Chicago Med has been a revolving door of doctors and cast members during the last two years. We’ve seen veteran characters pick up and leave after nearly a decade, and newcomers who leave after less than half a season. It’s been a transitional period for the medical drama, and this extends to the behind the scenes personnel as well.
Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider confirmed they would be ending their tenure as showrunners after season 9, and handing the reins over to an unnamed successor. This was a huge deal, if for no other reason than Frolov and Schneider had been the showrunners of Med since the pilot. Big shoes to fill for anyone.
Allen MacDonald is taking over showrunner duties
Well, NBC has found the person they want to fill those shoes: Allen MacDonald. Deadline confirmed the news the same day Chicago Med aired its season 9 finale. MacDonald has a decorated history as a writer and executive producer for different networks. He fulfilled this pivotal role for shows like CSI, Body of Proof and 13 Reasons Why. He also worked as a co-showrunner on Harlan Coben’s Shelter, which ran on Amazon Prime.
Taking over as Chicago Med’s showrunner is something of a full circle moment for MacDonald, who initially tried to break in with the medical drama ER. He submitted a spec script for an episode of ER, but discovered that he would have to try his luck elsewhere.
MacDonald was previously a producer on CSI
“I wrote an ER, Homicide, NYPD Blue, Dawson’s Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc,” MacDonald revealed to Modern Day Sherlock in 2007. “I wasn’t going to get an opportunity to write for ER, so I had to move on, because, if you want to be a drama writer, you have to find a show that believes in promoting from within.”
It’ll be exciting to see how MacDonald approaches Chicago Med, especially given that the show is about to enter its tenth season. There will need to be some changes to keep things engaging for the fans, while still maintaining the core appeal of its main characters. It’s a tricky assignment, but we’re confident MacDonald is up to the challenge.
This article was originally published on onechicagocenter.com as Chicago Med will have new showrunners heading into season 10.
