There’s something inherently swoon-worthy about saving lives, and the doctors and nurses of Chicago Med take heroism to the next level.
It’s impossible to guess what critical diagnosis or distressed patient will walk into Chicago Gaffney Medical Center next, but its dedicated doctors and nurses always go above and beyond to help their patients. Whether that’s rushing someone into a high-risk surgery or talking a patient through their therapy options, when the scrubs come on, the Chicago Med team brings their A-game. But, make no mistake — when the cameras stop rolling, the members of the cast all look just as good.
Check out these Chicago Med stars in and out of their scrubs and iconic lab coats.
Dr. Crockett Marcel, played by Dominic Rains
Dominic Rains rocks it as Chicago Med‘s Dr. Crockett Marcel, a talented surgeon and valued fixture within the hospital’s hectic landscape. Marcel is quick-witted, independent, and experienced, leading him to become one of the group’s natural leaders since his introduction in the Season 5 premiere (“Never Going Back to Normal”).
While attending a One Chicago event in 2019, Rains explored the “irreverence” of Dr. Crockett and how it can often make him an abrasive albeit honorable force within the hospital.
“He’s a guy who just does, and just says,” Rains explained. “There’s not much thought to it. Now that doesn’t mean that he’s intending to upset anyone or piss people off. But he just knows what he wants, he knows what he’s got, he knows what he’s capable of, and he’s not going to shy away from tapping into that.”
Maggie Lockwood, played by Marlyne Barrett
As long as Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett) is in the emergency room, all is well on Gaffney’s front. The exemplary E.D. charge nurse is the eyes and ears of Chicago Med’s entire infrastructure, leading her to brush shoulders with virtually everyone who comes through the hospital’s doors. Maggie is soft-hearted and brilliant as she assists her doctors and fellow nurses whenever possible, and she’s become a bona fide fan favorite.
Since the series’ 2015 debut, Barrett has starred in over 150 episodes.
The Med star told NBC, “I don’t go a season without coming back and at least catching up with Bobbin or the Dennises, who are our medical consultants, and make sure we get a chance to at least visit the hospital and remind ourselves what the atmosphere is in an E.D. — the rhythm in which life is really lived.”
Dr. Daniel Charles, played by Oliver Platt
In a 2015 interview with TODAY, Platt revealed that series creator Dick Wolf wrote the part of Dr. Charles for Platt specifically. Platt revealed that, while interpreting his role on Med, he was inspired by German physician Johann Christian Reil’s interpretation of psychiatry as the “medical treatment of the soul.”
“We never really seen a psychiatrist in a medical procedural…” Platt explained. “In this environment where people are trying to figure things out, there’s no X-ray for anxiety, right? Adding that element into this environment was, to me, an interesting character to explore.”
Dr. Hannah Asher, played by Jessy Schram
Jessy Schram has shined as Gaffney’s go-to OBGYN, Dr. Hannah Asher. The doctor initially appeared in Season 5 of the NBC medical drama, which is also when fans learned her character was struggling with drug addiction. After leaving the hospital to go to rehab, Asher returned two years later in Season 7, sober and ready to begin a new chapter of Chicago Med.
Asher has maintained her sobriety ever since, becoming a beacon of hope to patients and friends as she navigates her new lease on life in Season 9 of Chicago Med and beyond. In a 2023 interview with TV Fanatic, Schram explored Asher’s emotional One Chicago evolution and road to recovery, a storyline that has struck a chord with many Chi-Hards.
“It means so much, the support that our fans have for us and the loyalty and excitement for every episode that comes out,” Schram said. “It’s such an amazing feeling to know that the work that we’re doing is being seen and received in the way that it is.”
Dr. Dean Archer, played by Steven Weber
While he only joined the cast in Season 7 of Chicago Med, Steven Weber instantly made a splash as the curmudgeonly Dr. Dean Archer, a veteran and Chief of Gaffney’s emergency department. Archer is a bit rough around the edges, leading him to butt heads with his coworkers on several occasions, but over time, he has thawed into his surroundings and fostered heartwarming relationships.
“The thing that’s very that’s brilliant about the way they write [Dr. Archer] is that he comes off immediately as not having the best bedside manner,” Weber explained in an interview with Meet Us At Molly’s. “And yet, here’s a guy who has on several occasions proven that he has as much, if not more, of a heart than some of our other beloved characters.”
Sharon Goodwin, played by S. Epatha Merkerson
Where would Gaffney Medical Center be without Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson)? Before taking the helm of Chicago Med as Goodwin, Merkerson shined as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren in Law & Order from 1993 to 2010. Nowadays, however, Merkerson is a force of nature within the hospital as the no-nonsense Goodwin, a dedicated former nurse turned hospital administrator who always fights tooth and nail for the welfare of Med’s patients.
“Everything that you can imagine that happens in a hospital is what we talk about, is what we deal with,” Merkerson explained in an interview with Black Cinema Now. “And [Goodwin] runs the hospital. So it’s imperative for her to make sure that it runs smoothly, that the patients are getting the proper care, that healthcare is being dealt with on an A1 basis, that we’re dealing with the community at large. All of those things — that as a boss lady — you have to do.”
Dr. Will Halstead, played by Nick Gehlfuss
Nick Gehlfuss was a One Chicago O.G. and certified fan favorite among Chi-Hards as Chicago Med’s renegade Dr. Will Halstead. But he actually made his One Chicago debut in Chicago P.D., introduced as the party-loving brother of Detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) before starring in Chicago Med as one of Gaffney’s finest physicians. Audiences fell in love with Halstead for his passion, talent under pressure, and lack of fear of twisting the rules to treat patients.
The latter point got Halstead into trouble quite frequently until Gehlfuss’ Season 8 exit, when Halstead left Chicago to reconnect with the love of his life.
As for whether or not Gehlfuss will return to Chicago Med, Chi-Hards can sleep easy: The door is always open to Gaffney’s former ace-in-the-hole.
“We were all in agreement on that, thankfully, as I talked with Dick [Wolf] and the writers,” Gehlfuss told Variety in 2023. “Whenever it makes sense again for important moments, I’d love to don the white lab coat once again.”
