Chicago Med Showrunners Reveal How They Fill The Void When An Actor Exits - Exclusive
As with any ensemble series that has been on the air for several years, "Chicago Med" has had its share of emotional character departures, including nurse April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta), Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto), and Dr. Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling). But Season 8 seemed to take the cake, packing in five high-profile exits across 22 episodes, with the biggest losses being Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee) and Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss).
With each farewell comes a void that must be filled within the show, and every year new characters enter the fray at the bustling Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. So, when Season 9 of "Chicago Med" rolled around, airing Wednesday nights on NBC, Looper exclusively spoke to showrunners Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider about what their main focus is when a beloved actor leaves the series and what it takes behind the scenes to fill their shoes.
'We're not looking to replace an actor'
"Chicago Med" Season 9 picks up six months after the events of the previous season (reflecting the extended time gap due to the Hollywood strikes that took place in real life), and a new physician has joined the Emergency Department: Dr. Mitch Ripley, played by Luke Mitchell of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." It is immediately established that Dr. Ripley already has a connection to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center even though we have never seen him before. He is a former patient of Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), creating friction between the two.
Of the interlocking storyline, Diane Frolov says, "We always want to bring a character in that has some connection in some way with our cast. We give them a backstory that is going to cause some conflict, and maybe some love."
But Andrew Schneider is quick to point out that he and Frolov "are not looking to replace an actor, but to find an actor, a character, with a different dynamic, a fresh dynamic, that will keep the show alive."
So, what exactly does it take to launch a new character that the "Chicago Med" audience will hopefully become invested in? "[It takes] a very interesting backstory that makes you curious about them and makes you want to know [more] about them and to see how they'll interact with the other characters," says Schneider.
Plus, Frolov adds, it's important to find the right actor. "There's a long casting process," she says. "You get to hear the dialogue beforehand and see how it's working."
As for whether fans should brace for any more departures in the truncated, 13-episode Season 9, Schneider puts their minds at ease, saying, "I don't think they should brace for that. They should look forward to our new characters interacting with the characters that are in place."
Season 9 of "Chicago Med" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will stream the next day on Peacock.