Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) is on the short list of most important Chicago Med characters. She is instrumental to the character arcs of several people around her, including family members and the other employees at Gaffney Medical Center. Sadly, she won't be present for the episode "The Invisible Hand."
NBC confirmed that Asher will be missing in action during the episode, which airs Wednesday, May 7. The reasoning is not as dramatic or as concerning as one might initially think, though. Asher is not on call during "The Invisible Hand" because she took a sick day. Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) informs the rest of the Gaffney staff of Asher's decision at the beginning of the episode.
Asher takes a day off during the May 7 episode
It makes sense in the world of Chicago Med, given how much Asher has been through over the past few episodes. It also makes sense given the show and the franchise's recent changes regarding cast. One Chicago has been renewed for additional seasons in 2025-26, but there's been a pointed effort to cut down on the cost of each episode, which means benching main cast members from episodes that have little to do with them, plot wise.
Asher was also absent during season 10 episode "Poster Child." No direct explanation was given for her absence during the March 26 episode, but it was widely assumed that she simply needed a day off. At least Goodwin is nice enough to provide some confirmation during "The Invisible Hand."
The good news is that while Hannah Asher will be absent from Chicago Med, she will not be absent from the One Chicago Wednesday lineup. The character may be taking a day off from Gaffney during the aforementioned episode, but she will be playing a vital role in the Chicago Fire episode that plays right after, titled "Cut Me Open."
The character will still make a cameo on Chicago Fire
Asher was briefly shown in the promo for the Chicago Fire episode, which revolves around a woman giving birth to the baby that Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) plan to adopt. The woman's birth is complicated, however, leading to an emergency C-section being ordered. Needless to say, Kidd and Severide turn into nervous wrecks.
Bringing Asher into the mix makes sense, given the doctor's speciality as an OBGYN. The poor doctor doesn't seem as though she will get to enjoy a relaxing day off, but given the stakes at hand, and the life-altering decisions that await Kidd and Severide, we will be very glad to see her.