Chicago Med Producers Tease What's To Come With The Return Of Dr. Asher
Midway through Season 7 of "Chicago Med," fans were surprised by the unexpected return of Dr. Hannah Asher, played by Jessy Schram. A controversial character, Dr. Asher is an OB-GYN who's a recovering drug addict and the ex-girlfriend of Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss). She had been last seen in the Season 6 premiere in 2020, when she left Chicago to flee her bad reputation, before being asked to rejoin the emergency department of the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center in the March 16, 2022, episode. Now, after a two-week hiatus, "Chicago Med" returns tonight on NBC.
Given her reappearance, what can fans expect from the Asher storyline? During a recent roundtable interview that included Looper, "Chicago Med" executive producers Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider — alongside stars Oliver Platt (who plays Dr. Daniel Charles) and Marlyne Barrett (who plays Maggie Lockwood) — gave some insight into what viewers can expect in the coming episodes and beyond.
Dr. Halstead will have to move past being Dr. Asher's 'savior'
One of the biggest questions on viewers' minds might be what's going to happen between Dr. Asher and Dr. Halstead, who kind of left their relationship up in the air when she fled Chicago. "They're going to have a learning period and an adjusting period," says Diane Frolov. "Will has always looked upon Hannah as somebody with a problem, which she did have. So he's cast himself in the role of savior, and he's going to have to get out of that. And she has the challenge of proving to people that she is capable again, that she is recovered."
Adds Andrew Schneider, "She has to outrun her reputation, but she's determined to do that."
It's a dynamic that the two executive producers — who are husband and wife — say will be ongoing, admitting that Dr. Asher is here to stay, at least for now.
"We wanted to start something mid-season, something that we can, as writers, continue on to the next season," says Frolov. "So, [her return] did two things of introducing a person that the audience knew and was excited about seeing, and giving us the possibility of an ongoing story for next season."
As for why Dr. Asher is the character from the past they most wanted to bring back now, Schneider says, "One of the reasons is that she has gone through a long period of rehab and recovery, and we wanted to bring this character back on the other side, the other end of that process. It's a continuing process ... And on the medical end, having an OB-GYN specialist in the emergency department is always a good thing. Those stories have a lot of stakes when it involves childbirth."
Season 7 of "Chicago Med" airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC.