Medical dramas are constantly retooling and evolving to keep up with viewer tastes and the relevant issues that society poses. But, Chicago Med is different. This show’s evolution started before it came on the air. After all, it is the wildly successful spinoff of Chicago Fire. The medical drama series follows the work lives of the emergency room nurses and doctors at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center as they take on unique cases and cultivate fiery relationships in the pandemonium of an emergency room. This concept was wildly successful and viewers ate it up. In fact, at the end of season 1, the show’s average viewership was approximately 9 million. As a result, studio executives ordered 5 more episodes added to the first season. But, that’s not the only change the medical drama has seen since it debuted in 2015. In fact, it’s evolved quite a bit in a short time:
Major Time Hop
If you are a fan of this show, chances are you noticed that things didn’t pick up where they left off during the explosive Season 2 finale when Dr. Daniel Charles was shot by a patient. Surprisingly, Med didn’t linger at this moment for long. When season 3 debuted, it was three months later. Dr. Charles was free of his pain by then. But, it was the psychological impact that really took a toll. This change, believe or not, wasn’t exactly planned. Show executives originally wanted to pick things back up the same night the shooting happened. But, due to Med’s sister shows (Chicago Fire and Chicago PD), and their propensity for crossovers, this wasn’t possible. Instead, Chicago Med premiered its new season in November and PD and Fire started earlier in the fall.
The characters
Season 1 introduced us to the intricacies at play at Chicago Med. But, a lot of this changed when Season 2 debuted. The first episode of the season was a pilot of sorts, highlighting that the doctors were at a new hospital, with a new ER and new characters. Many who were unknown before. The characters from Season 1 that remained were expanded upon. That is, the showrunners delved deep into the backgrounds of these characters to flesh them out and make them more believable. In Season 4, we are introduced to two new medical students, Terry McNeal (a college football star turned med student) and Elsa Curry (an intelligent but impatient know-it-all). Both characters will be on screen through the season but, it isn’t clear how many episodes they’ll appear in.
New showrunners
The original season was written by executive producers Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Matt Olmstead, and Dick Wolf. Rounding out this list of executives was CSI veteran, Andrew Dettmann. However, things didn’t seem to gel. A short time after joining the show, Dettman left abruptly. Around the same time, the married team of Frolov and Schneider were meeting with Wolf to discuss a legal show. Although the concept was interesting, Wolf felt that the pair were better suited for Med. He called them a few days after the initial meeting to offer them the job as Med’s showrunners. But, as soon as they accepted, they were faced with rapidly approaching deadlines. In fact, they had just a few weeks to get into the swing of things. Not only did they have to learn the intimate details of the Chicago University, but they also had to adjust to the demanding schedule of network drama.
New cases
It’s a given that not every episode will have the drama and suspense as one with a bomb-toting criminal. To keep things interesting in the seasons after that incident, Med’s patient cases have been retooled. Now, they are more complex and usually have a financial, political, or social implication. These are the cases that make viewers ask questions and keep them begging for more.
The Bottom Line
Chicago Med has graced our TV screens since 2015. Since then we’ve seen a lot of changes, some good, some not so much. However, the core values that made America fall in love with the medical drama (like the intriguing cases and relationship dynamics) are still very much part of the equation. It is this dedication to its roots that guarantees that Med will be on for quite some time.
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