Before Chicago Med season 11 began airing, it was revealed that Nick Gehlfuss would be returning as Dr. Will Halstead. When the season's second episode was coming to an end, viewers learned that Torrey DeVitto was also making a comeback as Dr. Natalie Manning. Then, just as quickly as the characters were brought back, it now seems like Will and Natalie are gone, at least for now.
Ideally, two of Chicago Med's most notable characters making a comeback would have rejuvenated the show in a major way. Despite that, I believe that Chicago Med season 11 has been a huge letdown so far. While there are many reasons for that, I think that Natalie and Will's comeback played a pivotal role in creating the season's disconnect.
During season 10 of Chicago Med, Rachel DiPillo, Mekia Cox, and Hannah Riley returned to the show as Dr. Sarah Reese, Robin Charles, and Anna Charles, respectively. While it was very exciting to see three characters who'd been gone for years, their returns were handled perfectly for one main reason. Those characters' comebacks weren't written in a way that felt like the show's writers were simply trying to make viewers enjoy some nostalgia. Instead, all three characters played a pivotal role in Dr. Daniel Charles growing as a character in a major way by the end of the season.
Unlike those returns, Dr. Natalie Manning and Dr. Will Halstead's returns had no material effects on any of Chicago Med's current characters. Sure, it was fun to see them briefly interact with Dr. Charles, Sharon Goodwin, Dr. Dean Archer, and Dr. Hannah Asher, but those four current main characters didn't seem to take much away from those interactions.
Since Will and Natalie's returns weren't about their interactions with the show's current characters, it actually had the opposite effect from season 10's comebacks. Instead of expanding current characters, Natalie and Wil's comeback mostly pushed the current cast aside until the duo's departure.
Worse yet, the two original characters' returns felt like something akin to eating your favorite food that you rarely get to devour, and then consuming a snack you would typically enjoy on a regular day. Since there weren't any interesting interactions between the returning characters and the ones that are sticking around, the current main cast were made to feel like that uninspiring snack.
I hope that Chicago Med continues to bring back characters from the past that fans still love. However, any returning character returns need to be crafted in a way that maintains the spotlight on how they will affect one or more of the show's current cast members. That way, the show will avoid making its current cast of characters feels like they are lesser than.