Season 9 of NBC's Chicago Med is officially underway, but the newest installment is being forced to continue the story without a few major characters due to some actors leaving the show.
Chicago Med is one of four series that comprise the One Chicago franchise. Coming from Dick Wolf, who is also the mastermind behind the extremely successful Law & Order shows, the One Chicago franchise includes Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and the discontinued Chicago Justice.
Chicago Med follows a group of doctors at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center as they try to balance work with their everyday lives. Season 9 of the TV show recently premiered on January 17, and new episodes are released every Wednesday on NBC and Peacock every Thursday.
Every Major Character Leaving Chicago Med
Like the other One Chicago shows, Chicago Med boasts a large cast and explores many different characters.
Some cast members have been around since the pilot episode, and others were just introduced in the Season 9 premiere.
That being said, here is every major character and their respective actors that are officially leaving the show:
Nick Gehlfuss - Will Halstead
Nick Gehlfuss' Will Halstead was the Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
Gehlfuss portrayed Will in the first eight seasons of Chicago Med, but officially exited the show in the Season 8 finale.
Will finally walked out of Gaffney at the end of Season 8 after he went toe-to-toe with Jack Dayton, the majority investor in the hospital who turned it into a for-profit medical center.
However, Will reunited with his ex-fiance, Natalie Manning, and the two planned to move together to Seattle, Washington, so his character was at least able to receive a happy ending.
Gehlfuss talked to Variety about leaving Chicago Med, where he stated that it was his idea to exit the show. He stated that, even though "it was a difficult decision," the actor had "taken Dr. Halstead as far as" he could:
"It was a difficult decision, but ultimately, I felt I’d taken Dr. Halstead as far as I can go with him. I think that comes down to a creative part of you, or the energy or spirit you have that you’re either built for a very long time with one person or not. I am attracted to the profession for the variety in it, and eight years is a long time. It’s two college degrees! I’m joking now that I basically have a doctorate in television.”
However, in that same interview, Gehlfuss did admit that he had talked with creator Dick Wolf about possibly returning from time to time "for important moments," so even though fans won't be seeing Gehlfuss on-screen every week anymore, he won't be gone from the show forever:
"We were all in agreement on that, thankfully, as I talked with Dick and the writers. Whenever it makes sense again for important moments, I’d love to don the white lab coat once again."
Brian Tee - Dr. Ethan Choi
Like Nick Gehlfuss, Brian Tee made his first appearance on Chicago Med way back in the show's very first episode in 2015.
Before his exit, the actor was one of the only remaining cast members to still be a part of Chicago Med. He finally decided to leave the series in Season 8, with his last appearance coming in Episode 9.
Dr. Choi was written out of the show so that the character could start up a mobile clinic to specifically help communities around the city that may not have the resources or finances to receive medical care.
Tee spoke to NBC Insider about leaving the show, specifically touching on his character's mindset at the time of his departure from Gaffney.
The actor stated that "Choi wanted more," and ultimately "needed to help the people he felt needed him the most:"
"I think Choi wanted more. I think he needed to help the people he felt needed him the most. I think he loved Chicago Med, but he had a higher purpose in the sense of really trying to heal a city that is wounded. Especially in the inner cities, especially those that, you know, may be struggling either financially or situationally."
Tee also said that he will "leave the door always open" for a possible return, but fans can expect Gaffney to move forward without one of its top doctors:
"I leave the door always open. 'Chicago Med' has been an incredible experience and ride for myself personally. And I've made some wonderful friends that I hold near and dear to my heart. And going back just to work—not even being in front of the camera—going back to work, and seeing and working with the cast and crew would just be a joy to do."
Guy Lockard - Dylan Scott
Dylan Scott is yet another doctor who left Gaffney in Season 8 of Chicago Med.
Played by actor Guy Lockard, Dylan was only recently introduced to the show in Season 7 before leaving in the premiere episode of Season 8.
Even though his time on the show was short-lived, many fans grew to love and relate to Dylan, making his exit that much more painful.
In Season 7, Dylan met a woman who went by the name Jo. She was an undercover police officer working on a case regarding the Serbian mob.
Dylan, being a former cop himself, decides to help her out, but things turn south and Jo ends up dying.
After all of the pain and torment that he endured, Dylan couldn't spend any more time at Gaffney, saying that it is where he met Jo, and that he had too much police officer still in him to be a doctor there.
While Dylan was a beloved character and the actor's performance was held in high regard, he will likely never return to Chicago Med.
Sarah Rafferty - Pamela Blake
Sahar Rafferty's Dr. Pamela Blake was also last seen in the Season 8 premiere of Chicago Fire.
Pamela was also a big character that was introduced in Season 7, but after needing emergency surgery after her health declined, she decided to leave Gaffney after she was released from the hospital to take a job in Boston.
However, the real reason that she left was so that she could cut all ties with another one of Gaffney's staff, Dr. Crockett Marcel.
Pamela gave Marcel power of attorney when she went into surgery, and after some complications, he had to make a decision. He could save her life, but she may not have any feeling in her hands and wouldn't be able to perform surgery ever again.
Marcel chose to save her, and when she woke up, she decided to leave for good, putting Marcel and Chicago behind her.
Asjha Cooper - Vanessa Taylor
Asjha Cooper's Vanessa Taylor also exited Chicago Med during Season 8, specifically after the installment's sixth episode.
Vanessa was a resident in Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and the biological daughter of Maggie Lockwood.
Fans fell in love with Vanessa during her time on the show, and even though she and her mother formed a close relationship by the time Season 8 rolled around, Vanessa decided to move overseas to take a job at a clinic in the Philippines.
It is possible that Vanessa could return one last time to visit her mother, but she likely will not return for Season 9 or any other future installment as a series regular.
Yaya DaCosta - April Sexton
Yaya DaCosta's April Sexton first left Chicago Med in Season 6, but the actor returned to the cast for one more run during Season 8.
Her character ended up forming a relationship with Dr. Ethan Choi and the two even got married.
However, after Ethan decided that he wanted to start up his mobile clinic, April wanted to go with him, leaving Chicago Med for good.
New episodes of Chicago Med Season 3 premiere every Wednesday on NBC and on Thursdays on Peacock.
