While Chicago Fire and Chicago PD are preparing to say goodbye to several characters in the early episodes of their new seasons, it seems Chicago Med is about to say hello to a familiar face not seen on the show since season 10!
With production officially underway on the new seasons of the One Chicago shows, the cast and crew have been gifting fans with behind-the-scenes glimpses from the set. Most of these photos and videos haven’t given much away, but a new photo shared by Luke Mitchell quietly confirmed a major return coming early in the season.
In the photo, Mitchell poses alongside several of his Chicago Med co-stars on set, including Jessy Schram, Darren Barnet, and Steven Weber, who were all expected back for the new season. Also appearing in the photo, though, is actor Devin Kawaoka, who will apparently be scrubbing back in as Dr. Kai Tanaka-Reed.
Kawaoka joined the cast back in season 8 as a first-year surgical resident. Kai played a major role in the season, appearing in 11 of the season’s 22 episodes. It seemed like he was poised to become a key recurring player in the show, but his role gradually reduced with each passing season, with Kai appearing in just seven episodes across season 9 and that number falling to three episodes in season 10.
Oddly, Kai disappeared without explanation following season 10, episode 12, “In The Wake,” which aired on February 5, 2025. Following his appearance in the episode, Kai was written out of the show with no notice and failed to return in the season. Things went from bad to worse for the character in season 11, with not a single appearance from Kai and no explanation as to where he had gone
What likely occurred was that Chicago Med was forced to write Kai out of the show quietly due to filming conflicts created by Kawaoka’s role in Apple TV+’s Emmy-winning comedy Shrinking. Filming on Shrinking season 3 was delayed due to the Pasadena wildfires, which shifted the show’s schedule and likely prevented Kawaoka from appearing on both series, with Shrinking filming in LA and Chicago Med filming in Chicago.
Thankfully, the door was always left open for Kawaoka to return to Chicago Med and it seems he’ll finally make his way back to Gaffney at the beginning of season 12. Hopefully, the show will provide viewers with a bit of context as to what Kai has been up to since we last saw him, but there is also a chance he’ll simply return and the show will act as though he never left.
Regardless of how Kai is brought back into the fold, we’re just happy to see Kawaoka finally back on set and are excited for his return at the top of Chicago Med season 12. Hopefully, this won’t be a one-off guest appearance, and fans will be able to look forward to seeing Kawaoka in a more consistent recurring role this season after taking a break from the show.
We’ll find out what the writers have in store when Chicago Med season 12 premieres on Wednesday, October 7, at 8/7c on NBC!
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