NBC medical drama Chicago Med is reportedly adding a major new character for the upcoming ninth season, someone with a connection to one of the show’s regulars.
According to TVLine, casting is underway for a male Emergency Department doctor in his early 30s who has a history with Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), the chief of the psychiatry department at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. The character is said to come from a troubled background, which led to him crossing paths with Dr. Charles when he was growing up.
The as-yet-unnamed new character is set to recur on the show, with the potential to be upgraded to series-regular for Season 10. NBC has yet to confirm or comment on the casting.
Chicago Med is looking to rebuild its cast after several departures in Season 8, which saw the exits of Guy Lockard’s Dr. Dylan Scott, Brian Tee‘s Dr. Ethan Choi, and Nick Gehlfuss‘ Dr. Will Halstead. In addition, recurring character Vanessa Taylor (Asjha Cooper) was written out when she chose to take a job in the Philippines.
NBC has yet to confirm the Season 9 cast, but most of the Season 8 cast are expected to return, including the previously mentioned Platt; Marlyne Barrett (Nurse Maggie Campbell); S. Epatha Merkerson (Chief of Patient and Medical Services Sharon Goodwin); Dominic Rains (Dr. Crockett Marcel); Steven Weber (Dr. Dean archer); and Jessy Schram (Dr. Hannah Asher).
The Dick Wolf-created series is the third show in NBC’s One Chicago franchise, which also includes Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. While the network has yet to announce a premiere date, Chicago Med is expected to return sometime in early 2024 with a reduced 13-episode season due to the recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
Chicago Fire, which will see the return of Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide, is also expected to return in 2024, though an exact time frame is not currently known. Chicago P.D. is in a similar boat, with its previously scheduled September 2023 premiere scrapped due to the strikes; the show is anticipated to be back in the first half of 2024.
Chicago Med, Season 9, TBD, NBC