Chicago Med is an American medical drama series broadcast by NBC and created by Dick Wolf as the third installment of the Chicago franchise. It stars Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, Colin Donnell, Brian Tee, S. Epatha Merkerson, Oliver Platt, Marlyne Barrett, Norma Kuhling, Dominic Rains, Steven Weber, Guy Lockard, Kristen Hager, Jessy Schram, Luke Mitchell, Sarah Ramos and Darren Barnet. It premiered on November 17, 2015.
Chicago Med follows the emergency department doctors and nurses of the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. As they work to save lives, these members deal with the personal and professional pressures of their jobs.
In March 2026, the series was renewed for a twelfth season, which is set to premiere on October 7, 2026.
Contents
Premise
Set in Chicago, Chicago Med is the third series in Dick Wolf's Chicago franchise. It focuses on the emergency department at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and on its doctors and nurses as they work to save patients' lives. It sometimes crosses over with characters from Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.
Cast
Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead (seasons 1–8; guest season 11), a former plastic surgeon, who at the start of the series becomes an ED supervising attending physician. He is originally from Chicago and is the older brother of Chicago P.D. character Detective Jay Halstead. He was engaged to Dr. Natalie Manning in seasons three and four. He resigns from Chicago Med at the end of the eighth season after sabotaging Jack Dayton's OR 2.0 to prove its defects, and moves to Seattle to reunite with Natalie and her son.
Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton (seasons 1–6; recurring season 8), a first-generation Brazilian-American ED Senior Nurse. She has a younger brother, Noah, who began as a third-year medical student at the hospital. She is also a childhood friend of Chicago Fire character Kelly Severide. In the sixth season, she is accepted into a nurse practitioner program in order to do more in caring for patients and in the seventh-season premiere "You Can't Always Trust What You See", it is revealed that she has started the program. She later returns in the eighth season after completing the program. She and Dr. Ethan Choi rekindle their relationship during this time, and marry in the middle of the season, with the intent of starting a mobile clinic for the impoverished people in the community.
Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning (seasons 1–6; guest seasons 7–8 and 11), an ED pediatrics fellow who did a fellowship in emergency medicine in the first season and becomes an attending in the emergency pediatrics division in the fifth season. She is a widow, coping with the loss of her husband, Jeff, who was killed in action while serving in the U.S. military. In the first-season episode "Bound", she gives birth to her son Owen. In the seventh-season premiere "You Can't Always Trust What You See", she is fired by Sharon Goodwin and moves back to Seattle with Owen after admitting that she stole drugs for her sick mother from her ex-fiancé Dr. Halstead's clinical trial. She later reunites with Halstead following his resignation at the end of season eight.
Rachel DiPillo as Dr. Sarah Reese (seasons 1–3; recurring season 10; guest season 4), originally a fourth-year medical student, who does not feel drawn to emergency medicine and would rather become a pathologist. After she graduates from medical school, she immediately leaves pathology and becomes a First year resident in psychiatry, thanks to Dr. Daniel Charles in the season 2 premiere. In the fourth-season premiere "Be My Better Half", she transfers from Chicago Med to Baylor after Dr. Charles finds out her father is a suspected serial killer and they have a falling-out. She returns in Season 10, and following yet another argument with Dr. Charles about a patient's care, was able to make peace with her former mentor.
Episodes
Crossovers
"The Beating Heart" (Chicago Fire Season 4, Episode 10) / "Now I'm God" (Chicago P.D. Season 3, Episode 10) – In the first crossover with Fire and P.D., continuing on "Malignant", a member of Firehouse 51 is rushed to Chicago Med for a stabbing while an attempted suicide uncovers four cases of chemo overdose, leading to an investigation that becomes personal for Voight.
"Going to War" (Chicago Fire Season 7, Episode 2) / "Endings" (Chicago P.D. Season 6, Episode 2) – In the second crossover with Fire and P.D., continuing on "When to Let Go", the victims of an apartment complex fire are rushed into Chicago Med and Intelligence races to find the culprit.
"Infection" (Chicago Fire Season 8, Episode 4/Chicago Med Season 5, Episode 4/Chicago P.D. Season 7, Episode 4) – In the third crossover with Fire and P.D., a bioterrorist spreads a deadly virus throughout Chicago.
"In the Trenches" (Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 11/Chicago Med Season 10, Episode 11/Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 11)
Production
Development
The series was greenlit by NBC for the show's pilot episode on May 1, 2015. On August 21, 2015, Andrew Dettman stepped down as showrunner due to "creative differences" following his appointment in June. Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov were appointed as new showrunners on August 27, 2015. NBC originally ordered 13 episodes for season one; on December 11, 2015, an additional 5 episodes were ordered, bringing the season to 18 episodes.
On February 1, 2016, NBC renewed the series for a second season. On May 15, 2016, it was announced that the series would be moving to Thursdays. The second season premiered on September 22, 2016. On May 10, 2017, NBC renewed the series for a third season but opted to remove it from the fall schedule to midseason, after the premiere of Dick Wolf's sixth Law & Order series Law & Order True Crime. The series moved back to Tuesdays after spending one season on Thursdays.
On February 27, 2020, NBC renewed the series for a sixth, seventh, and eighth season. The sixth season premiered on November 11, 2020. The seventh season premiered on September 22, 2021. The eighth season premiered on September 21, 2022. On March 13, 2020, Universal Television shut down production on the series due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 10, 2023, NBC renewed the series for a ninth season, which premiered on January 17, 2024. On March 21, 2024, NBC renewed the series for a tenth season which premiered on September 25, 2024. On May 5, 2025, NBC renewed the series for an eleventh season which premiered on October 1, 2025. On March 27, 2026, the series was renewed for a twelfth season.
Casting
The Walking Dead star Laurie Holden was originally cast as Dr. Hannah Tramble, but dropped out due to "family reasons". On May 29, 2015, Arrow star Colin Donnell was cast as Dr. Connor Rhodes, the hospital's newest trauma surgeon. In July 2015, Jurassic World star Brian Tee joined the cast as Dr. Ethan Choi, an expert in infectious disease prevention and a Navy Reserve medical officer. Pretty Little Liars star Torrey DeVitto was cast on August 13, 2015, as Dr. Natalie Manning, the ED pediatrician. On August 14, 2015, Jane the Virgin star Rachel DiPillo was cast as Sarah Reese, a fourth-year medical student.
On April 19, 2019, NBC announced that original cast member Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling would be written out of the series at the end of the fourth season for creative reasons. On May 12, 2021, NBC announced that original cast members Yaya DaCosta and Torrey DeVitto would leave the series at the end of the sixth season after deciding not to renew their contracts to pursue new roles. On July 21, 2021, it was announced that Steven Weber would be promoted to a series regular after recurring in the sixth season, and Guy Lockard and Kristen Hager would join the main cast. On October 12, 2022, NBC announced that Tee would leave the series after eight seasons.
Reception
Reviews
On Metacritic, season 1 has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 50% of critics had given the first season of the show a positive review, based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 5.52/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "While adding nothing new to the established medical procedural formula, Dick Wolf's Chicago Med hits its familiar beats forcefully enough to satisfy a few genre enthusiasts."
Broadcast and streaming
North America
Chicago Med airs on NBC. It is available through the network's streaming platforms, and Hulu, with previous season "stacking rights" on the former, and pay-per-episode purchase via electronic sell-through platforms. The series is available for streaming on Peacock along with Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The first seven seasons of the show are available on Amazon Prime Video in the European Union. In Canada, the series aired on the Global Television Network for four seasons, then moved to Citytv. Season three aired at the start of the week ahead of the NBC air date later in the week.
Asia
In Malaysia, the series aired on PRIMEtime for five seasons, then moved to Showcase. In Southeast Asia, the series aired on Rock Entertainment for more seasons. In Türkiye, Season 10 is streaming on TODTv.
Europe
In the United Kingdom, Chicago Med premiered on March 20, 2016, on Universal Channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The second season aired on October 23, 2016. Since the fifth season, it has aired on Sky Witness. In Romania, the series debuted on February 16, 2017, on the channel Diva under the title "Camera de gardă" (The guard room). The sixth season premiered on March 7, 2021.
Oceania
In Australia, the series debuted on November 23, 2016, on the Nine Network.
Syndication
The series was set to air syndicated reruns on USA Network and Lifetime in January 2025.