Are Chicago Med’s Fan Favorites Next on the Chopping Block After Major One Chicago Exits?

by

During the summer season of 2025, events might seem quiet for fans of NBC’s One Chicago universe, as we await fall premieres. However, it’s essential to stay alert for updates about Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med, even amidst the summer schedule. Although these popular dramas have been renewed, significant alterations are imminent. The recent announcement of another main cast member being let go has me apprehensive, particularly concerning the future of Chicago Med.

Which individuals should we pay closer attention to, given their uncertain future prospects? Among them, there are four who appear to be at the highest risk.

2025 One Chicago Cast Exits

Initially, it was revealed in April that the characters played by Daniel Kyri (as Ritter) and Jake Lockett (as Carver) would be leaving “Chicago Fire” before Season 14. The season finale of Season 13 provided an explanation for Carver’s departure from Chicago, but no reason was given for Ritter’s absence from Firehouse 51 when the new season starts in the fall. In a recent casting development, Brandon Larracuente, known for his role in “On Call,” has joined the show as a regular series character.

When the final episodes of the three shows ended in May without any subsequent announcements about cast departures, I had hoped that the earlier rumors (from Deadline) about more One Chicago actors leaving besides Kyri and Ritter wouldn’t lead to any additional cast members from P.D. or Med leaving after all.

Sadly, as of late June, things have changed – Toya Turner won’t be reprising her role as Officer Kiana Cook in Chicago P.D. for Season 13 this fall. However, it doesn’t mean the Intelligence Unit will only consist of Burgess, Ruzek, Atwater, and Torres working under Voight from now on. In fact, another report suggests that the show is searching for a new series regular to play a female officer with the ATF Task Force, who has a military background.

After slices from “Fire” and more recently from “P.D.”, it’s worth inquiring, isn’t it? What about “Chicago Med”?

Who Is Confirmed For Chicago Med Season 11?

In June’s early days, it was officially confirmed that the main cast of all three One Chicago series will return for the upcoming fall season. Specifically, on Fire, we can expect Taylor Kinney (Kelly Severide), Miranda Rae May (Stella Kidd), and Dermot Mulroney (Chief Pascal). For P.D., Jason Beghe continues his role as Voight. In the medical series, Med, S. Epatha Merkerson (Sharon Goodwin) and Oliver Platt (Dr. Charles) have been confirmed to return.

I was pleased to hear that Merkerson and Platt would return, as Dr. Charles’ groundbreaking storyline with his daughter left me questioning if it was setting the stage for a dramatic farewell. Regarding Goodwin, while I wouldn’t want her to depart, I couldn’t fault her decision to retire either, given the emotional impact of Merkerson’s performance in the series finale on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock. (The finale can be watched with a Peacock subscription.)

Given that Hannah (Jessy Schram) arrived at Archer’s (Steven Weber) doorstep in the finale, hinting at a conversation to be had, it appears that both Schram and Weber will continue to appear on the show before Season 11 airs this fall. This means that four main characters from Med, whose roles might not be as secure, are under scrutiny in these uncertain times. Let’s examine who among them seems more likely (and less likely) to reappear in Season 11.

Who Is Not Yet Confirmed

If you’ve seen Season 10, you might recognize the characters I’m going to mention next: Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood, Luke Mitchell as Mitch Ripley, Sarah Ramos as Caitlin Lenox, and Darren Barnet as John Frost. Let’s consider which character from Med, based on how Season 10 ended, might realistically be written off the show.

Among the principal cast of “Med,” aside from Oliver Platt and S. Epatha Merkerson, Marlyne Barrett has been a constant presence since the show’s inception. It’s challenging to envision the medical drama continuing without Maggie, the charge nurse of the ED, in her role. In fact, she played a pivotal part in the finale when dealing with two unwell children and a single pair of lungs available for transplant. Fortunately, there was no major cliffhanger regarding Maggie that would necessitate her return for the Season 11 premiere. Nevertheless, it’s difficult to conceive of the ED functioning without Maggie, and as of now, there seems to be no other main nurse character equipped to fill her shoes.

In Season 10, Luke Mitchell portrayed Mitch Ripley for the second time, but he found himself in even more trouble with the law than at the end of Season 9. The season finale in May concluded on a relatively peaceful note for him, as the woman he’d put his life on the line for paid him a visit for some flirtatious banter, potentially setting up a romantic storyline for Season 11. Furthermore, there is speculation that Mitchell may be Hannah’s baby’s father, which would certainly solidify his presence in the series if this pregnancy plotline comes to fruition.

Darren Barnett was one of two new series regulars to join Chicago Med in Season 10, and if Toya Turner being written out of Chicago P.D. is any indication, the approach to cutting One Chicago cast members might be that the last one in is the first one out. His big arc of the season was as neatly wrapped up as any fan could hope by the end of a finale, and I’d be inclined to name him as somebody who could be cut if not for Barnett joining P.D.’s Benjamin Levy Aguilar as well as Fire’s Hanako Greensmith and Jocelyn Hudon to represent One Chicago at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival earlier in June (via Instagram).

This leads us to Sarah Ramos, whose character Dr. Caitlin Lenox stirred up quite a buzz in the Emergency Department from the beginning of Season 10 when Goodwin brought her on board to jointly handle Chief responsibilities with Archer. By the end of the season, Lenox was functioning as the sole ED Chief and her conflicts with Archer were significantly reduced. Regrettably, the finale disclosed that she had been diagnosed with the lethal prion disease that is genetically inherited within her family.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the way Lenox will respond to that revelation, as she isn’t typically open with her colleagues. Given all the circumstances, however, it seems Lenox could be the character who might reveal more about herself than we expect.

I’m hoping that all the speculation proves unfounded and Chicago Med manages to avoid losing any characters, unlike its sister shows Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.. However, we’ll have to wait and see as the summer break goes on. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates about One Chicago, and don’t forget you can catch up on your favorite episodes streaming on Peacock during this hiatus period.

Read More

2025-06-27 17:38