Colin Donnell returning for Chicago Med season 5 guest spot

Chicago Med fans’ hopes have been answered: Colin Donnell will return in Chicago Med season 5 to give Dr. Connor Rhodes a proper goodbye.

Colin Donnell is coming back to Chicago Med after all—though it’s only for one episode.

The actor will guest star in the Chicago Med season 5 premiere in order to explain why Dr. Connor Rhodes is leaving the hospital, according to a report Monday night by Us Weekly. He will only be in the premiere.

Fans had been clamoring for the guest spot after Donnell’s last episode didn’t provide any kind of closure for his character. The season 4 finale saw Connor learning that ex-girlfriend Dr. Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling) had apparently killed his father.

As of Monday night, Kuhling is not returning for an exit episode; it’s just Donnell who’s scheduled to come back.

But it certainly feels like this cameo is a response to the strong reaction fans had after producers chose to drop both actors from the series. Particularly with Colin Donnell, viewers were upset at the decision to get rid of a popular character, and made more frustrated by the lack of any proper sendoff for him.

Fans should temper their expectations, though, because the writers will only be able to develop an exit that can be started and finished in one episode—an episode that will also have other stories it has to tell, including the fate of Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto).

Yet at least it appears the viewers’ voices have been heard, and Connor is going to get an actual chance to say goodbye, both to the hospital he’s worked at for years and to the many fans who’ve loved him and are still shocked he won’t be around anymore.

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

This is the best fans could ask for out of an unfortunate situation, and now viewers will wait and see if the way they explain Connor’s departure is the exit that he deserves.

Chicago Med season 5, including Colin Donnell’s final appearance as Connor Rhodes, premieres Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. on NBC.

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.