Chicago Med season 5 adds “hard-partying” new doctor
Chicago Med is adding a new doctor to the Emergency Department staff during Chicago Med season 5, but will he appeal to viewers?
With Chicago Med having dropped several cast members last season, it’s no shocker that the NBC series is adding a new actor for the upcoming cycle.
Dominic Rains, who recently recurred on Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD as the Kree character Kasius, has been hired as a new Emergency Department doctor for Chicago Med season 5.
His character is billed as recurring, which means he’s not a series regular—but Rains will appear in multiple episodes and could become a main cast member (see: Annie Ilonzeh being promoted to a starring role before her first Chicago Fire episode even aired).
This move was almost expected, since producers cut three series regulars last season; they have a big void in the ensemble to fill. But it’s the description of Rains’ character that ought to raise a few eyebrows among fans.
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Dr. Marcel Crockett comes to Chicago Med from Louisiana, and is described by Deadline as “hard-partying” and someone who “gambles, drinks and parties all night—but hooks himself to an IV drip in the morning to slide into work like a true badass.”
That sounds like a character who’s designed for drama, and a character who’s completely opposite of the hard-working, dedicated heroes who currently populate the hospital.
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Chicago Med already has its fair share of personal drama, based on what audiences saw in season 4, and the description of Crockett seems like more of the show leaning in that direction.
Do viewers want to see a doctor who’s behaving like a frat boy, no matter how good of a surgeon he may be? There’s a difference between a character who’s a maverick, such as Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell), and this blurb. Connor worked outside the lines, but he did so for good reasons and he was usually a stand-up guy most of the time.
In contrast, Crockett sounds like a character who will bring more non-medical issues to the show, and/or where the writers will justify his off-the-clock behavior by saying “but he’s still a great surgeon.” But if they want to continue to work in more of the characters’ private lives, as they did last season, his character will certainly do that.
One thing Dominic Rains’ casting confirms for sure is that Chicago Med is focusing on the ED in season 5. Despite losing two cardiothoracic surgeons and a psychiatry resident, the new doctor is an emergency physician. The show is narrowing its scope, which if it’s also going to continue with more personal stories, could mean it evolves in a whole new direction next season.
Get a look at Dominic Rains in this clip from behind the scenes of Agents of SHIELD below, and tell us your thoughts on his Chicago Med character in the comments. Are you excited to meet the new Dr. Crockett?
Next. Molly Bernard talks joining Chicago Med. dark
For the latest Chicago Med season 5 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Med category at One Chicago Center.