Change is in the air of the One Chicago franchise once again, with fans bracing for a rough start to the new seasons of NBC’s first responder franchise. Three major members of the One Chicago franchise are set to exit at the top of the new season, with LaRoyce Hawkins exiting Chicago PD after 13 seasons as Kevin Atwater, Joe Minoso departing Chicago Fire after 14 seasons as Joe Cruz, and Dermot Mulroney’s run as Dom Pascal being cut short after just two seasons.
Chicago Med fans have been waiting with bated breath for news of a cast shakeup at Gaffney, but it seems One Chicago’s medical branch won’t be impacted by any major departures. Instead, it seems the show’s creative team is hard at work bringing back an original cast member!
In a recent interview with Give Me My Remote, Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald confirmed that he is planning on bringing back yet another original cast member.
“I am hopeful that another original cast member will be returning this season,” MacDonald teased of his plans for season 12.
Unfortunately, MacDonald did not elaborate further on his plans, which makes it hard to know if the plan is simply to bring this original cast member back for a one-off guest spot or if they could return for a bigger arc. We’ve seen both happen in the show’s past, but it certainly seems like this could be more of a guest arc situation rather than bringing an original cast member back in a larger, more full-time capacity.
Honoring the show’s legacy characters has been something MacDonald has prioritized since taking over as showrunner in season 10. In the last two seasons, MacDonald has managed to bring back several key characters from the show’s early seasons by staging the returns of Rachel DiPillo as Dr. Sarah Reese, Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead, and Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning.
Considering that two of the show’s original cast members, Oliver Platt and S. Epatha Merkerson, remain on the show, and MacDonald has already brought back three members of Chicago Med’s original cast, that leaves us with just a few names on the shortlist for MacDonald to bring back.
First there is Marlyne Barrett. Barrett took an unexpected step back from the show after season 10, and fans have been anxiously awaiting her return as Maggie Lockwood. MacDonald left the door wide open for Barrett to return, and it would be amazing if Maggie were the original cast member in talks to appear in season 12.
Then there is the duo of Brian Tee and Yaya DaCosta, who played Dr. Ethan Choi and nurse April Sexton on the show for several seasons. Ethan and April were the show’s core couple for several seasons, with the pair playing a central role in the success of Chicago Med’s early seasons. Fans adored both Ethan and April and were heartbroken when Tee and DaCosta left. After all these years, it would be nice to get an update on how the pair are doing and a glimpse into their lives together.
Finally, there is a character whose exit remains one of the show’s most shocking. We’re referring to Colin Donnell, whose time on the show came to an abrupt end at the top of season 5 due to creative differences. Throughout the first four seasons of Chicago Med, Donnell’s Dr. Connor Rhodes was a core part of the show’s ensemble and was the show’s main gateway into surgical storytelling, which helped give him some amazing arcs throughout his run. After such an extended break, it would be fun to see Connor back at Gaffney getting to interact with so many characters for the first time. We’re sure he’d ruffle some feathers along the way, which would definitely make for great TV.
No matter which of these original cast members MacDonald is working on bringing back, fans are in store for quite a treat. And who knows, there could end up being more than just one familiar face that Chicago Med season 12 brings back into the fold!
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