Chicago Fire may be hogging the spotlight recently when it comes to One Chicago cast exits, but Chicago Med has suffered far more exits over the last few years. The medical drama has been forced to part with ways with multiple characters, and the trend looks as though it will continue in the season 10 finale.
TV Line released the synopsis for the finale episode, titled, "Don't You Cry," and it confirmed that we will be seeing the last of a select few characters. "Following orders," the synopsis reads. "Goodwin is tasked with enforcing difficult cuts to hospital personnel." Pretty unambiguous. Heads will roll due to the precarious situation that Dr. Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) and Gaffney Medical Center as a whole is currently in. The stress is officially kicking in.
One Chicago is whittling down its cast in 2025-26
Those who have been keeping tabs on Chicago Med's production, however, should not be surprised. The series, along with its One Chicago peers, was recently renewed for another season by NBC with a notable catch. The network has gone out of its way to cut down on the budget costs for each show, and the simplest way to do that, it seems, is to cut down on appearances by the main cast members.
Deadline confirmed that Chicago Med will be returning for the 2025-26 season, but there will be more absences by cast members in select episodes as a result. Where someone like Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) missed 1-2 episodes in season 10, characters will miss between 2-4 episodes in season 11. That is, of course, assuming they stick around at all.
Med characters who stay will be implemented less, but those who are deemed, well, expendable, by the network will be given the boot, and the season 10 finale now has narrative cause as to why. That is why we're so worried headed in the episode. Chicago Fire has already stated that two of its main cast members, Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett, will not be coming back, and Deadline noted that more exits are likely around the corner for the franchise.
Chicago Med has developed multiple fan favorites
We could be looking at a world where veterans like Maggie (Marlyne Barrett) or Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) part ways with Gaffney Medical Center, or newcomers like Dr. John Frost (Darren Barnett) are forced to continue their career elsewhere. Dr. Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell) is another prime candidate to be shown the door. The most worrisome part about the "difficult cuts" is that Med has congealed into something truly special in season 10.
The series has regained momentum under new showrunner Allen MacDonald, and it has not only leapfrogged Chicago PD to become the second most popular series in the One Chicago franchise, but there were long stretches of the season where it was nipping at Chicago Fire's heels to become number one. Chicago Med is in a great spot at the moment, and tinkering with the cast could throw off the show's equilibrium. All we can do is place our hope in MacDonald and the network, and hope the "cuts" aren't too drastic.
May 21 is going to be a stressful Wednesday.