Week after week, one of the biggest questions on the minds of Chicago Med fans throughout season 11 has been whether we’re going to see Maggie at any point this season. It’s a fair question for the fans to have, given the previous updates we’ve been given.
Before Chicago Med season 11 began, word broke that Marlyne Barrett would be taking a step back from the series after 11 seasons playing Nurse Maggie Lockwood on the show. At the time of the announcement, it was simply revealed that Barrett was taking a step back after 10 years on the show for personal reasons. No further details were provided, and it was left unknown whether this would be a temporary leave or if Maggie would be back sometime later in the season.
Following the season premiere, the show quickly explained that Maggie had left Chicago with little information about her exit from Gaffney made clear. Shortly after the premiere, Chicago Med showrunner Allen MacDonald made it known that it was also unclear whether Barrett would return.
“It is currently unclear,” MacDonald told People in October. “Marlyne approached us and said that she needed to take some personal time, and we of course love her and support her in doing that. And from a storytelling standpoint, I would love to have her back.”
In the time since that last update was provided, we’ve not received any further updates on Maggie in the show. There has also been no update on whether a return date has been set or if a return is even possible this season.
The lack of updates has us wondering if a return is possible this season, and the odds are not looking good at this time. We’ve hit the halfway point in the season and there does not seem to be any indication that Maggie will be returning in the near future.
There are still a lot of episodes ahead in season 11; however, there is a real chance that we won’t see Barrett appear as Maggie this season. Or at the very least, we won’t see her appear in more than a few episodes max.
If we see Maggie appear, it’s most likely that it will be in a guest appearance capacity towards the end of the season. This is certainly not the update many fans want to hear, but the sad reality is that Barrett’s exit is going to mirror that of Eamonn Walker’s Chicago Fire exit.
When Walker left the show at the end of season 12, it seemed that he would be simply taking a reduced role in the show. His true role in the season would be much more limited than anticipated with Walker only appearing in one episode in season 13, and that episode came at the very end of the season.
We’re hoping that will not be the case, but with season 11 halfway through, the odds of Maggie returning get smaller and smaller with each passing episode.