The eighth season of Chicago Med came to an end all the way back in May with the surprise departure of Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead after nearly a decade in the role. Unfortunately for fans who have been dying to know how the ED moves on without Will, the WGA writers strike and subsequent SAG-AFTRA actors strike kept One Chicago from returning to NBC in the fall. Now, with both strikes ended, Season 9 can move forward, and a new doctor is on the way who already has me hoping that he sticks around.
Chicago Med is currently looking to cast a new ED doctor with a connection to Dr. Charles, according to TVLine, reporting that this newcomer has a troubled background tying him to Oliver Platt's character from childhood. The show is looking for a male in his early 30s; if that actor description matches the character, then the newcomer is a bit younger than Will Halstead. Details are currently unavailable about what kind of past he has with Dr. Charles, but it must have been quite a while ago if he was never mentioned by the psychiatrist in the first eight seasons.
The character will recur in the ninth season, with the potential for a promotion to series regular status in Season 10. While I love the optimism that the show will be renewed for Season 10 before Season 9 has even premiered, I'm more concerned with whether he'll fit into the ensemble well enough to stick around. I'm certainly hoping that he's not going anywhere and Med commits, after what happened in Season 8.
After all, Nick Gehlfuss was not the only important cast departure in Chicago Med's most recent season. Brian Tee, who had been playing Dr. Ethan Choi from the very beginning of One Chicago's medical drama, left for a happily-ever-after in the fall finale, after Guy Lockard had departed as ED pediatrician Dr. Dylan Scott in the Season 8 premiere. Asjha Cooper, who had played Maggie's daughter Vanessa Taylor, left in the 2022-2023 TV season as well to take a job outside of the Windy City.
Another One Chicago actor is leaving in the 2023-2024 TV season as well, although Tracy Spiridakos' upcoming departure as Hailey Upton will impact Chicago P.D. rather than Med. All in all, I'm hoping that the medical drama's newest character will stick around after all of the recent exits, especially considering that the ninth season isn't expected to last more than 13 episodes after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delays.
At the time of writing, NBC hasn't announced when the three shows of One Chicago will make their long-awaited returns in the 2023-2024 TV season, but it's safe to say that they won't be back before the end of the 2023 TV schedule. CBS has announced that the three FBI shows – which are set in the same Wolf Entertainment TV universe as One Chicago – will return on February 13; my fingers are crossed for Chicago Fire, P.D., and Med to return around the same time in the 2024 TV schedule.
For now, though, you can always keep watching the One Chicago reruns that have been airing on NBC Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, following new episodes of Magnum P.I.'s final season. You can also find every season of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med streaming now with a Peacock Premium subscription.
