Medical dramas are a crucial part of the modern TV industry, and it seems that audiences just can’t get enough of them. Whether it’s the threat of a life-or-death situation or the imperfect balance between the personal and the professional, these shows ensure that fans have a lot of drama to sink their teeth into. However, with so many big players in the game, it can be hard for smaller shows to gain attention.
While the likes of Grey’s Anatomy and ER will always be popular, NBC’s Chicago Med has proven that medical dramas require so much more than just interesting cases. This drama frequently explores contemporary issues, including gun violence and virus outbreaks, making it a key contender in this very competitive niche. Plus, with its 200th episode fast approaching, it appears that this show still has a lot more stories to tell.
Chicago Med Adds to an Already Bustling Genre
As the title suggests, Chicago Med welcomes viewers inside the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, where an abundance of highly trained medical staff are tasked with saving whoever strolls through its doors. The hospital is run by Sharon Goodwin, a former Critical Care nurse, who now runs this facility like a very tight ship. In the first season, the audience follows Will Halstead, a former plastic surgeon who drops the stability of his field to enter the hustle and bustle of the emergency department.
The show also places a great focus on Halstead’s peers, such as Dr. Daniel Charles and April Sexton. The former is a highly trained psychiatrist who is often brought in to deal with the hospital’s most challenging cases. The latter is a nurse who triages all the patients as they try to navigate the throes of the emergency department. Like a lot of other medical dramas, the cast has changed quite a lot over the past 10 seasons, but Gaffney Chicago Medical Center remains a beacon of hope in the center of this city.
At first glance, Chicago Med seems like any other medical drama in the sense that it takes place in a large hospital and each episode focuses on a collection of riveting cases. However, the show’s ability to mimic a conventional format is arguably its greatest strength. Fans enjoy medical shows because they offer small doses of heavy tension, which is then blended with some more traditional relationship drama. Thus, audiences get the best of both worlds without having to deal with the harsh reality of actual medical problems.
As such, it makes sense that Chicago Med would follow in the footsteps of its predecessors because they also use a tried and tested format. In addition, Chicago Med explores how a city is impacted by frequent medical crises, a lot like how ER placed a great deal of emphasis on the problems plaguing the community of Illinois. Thus, Chicago Med uses issues like addiction, mental health, and even COVID-19 to subtly showcase how the people of Chicago are coping on a day-to-day basis.
However, the show does go the extra mile to differentiate itself from the big hitters. While a lot of modern medical dramas enjoy showcasing a wealth of weird and wonderful physical ailments, Chicago Med does a fantastic job of highlighting the mental health conditions that seem to pop up in the ER. From common conditions like depression and PTSD to more niche issues like Mirror-Touch Synesthesia in Season 2, this show uses Dr. Charles to explore a lesser-known side of healthcare.
Not only does this help to keep the show fresh, but it also helps to give certain storylines some heart. Although some medical dramas show the staff dealing with mental health issues, Chicago Med drives home the fact that these conditions can impact anyone. So, even though Chicago Med didn’t reinvent the wheel in terms of its storytelling, it did a fantastic job of highlighting how mental health has become just as important as physical health in the confines of a busy ER department.
Chicago Med Is Only One Part of a Bigger Picture
Although fans can enjoy Chicago Med as an individual story, it only explores one segment of the wider One Chicago universe. The series was created by Dick Wolf, best known for creating Law & Order. Since its first installment in 1999, the franchise has grown exponentially and effectively showcases multiple sides of law enforcement. The writer has also done the same with One Chicago, exploring how a wealth of public sectors deal with issues within their city. As expected. Chicago Med deals with the health side of things, but the team at Gafney Medical Center also has to collaborate with the 21st District from Chicago PD, as well as the team from Firehouse 51 in Chicago Fire. Thus, it’s clear that as a whole, One Chicago shows problems can occur from every angle.
Admittedly, Chicago Med is not the first medical drama to have frequent crossovers, as Grey’s Anatomy released its spin-offs, Private Practice and Station 19, in 2007 and 2018, respectively. However, the thing that makes One Chicago stand out is its consistency. Even though Chicago Fire and Chicago PD have been running a tad longer than their medical counterparts, the shows still make an effort to crossover in plausible ways. The most obvious example was the Infection crossover special, which was released in October 2019. The three-part event explored how the police, hospital staff, and fire department coped with a mysterious infection that was ravaging the city.
Not only did this allow fans to see all three shows back-to-back, but it also gave certain characters the chance to step outside their usual comfort zone and help professionals in other sectors. For example, the CDC and members of Firehouse 51 work to evacuate the hospital when the infection reaches a critical stage. Again, this riveting storyline shows that Chicago Med has the potential to stand up on its own while also fitting into a much wider universe.
In 2017, Dick Wolf introduced another segment to the One Chicago universe, Chicago Justice. Although it only lasted for one season, the show followed a selection of attorneys and prosecutors who strove to bring justice to the victims of Chicago. Even with just 12 episodes under its belt, Chicago Justice managed to build ties to the other shows, helping to immerse the audience deeper into the dramatized version of this metropolitan city.
10 Seasons Later, Chicago Med Is Still Going Strong
Chicago Med has just ended its 10th season, dropping bombshells about the father of Asher’s unborn child and Dr. Goodwin’s complicated relationship with Dr. Washington. However, the show is also gearing up to celebrate its 200th episode, an event that has fans sitting on the edge of their seats. In the past, other shows within the One Chicago universe had a very special episode for this milestone, so fans are expecting very big things.
Chicago Fire celebrated this milestone in 2021 and bid farewell to fan favorite Casey, something that audiences were heartbroken about. Elsewhere in Chicago PD, Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek were trapped on a moving train with an active shooter on board. Thus, it’s clear that the One Chicago universe takes its milestone episodes very seriously. Although fans are keen to share all their theories and expectations for the 200th episode, a lot of its details are still under wraps. Yet, showrunner Allen MacDonald promised audiences a big return during an interview with TV Insider:
I intend to at least bring back one if not two or more original cast members [from the series premiere] in the next season.
Regardless of what’s in store, Chicago Med should be praised for getting this far, especially in the era of streaming. Of course, audiences will look toward shows like Grey’s Anatomy and ER, which boast well over 10 seasons. However, Chicago Med has managed to remain consistent and exciting, even in the face of incredible amounts of competition. Shows like The Resident, Pulse, and The Pitt only have a few seasons under their belt, but they have managed to build avid fan bases in an incredibly short amount of time. Plus, the fact that audiences can stream the latest medical drama whenever they please means that NBC has to work extra hard if it wants the audience to recognize Chicago Med. Still, this medical drama has managed to keep tensions high, which is why audiences are excited to see what the next milestone episode has in store.
