Chicago Med performer of the year: Nick Gehlfuss

Chicago Med’s best performer in 2018 was none other than Nick Gehlfuss, as Will Halstead in Chicago Med season 3 and Chicago Med season 4.

It’s time to name our Performers of the Year, and from Chicago Med the honor goes to Nick Gehlfuss for his work as Will Halstead.

Will has had an absolute roller coaster of a year between the end of last season and the beginning of the current one. Cumulatively he’s had enough ups and downs that it’s a wonder he isn’t headed for some kind of therapy.

He’s gotten engaged to Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto), fought with her a few times, had his father Pat (Louis Herthum) die, discovered he was treating a gangster, got forced into becoming a part of an FBI task force, was almost shot and ruined his own wedding by being similarly pushed into witness protection.

That is a tremendous amount for any character to go through, which means it’s also a tremendous amount for any actor to take on. And Nick Gehlfuss has handled it all like a champ.

More from One Chicago Center

• Chicago Med star on 2024 cast changes: ‘Nice to have new faces’
• Here’s the perfect Chicago Fire episode to watch on Thanksgiving
• Ranking the 8 NCIS Thanksgiving episodes from worst to best
• Mark Harmon does NOT have plans to reprise Gibbs on NCIS
• One Chicago stars tease new seasons on IG: ‘Here we come’

Will’s experienced some great highs and some terrible lows, so Gehlfuss has had to play a wide spectrum of emotions.

From the joy of getting engaged, to the grief of having his father die, to the fear of almost being killed himself—his performance has hit so many different notes, and he’s been outstanding with every big moment that Chicago Med has afforded him.

Watch One Chicago on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

What also makes him noteworthy is that he’s been good when, frankly, the writing hasn’t been there for him.

The end of last season veered into melodramatic with the whole Will and Maya Frisch (recurring guest star Emma Duncan) storyline, which felt like drama for drama’s sake. Some of the fights between Will and Natalie, too, have been not only hard for the characters but frustrating for the fans to watch because they’ve felt bigger than they ought to be.

But even when the situations his character has been in have been head-scratching, Nick Gehlfuss still delivers. He’s taken his character to new places (power drill surgery!) and gotten him through all kinds of turmoil, which has given One Chicago fans a greater appreciation of how versatile an actor he is.

Will’s gotten the lion’s share of screen time in 2018, but with good reason. Gehlfuss has taken the spotlight Chicago Med has given him, and really shone underneath it. Even if the show keeps Will on the hot seat in 2019, he’s made us want to follow the character anywhere. Hopefully he gets a break, though, because Will deserves it!

For the latest Chicago Med season 4 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Med category at One Chicago Center.