Every Season of ‘Chicago Med’, Ranked From Worst to Best
Chicago Med may be one of the later additions to Dick Wolf‘s expansive television universe. The team at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center is always on call to handle the wildest emergencies. Each season introduces new characters and new storylines.
While each season of this flagship medical has had something to offer, some seasons were better than others. Some seasons, like Season 8, contained misguided storytelling and strange character development. By contrast, some seasons, like Season 5, contain thrills and endearing character development in equal measure.
The premiere season introduces the main characters, as well as shows how this series integrates into the One Chicago universe. Each character has to stake out their place in this massive franchise.While the first season has its charm, it does take a little bit to get off the ground. The sheer number of characters made it difficult to focus on everyone’s motivations and how they fit into the larger team.Season 8 of Chicago Med had so much potential. The set-up of the conflict between traditional medical care and new technology could have led to a topical commentary on a real-world issue. Sadly, the stories don’t come together by the end.
Unfortunately, so much of Season 8 feels incomplete. Perhaps it’s because of the high turnover, but so many characters get left in a kind of limbo. Season 8 also features the departure of major main characters including Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee) and Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss).
Like many other medical shows, Chicago Med and One Chicago chose to handle the real-life COVID-19 pandemic. Also like most other medical shows, these stories generally fall flat and come across as inauthentic.While there are some interesting storylines in the wake of the pandemic, none of them come together in a compelling way. Rather than focusing on the future where COVID is a part of the healthcare landscape, so much of the season focuses on mentioning the virus once, maybe twice, and then never again.
