Since Chicago Med premiered, almost all of its original main characters have departed. Fortunately, one of the medical drama's two original stars who has remained a staple is Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles. That has been a marvelous thing, since viewers have cared so much about the character that many have wanted the show to resolve one of Dr. Charles' most emotional storylines.
If Dr. Charles ever leaves Chicago Med, it will be a massive blow to the show. In fact, the character's exit would leave such a gigantic hole that it could be argued that only one actor could be brought in to replace Platt's role. Despite that, Chicago Med's showrunner has recently revealed that when the show's 11th season continues, fans will see Dr. Charles consider retiring.
Chicago Med's Dr. Daniel Charles will struggle and consider retiring
When season 11 of Chicago Med started, it seemed like Dr. Charles was doing great despite how upset he clearly was when the previous season ended. Daniel was shown telling Sharon Goodwin that everything was going great with his daughter, and he seemed very happy about the status of his life. However, as season 11 has progressed, there have been multiple moments during which Daniel spoke about struggling.
In December 2025, TV Line published an article looking at what fans should expect when the One Chicago franchise returns in 2026. For that article, the outlet spoke to Chicago Med's showrunner, Allen MacDonald, about how the remainder of season 11 will play out. During that discussion, MacDonald spoke to the outlet about the fact that Daniel has been struggling.
"We've really been doing a slow burn on Dr. Charles' arc. He's been having some issues with his antidepressants, and he's been struggling a little bit with his moods and not feeling as physically well as he has in the past. "
Of course, season 11 is far from the first Chicago Med chapter that has shown Daniel struggling in a variety of different ways. As a result, it was easy for fans to dismiss the hints that the character has been struggling during recent episodes as likely not being that impactful.
However, while talking to TV Line, MacDonald explained that Daniel's concerns will crescendo. "Those issues will come to a head later in the season."
Based on those comments, TVLine asked MacDonald the most obvious question. Will Dr. Daniel Charles consider retiring from his medical career? In response, MacDonald confirmed that giving up his career is something that will be on Daniel's mind as season 11 continues.
"It's a possibility that he considers."
Throughout Chicago Med's history, Daniel has often been considered the show's best character, as articles like one from CBR outline.
As a result, it seems very safe to assume that the vast majority of Chicago Med fans will be very upset if Daniel ultimately decides to hang up his white jacket.