Chicago Med has had its share of standout doctors, but one brilliant physician still hasn’t received the recognition or screen time his character truly earned.
During seasons 10 and 11 of Chicago Med, the hit medical drama has featured the returns of several characters from the show’s long past. While some of the character returns have been great, I believe that Dr. Will Halstead and Dr. Natalie Manning’s returns created problems for the show. I would also argue that two other character returns made me concerned about how season 11 will handle Dr. Charles.
Even though I think Chicago Med’s returns have had mixed results, I would still completely encourage the show’s boss to continue the comebacks. In fact, there is a specific character who I think is extremely underrated, who I believe should be brought back soon and given an ongoing role in Chicago Med’s storylines.
Why Dr. Isidore Latham needs to return to Chicago Med ASAP
Ato Essandoh made his debut as Dr. Isidore Latham during Chicago Med season 2, episode 1, “Soul Care.” Introduced as Dr. Connor Rhodes’ new boss, Dr. Isidore Latham, the character’s debut only hinted at how compelling he would become. While Dr. Latham quickly proved that he was an incredibly talented surgeon, it was the role he had in Dr. Rhodes’ life and vice versa that made him such a special surgeon.
When Dr. Latham was introduced, it didn’t take long for it to become clear that he had a lot to teach Dr. Rhodes. The truly unexpected thing was that it would turn out that Latham would also learn from Dr. Rhodes, who would eventually become his protégé. As the boss showed Dr. Rhodes how to excel as a surgeon, it was the younger doctor who taught the veteran a new way to bond with a co-worker, and more importantly, a friend.
A character with a lot of depth, Dr. Latahm would ultimately appear in 33 Chicago Med episodes. However, once Dr. Rhodes left Chicago Med at the beginning of the show’s fifth season, Dr. Latham largely disappeared from the series. Ultimately, Latham appeared in four season 5 episodes and one from season 6. Since then, the character has never appeared again, which is a real shame.
While Dr. Latham will always be closely associated with Dr. Rhodes and I loved seeing those two characters together, he didn’t need his former protégé to continue to be part of the show. Instead, Dr. Latham’s depth as a character, skills as a surgeon, extreme intelligence, and occasional bouts of vulnerability could have made many Chicago Med episodes more interesting. Even now that it has been years since the character last appeared, it would be amazing if Dr. Latham made a comeback soon and helped make the show better, as he always should have been doing.
