Chicago Med fans were left shocked at the end of season eight to see Dr Will Halstead leave the windy city and reunite with his love, and former colleague, Dr Natalie Manning. Although actor Nick Gehlfuss won't be returning to the NBC show, bosses Diane Frolov and Andrew Schenider tell HELLO! that Halstead's presence "is still alive" in the walls of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
"After six months, they've all had a long time to process his departure, but he will be referenced, and his presence is still alive in memory and in examining certain characters and the way things are done, he will be referenced," says Andrew.
The show will return to screens on January 17, 2023, after a four month wait due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, but the premiere will take place six months after the events of the final.
"We had to accommodate, creatively, the long hiatus so we're six months down the line from when the finale occurred and there have been some big changes in the hospital," Andrew continues, revealing that Dr Marcel Crockett is still working on 2.0 – "this is very prominent in the premiere because he hasn't used it on a patient, only in simulations, but he has to use it on a very difficult case that comes in" – while the hospital itself has now been sold to a consortium, leading to "conflict" for Sharon Goodwin.
For Dr Asher (Jessy Schram) and Dr Archer (Steven Weber), their friendship has deepened over the months, and Diane shares that we'll see Asher helping Archer "work through" his issues as he prepares to have a kidney transplant, with the donor his estranged son.
"He's getting a kidney from his son and had a very difficult relationship with his son – on a very deep level he feels he was not a good father – [so he questions], 'is he really worthy of receiving this organ, this gift from his son?' It's a hard thing for him to accept," says Andrew.
But the big change this season will be the new doctor, Dr Mitch Ripley, played by Luke Mitchell.
"Luke is a very dynamic actor and he has a lot of range as an actor," says Andrew, praising the newcomer. But it won't be as easy for Dr Ripley, as he has a history with Dr Daniel Chrles (Oliver Platt,) which will be "challenging" for the esteemed doctor to handle.
"[Ripley] interacts a great deal with Doctor Charles, sometimes in difficult ways, and he has a presence that really can be challenging for Charles – it's exciting to see them play together," shares Diane, adding: "He's coming in with a backstory with Charles that goes back to his adolescence so there's a lot to unpack between the two."