When Allen MacDonald took over as showrunner for Chicago Med, one goal was to bring past characters back into the ED. “One of the unique opportunities of this One Chicago world is that you can bring these older characters back and have them come through the ED again,” he said at the beginning of Season 10. The season brought back Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo) and Charles’ daughter Robin (Mekia Cox), but the showrunner is not done with this endeavor yet. He revealed that he is working on new returns for Season 11, and he’s been in touch with past doctors. “And they just texted me,” he shared with TV Insider, but wouldn’t reveal who it was. MacDonald explained where this desire to bring back past characters comes from, saying:
Some showrunners refrain from revisiting the past, but not MacDonald. “I think there’s a fear in storytelling, television specifically, that if you bring back old characters that you’re kind of going back into the past and not being in the present. But I think life is both. And I think we were successful in telling stories of the present, but I think that in the One Chicago world, it’s completely legitimate to check in on people, characters that we love and we miss, and what fun to see them interact with the new doctors that the audience knows, but they don’t,” he explained. The showrunner reaffirmed his desire to do this in Season 11, saying:
“And so yes, I intend to at least bring back one if not two or more original cast members [from the series premiere] in the next season.”
Some Former ‘Chicago Med’ Stars Have Addressed Their Returns
Brian Tee departed the show in Season 8 but has returned several times to direct episodes. When asked whether he would return, Tee gave an optimistic answer. “We’ll always start that conversation, and if the right time or the right storyline comes along, maybe it might happen. So it’s kind of one of those things that you never say goodbye to,” he said. However, other former stars like Yaya DaCosta feel that their characters had a good ending. The actress said:
“I don’t foresee her returning to the show. I think when I left the first time, there wasn’t any effort put into nicely tying up the storyline. So, when Dr. [Ethan] Choi left, it was a great opportunity for me to come back for a few episodes, get married to him, and go off into the sunset on our mission. I really love that ending. I think it did feel like an ending.”
