Before Chicago Med season 11 premiered on NBC, I had very high hopes for the season. At that time, I was very excited to see the upcoming return of Dr. Will Halstead, not realizing that Dr. Natalie Manning would make a surprise comeback too. On top of that, since I didn't know for sure if Dr. Hannah Asher and Dr. Dean Archer had an off-screen hookup yet, I was dying to have the father of her unborn baby confirmed.
Now that five episodes of Chicago Med season 11 have aired, however, I am finding myself feeling a lot more pessimistic about the current state of the show. In fact, even though I don't want this to be the case, I have to admit that I feel very disappointed by how the season has progressed so far. There is a very basic reason that is the case, and I believe it could still be fixed.
I'm disappointed by how Chicago Med season 11 has handled important characters
In August 2025, Deadline reported that Marlyne Barrett would not star in Chicago Med season 11 when the show returned. Since Barrett's character, Maggie Lockwood, was a key part of the show's first 10 seasons, that was a huge blow for the beloved medical drama. Given Barrett's sudden exit and the fact that it was reported that she may still return later in the season, Chicago Med's writers were left with the very difficult task of figuring out how to explain Maggie's absence.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I feel like Maggie's absence has been completely mishandled so far during season 11, since it has only barely been mentioned by anyone. During the premiere episode, there was a quick aside during which Sharon Goodwin stated that she hadn't been in contact with Maggie. Later during the same episode, Goodwin spoke to the interim charge nurse, Doris Perez, about how Maggie would believe in her.
That is it. During the first five episodes of season 11, those two quick mentions have been the only ways that the show has even referenced Maggie's exit. Given that fans spent a decade watching Maggie be the backbone of Chicago Med's fictional ER, it feels all wrong that the show has largely ignored her absence. At the very least, I feel like the show's viewers are owed a storyline explanation for why Maggie is suddenly gone.
Unfortunately for viewers, there is another huge storyline that I feel Chicago Med season 11 has completely dropped the ball on. At the end of the show's previous season, Dr. Daniel Charles appeared to be a broken man who was at a major crossroads in his life. After the passing of his mother and learning that his depressed daughter didn't feel like she could talk to him, Dr. Charles appeared to be an emotional wreck. The season ended with Dr. Charles seeking help from his former protégé, whose rule-breaking he'd previously balked at, for guidance.
Since season 11 has premiered, however, there have been five episodes of Dr. Charles acting like there is absolutely nothing wrong in his personal life. Again, the only follow-up that fans have received was an aside during which Dr. Charles stated his daughter was doing great while undergoing treatment. Considering the state that Dr. Charles was in at the end of Chicago Med season 10, it almost feels like a betrayal for the show to practically pretend like none of that happened for five episodes.
On the bright side, I still feel like Chicago Med could recover from its missteps for a simple reason. The early episodes of season 11 made it feel like the show was focused on two things; major character returns and paying off the cliffhanger asking who the father of Dr. Hannah Asher's baby is. After those storylines were paid off, the fifth episode of the season picked a storyline from the past season that had also felt like it'd been dropped until that point. After season 10 ended with Sharon Goodwin spending time with her ex-husband, their relationship became a huge part of the fifth episode's storylines.
I hope that the coming episodes of season 11 will give viewers an explanation for Maggie Lockwood's absence and follow up on Dr. Daniel Charles' previous emotional devastation. If Sharon Goodwin's storyline could be picked back up after four episodes, Dr. Charles and Lockwood could still receive the storyline development they deserve. I also have to say that I am excited to see what could be some entertaining storylines that may spring from the decision to make Dr. John Frost and Dr. Mitch Ripley become roommates.