Healing Hands, Hard Truths: The Drama of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.

Chicago Med showrunner and executive producer Allen MacDonald teases the return of a few familiar faces. Heading into Chicago Med season 11, which has already been renewed by NBC, the popular medical procedural has already established a habit of bringing back former cast members when the right story calls for it. Original cast member Rachel DiPillo reprised her role as the psychiatrist Sarah Reese, in addition to The Rookie‘s Meika Cox coming back as Robin Charles. Going back further, the One Chicago series has included surprise returns for Torrey DeVitto and Yaya DaCosta.

In recent comments to TVLine, MacDonald teased that Chicago Med season 11 will feature the return of a few original characters. Although the executive producer doesn’t mention any specific names, he does point to Sarah Reese’s return as an example of the kind of return that audiences can expect in the upcoming episodes:

“I intend to bring back another original cast member or two, like I did Sarah Reese, and that is in the works.”

What The Return Tease Could Mean For Chicago Med Season 11

There Are Several Options

Chicago Med has included big exits in recent years. The likes of Brian Tee, Nick Gehlfuss, DaCosta, DeVitto, and Guy Lockard, among others, have all left the NBC series. A lot of these characters did get an overall happy send-off. Ethan (played by Tee) and April (played by DaCosta) married. Will Halstead (Gehlfuss) and Natalie (DeVitto) walked off together, smiling, which was unexpected since DeVitto’s appearance was largely unknown. She had already left the procedural in season 7, while Gehlfuss followed a season later.

Dominic Rains, as Dr. Crockett Marcel, is the latest major Chicago Med exit. It’s often argued that these exits are needed on two fronts. The first and likely main concern is that original character exits keep Chicago Med‘s (and One Chicago) budget down, since long-running cast members tend to earn a higher salary. But another reason is that it keeps the show, with a lot of originals naturally arriving at the end of their story. But the flipside is understanding that, at times, it helps to bring back familiar faces.

Our Take On Chicago Med’s Upcoming Returns

It’s Built Into Medical Dramas’

Taking the example of ER, which is considered by many to be the gold standard of medical dramas in American television, cast exits and returns are a crucial part of the formula. Chicago Med season 11 does not yet have a return date announced. But while viewers wait for more info on who might be making their way back, the key question to ask is which return would be the most dramatic. DiPillo’s return as Sarah Reese, for example, opened the door for closure with Dr. Charles.