Chicago Med has not had an easy couple of seasons. The show has lost several of its long time cast members, and been forced to soldier on while introducing newcomers. Some of the newcomers have also left, meaning Med has had the doubly unfortunate task of replacing their replacements.
Here's the thing, though. Chicago Med has pulled it off. The medical drama has managed to maintain its footing with fans. In fact, the show is more popular than it has been in years past. TVLine released ratings for the 2024-25 midseason, and Chicago Med has leapfrogged PD to become the second biggest One Chicago show in the entire franchise.
Chicago Med has risen up the NBC ranks
Chicago Med has pulled in an impressive 7.4 million total viewers in season 11. This handily outdoes Chicago PD, which has only managed 6.8 million total viewers, and it gets Med surprisingly close to beating out Chicago Fire, which has 7.8 million total viewers.
The fact that Chicago Med has not only topped PD but come close to topping Fire and claiming the top One Chicago spot is a testament to the show's adaptability. There are still several characters who have yet to become household names, and yet, the plots and the character arcs that have been dished out during season 11 have connected with fans in a major way.
Chicago Med's midseason ratings represent the smallest gap with Chicago Fire in four seasons. That is a truly impressive marker, given how different the Med cast looked back then. The show's success can be attributed to a few key aspects. For one, the implementation of new characters has been, as previously stated, excellent.
The medical drama had a thrilling midseason finale
Chicago Med has struck a balance between newer and older characters better than Chicago PD, which is a show that has lost two mainstays in the last two years. It has also done a better job of generating drama.
The Chicago Med fall finale, for example, saw two equally compelling cliffhangers coalesce. The first involved Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber), and the question of whether he would resign from Gaffney Medical Center. The second involved Dr. Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), and her near fatal encounter with a stalker.
The fall finale ended with Archer sliding a resignation letter under Goodwin's door while she was bleeding out from a knife wound. It was shocking, intriguing, and easily the most exciting cliffhanger of all three One Chicago shows. We can't wait to find out what happens when the show returns on January 8, and whether Med maintains its season 11 momentum.