Steven Weber reveals that his Chicago Med character, Dr. Dean Archer, is “dying” while fighting the clock as the drama series returns for Season 9 after last season’s bombshell revelation that the character has end-stage renal disease.
Archer’s son, Sean, seemed a likely candidate to provide a kidney to his sick father, until he suffered a devastating drug relapse that made him ineligible to donate the organ until he’s been clean for six months.
And as we head into the new season, the wait has taken a toll on the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center emergency room doctor.
Is Dr. Dean Archer still set to get a kidney from son Sean in Chicago Med Season 9?
“Sean [Luigi Sottile] is eager to donate a kidney to his father Dean, who’s really sort of dying from kidney disease,” Weber told NBC Insider ahead of the Season 9 premiere. “But the fact that he’s had a relapse, it makes that donation improbable, dangerous — not just physically, but psychologically and emotionally.”
Archer — who first appeared in Chicago Med in Season 6 and suffers from PTSD from serving in the military — saw his his estranged son, Sean, come back into his life after 15 years in Season 8. We first met Sean when Archer visited him in prison, and part of the reason for their estrangement became more clear when Archer asked his son if he was still using drugs.
Sean also appeared in Season 8, Episode 7, “The Clothes Make The Man… Or Do They?,” when a Cook County inmate was brought to Gaffney after being shanked in the neck — and that inmate happens to be Dr. Archer’s son. Although he was initially hesitant to let his fellow doctors know he’s related to the inmate, Archer eventually insisted that he be the one to remove Sean’s breathing tube, saying that the patient was his son.
Later in Season 8, Sean told his father that due to overpopulation and good behavior, he’s getting out of prison, paving the way for a rekindled relationship between the pair. But that relationship came with a curveball, as the head of the emergency department was revealed to be battling end-stage renal disease.
Weber told NBC Insider that Archer and Sean still face a very complicated relationship in Season 9.
What’s in store for Dean and Sean Archer on Season 9 of Chicago Med?
“These two characters in particular are really trying to find themselves after having been both troubled for many years,” Weber told NBC Insider. “Sean’s been in and out of prison and is currently in drug rehab. And his father, Dean, has been trying to find his humanity after being saddled with PTSD, and he’s trying not to be dependent on a world which he needs. So yeah, that’s going to be tough. Everybody has to find a way around this particular situation.”
Hoping it would lead to a new kidney for Archer, Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) was the one who revealed to Sean that his father’s health was worsening in Season 8. Archer took it as a betrayal of his trust and told Hannah to stay out of it.
Complicating matters, Sean admitted to his father he had feelings for Hannah. Then, when a silly moment between Archer and Hannah looked more like a romance to Sean, he went M.I.A., just as it was revealed that Sean is a viable kidney donor for Archer.
Archer’s worst fears were realized when his son was admitted to Chicago Med in the Season 8 finale after overdosing — putting Archer’s chances of getting a kidney transplant from Sean at a standstill, at least for six months.
Will both Sean and Archer make it to that all-important six-month mark, so that a transplant can happen? Find out by watching the Season 9 premiere of Chicago Med on Wednesday, January 17 at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
