Chicago Med season 11 has featured the returns of several familiar faces from past seasons, and it seems there were hopes to bring back at least one more original star.
Early in the season, the writers surprised fans by bringing back original cast members Nick Gehlfuss and Torrey DeVitto for a two-episode guest arc. The surprise return of the pair gave fans the chance to see Dr. Will Halstead and Dr. Natalie Manning back at Gaffney, while also bringing fans several exciting developments, including news that the pair were expecting their first child.
Their returns followed the return of Rachel DiPillo as Dr. Sarah Reese in the previous season, marking a real shift with the show making a more conscious effort to bring back iconic characters from the show’s early seasons. It’s a change that has excited fans about the potential for future returns, and the creative team behind the show clearly is always looking out for opportunities to bring back beloved characters. In fact, there were plans to bring back one key member of the Chicago Med cast for season 11, but the plans sadly did not work out.
Chicago Med boss confirms Maggie will not be returning for Chicago Med season 11
Heading into season 11, fans were shocked when news broke that Marlyne Barrett would be stepping away from the series after ten seasons playing nurse Maggie Lockwood on Chicago Med. At the time of her departure, details were kept private, with reports simply noting that Barrett was stepping away for personal reasons.
Maggie’s exit was addressed in the first episode of the season as we learned she had left Gaffney, but the specifics of her departure were left unclear. All that was revealed was that Maggie had left the hospital with no details on why she had left, when she left, or where exactly she went.
At the time of her departure, it seemed there was hope we would see Barrett back at some point in the season; however, Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald has confirmed that sadly there are no current plans to feature Maggie in season 11.
"We had hoped to bring Maggie back, but for a variety of reasons, the stars did not align. So although this could always change on a dime, we have no current plans for Maggie to return,” MacDonald told Matt Webb Mitovich via Matt’s Inside Line.
It’s certainly disappointing to know that things didn’t quite work out and that Maggie will not be featured at all in the season. This will mark the first season of the show Barrett is unable to appear in and means her departure from the show was much more permanent than originally reported at the top of the season.
Now that we know Maggie will not be back in season 11, it’s going to be interesting to see if the show provides us with any further update on the character or chooses to avoid referencing Maggie in the final episodes.
The good news is that there clearly have been some ongoing conversations about bringing Maggie back. While the stars didn’t align for season 11, this does give us renewed hope that we could perhaps see Maggie back at some point in season 12, be it via a guest appearance, recurring arc, or back as a series regular.