Dana is a commanding, sharp-witted leader who keeps the ER running efficiently amidst the chaos with little or no appreciation from the patients. After being physically assaulted in Season 1 by a patient, Dana returns in Season 2, struggling with the emotional aftermath but resuming her role as the “anchor” of the ER.
Warrick Page / ©HBO MAX/ Courtesy Everett Collection
And for her efforts, LaNasa won an Emmy.
But did you know that before her gig at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, she had a prior career as a police officer? Well, at least on Seinfeld.
Two decades before she was punched in the face on The Pitt, LaNasa had a memorable guest spot on Seinfeld as one of his notorious female love interests, the one who refused to believe that the comedian didn’t watch Melrose Place.
NBC
In the episode “The Beard” from Seinfeld Season 6, Jerry Seinfeld hooks up with a police officer named Sgt. Cathy Tierny, who forces him to take a polygraph test regarding his guilty-pleasure viewing habits. It begins when she asks him if he ever watched Melrose Place, which Jerry denies, though he later admits to Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) that he was “a little embarrassed.”
The hilarious episode leads to Jerry taking a polygraph test, and he does relatively well until he is asked, “Does Jane sleep with Michael again?,” a question that causes a dramatic outburst and a hysterical confession about hating the character Jane (Josie Bissett).
At the end, chances of a romance with Tierny have vanished, but Jerry can now enjoy his favorite show in the open with friends.
Remind