Since Steven Weber deserves more credit for having an incredible acting career, it was a huge deal when he was added to the cast of Chicago Med. Able to perfectly portray Dr. Dean Archer, Weber has made many of the medical drama's fans feel incredibly invested in the character and care deeply about his health struggles and personal life.
Recently, fans were given a reason to potentially be excited about the prospect of where Dean's personal life is going. During a season 11 episode, the potential of Dean having a new romantic relationship was introduced. After chemistry between Dean and a co-worker was heavily hinted at, Chicago Med's showrunner has recently revealed how Dr. Hannah Asher carrying his baby will affect his love life.
Chicago Med's boss says Dean Archer will avoid romance due to Hannah Asher's pregnancy
During the season premiere of Chicago Med, fans learned that Dr. Dean Archer is the father of the baby that Dr. Hannah Asher had been revealed to be carrying. Later during the season, a scene revealed that Dr. Jennifer Kingston and Dean had immense chemistry. As a longtime fan, I thought Dean having chemistry with a love interest was long overdue. However, it seems like my excitement about their potential relationship may have been premature.
In December 2025, TVLine published an article teasing what will happen when the One Chicago shows return in January 2026. For that piece, the outlet spoke to Chicago Med's showrunner, Allen MacDonald. During that discussion, MacDonald explained that Hannah carrying Dean's baby will inspire him to hold back from the potential of him getting involved with Dr. Jennifer Kingston.
"Kingston obviously has an interest in Archer. Archer is not uninterested in Kingston, but it's a complicated situation because he is not going to engage in a sort of romantic relationship out of respect for Hannah and the fact that she's carrying his child even though they've agreed that they're just going to continue to be friends."
While talking to TVLine, MacDonald also revealed that an important person in Dean's life will weigh in on how his romantic life will proceed.
According to MacDonald, Hannah will have "a very strong opinion about what Archer should and shouldn't do in terms of his love life."
Considering that Dean and Dr. Jennifer Kingston had so much onscreen chemistry, it certainly seems like a shame that MacDonald's comments hinted that it may not be capitalized on.
That said, it is undeniable that it would make sense for Dean's character to be closed off to that potential when Hannah is pregnant with his baby. It also seems important to note that MacDonald's comments didn't seem to make it definitive that Dean will never pursue the relationship.