Will our beloved doctors of Gaffney Chicago join us in 2023? Here is what we know!
After the mind-boggling cliffhanger we were left with in Season 8, fans have been grappling with anxiety over the return of Season 9. Uncertainties surrounding the strike situation do not help our case, but there is always a way to work around that, and it looks like One Chicago World has figured it out. They have found a way to build our anticipation for Chicago Med Season 9 and, at the same time, take us down memory lane as we await the new season.
So, if you are one of the eager viewers of the One Chicago universe and are looking for answers to the updates regarding Season 9 of the commendable series, you have come to the right place. We at Web News Observer have lined up a few up
Chicago Med Season 9: Renewal Status
All Med fans out there were gripping the edge of their seats for days, wondering if their favorite medical drama would be renewed for a Season 9. This anticipation followed a dramatic exit for a character that stuck to us from the beginning through eight seasons and suddenly decided to take his leave. Yes, we are hinting at Dr. Will Halstead’s (played by Nick Gehlfuss) departure from the show in the series finale titled ‘Does One Door Close And Another Open?’ clearly signifying the end of his chapter at the hospital and a new beginning with his on-again-off-again love interest Natalie. More on this in some time.
However, this heart-wrenching scene got us worried about the future of the series when NBC answered our prayers by renewing Chicago Med Season 9 in April of 2023. Hence, our medic heroes will be returning to our screens soon.
All was merry and well when suddenly, THIS HAPPENED.
The Board of Directors of the @WGAwest and the Council of the @WGAeast, acting upon the authority granted to them by their memberships, have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2.
— Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) May 2, 2023
May 2023 witnessed the onslaught of the gravest writer’s protest in the form of the WGA union. Amidst the protest, several competing networks updated their fall broadcast schedules in anticipation of the dissipation of the strikes within the next month.
However, in July, the actors union SAG-AFTRA also joined in the protest for their wage rights and better protection against the hindsight of Artificial Intelligence. The last time such a large-scale strike sent Hollywood productions into an indefinite hiatus was 63 whole years ago! We are currently in the third month of this double-strike situation, and there are no hopes for any reconciliation through negotiations.
In a recent meeting held for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. Their inability to agree on terms for returning to the bargaining table comes after their much-anticipated meeting to discuss a possible resumption of talks.
“As of now, there is no agreement on these items, because the AMPTP said they needed to consult with their member studios before moving forward,” the union said in a statement last Friday.
The situation for a fall 2023 release seems bleak.
We are currently entering the third month of this strike, and unless the AMTP adheres to the requests by SAG AFTRA, this will continue at least till fall. If the writers don’t write the scripts and the actors don’t act, we will not get to watch a renewal of any of our favorite series this year.
So the question remains… Will Chicago Med Season 9 happen in 2023?
Chicago Med Season 9: Release Date
In all possibilities, we were hoping for a fall 2023 release, but it seems like NBC had other plans for Chicago Med Season 9 release.
With networks releasing their fall schedule, NBC has confirmed that Chicago Med, along with its sister shows Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., will be repositioned to the 2024 midseason schedule.
This is extremely disheartening to fans of Chicago Med. First Nick Gehlfuss’ departure, now a 2024 delay! Whew, we have it heavy this year. However, we should have an expected time for its release rather than being left in darkness.
If we do our math, we might be able to see Chicago Med Season 9 somewhere between early to mid-2024, given that things start going well and if the strike ends soon. However, this is just our prediction, and for an exact release date window, we need to wait until we hear from the network.
Chicago Med Season 9: Cast
Spoilers ahead
We have confirmed the exit of Nick Gehlfuss, who played Dr. Will Halstead in the Chicago Med Season 8 finale. Check out the snippet below.
However, his reunion with Natalie (played by Torrey DeVitto) gave us some closure on his character in the heartwarming scene where she waits for him outside the hospital with her son Owen. They hug it out as she utters, “I won’t ever let you go.” Their love story is one for the books.
So, we can guess that there will be a major cast shake-up in Season 9, with some characters leaving and maybe a few additions. We do not have any updates on additions to the cast, but we will surely update you as soon as we gather information on the same.
Who is leaving Chicago Med?
The following characters will return for Chicago Med Season 9.
- Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead
- Yaya Da Costa as April Sexton
- Brian Tee as Ethan Choi
- Torrey DeVitto as Natalie Manning
- Rachel DiPillo as Sarah Reese
- Collin Donnel as Connor Rhodes
Chigaco Med Season 9: Recurring Cast
Thankfully, we will reunite with this cast in 2024.
- S. Epatha Merkerson (Sharon Goodwin)
- Oliver Platt (Daniel Charles)
- Marlyne Barrett (Maggie Lockwood)
- Dominic Rains (Crockett Marcel)
- Steven Weber (Dean Archer)
- Jessy Schram (Hannah Asher)
Chicago Med Season 9: Expected Plot
With successful medical dramas of the likes of Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Doctor, there is one thing they always manage to ace. Keep the viewers on the edge of their seats with every medical case growing more complicated than the one before. Chicago Med is no exception!
We get to watch brand new medical cases almost every week with evolved complexity and unconventional remedies to the same, all whilst the characters are also busy evolving their personal relationship trajectories. Humor, guilt, sabotage, happiness, heartbreak, epic love stories, you name it, and you will find it here.
Chicago Med Season 9 episodes will showcase nothing less. It will bring us new medical complexities as well as complex remedial methods, which sometimes lead to unethical practices just to save the patient’s life (in case they don’t have life insurance). And this is what we love about our Med team. They won’t fret about saving the lives of innocent patients even if they have to resort to unethical practices that do not line with hospital protocol.
The season 8 finale episode was revolutionary in many ways and a definite eye-opener concerning what the future holds for our beloved team at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Will left us and gave us a much-needed closure with Natalie.
still not over this Manstead reunion 🥹 #OneChicago pic.twitter.com/OtOmQVmCrg
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) June 4, 2023
Future of Gaffney
Another approach that we need to bring to focus is the future of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center now that Dayton has decided to sell it. This follows an unfortunate event where a new AI technology was introduced at the hospital by Dayton called the OR 2.0, which performs surgery through artificial means.
However, Dr. Will vehemently opposed this practice pointing out its ethical concerns as well as the lack of trust in modern technology. He chose the safety of patients over a money-minting machine. Due to this confusion, the investment for the application of this technology blew up, and the only way to overcome the debt burden was for Dayton to sell the center.
Chicago Med Season 9 Episode 1 will carry on where the Season 8 finale left off, and we will see who takes up the responsibility of the hospital after Dayton. Additionally, NBC Insider has teased us about what Chicago Med Season 9 will pick up by saying,
“Chicago Med Season 9 will likely pick up where we leave the doctors in Season 8, which has been a nail-biting ordeal. Chicago Med’s fearless boss Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) is fighting tooth and nail to prevent Jack Dayton (Sasha Roiz) from turning the hospital into a for-profit hospital. Will this carry into the next season? The answer is unclear, but Chi-Hards can’t wait to find out.”
The Archer, Asher, and Sean Dynamic
Remember this?
welllll this is awkward pic.twitter.com/47u2qQeCr9
— One Chicago (@NBCOneChicago) July 14, 2023
Yes! Even the official show handle on Twitter called it awkward. It is a weird culmination of thoughts and ideas where Sean (Archer’s son) has stemming feelings for Asher, who is supposedly getting close to Archer (Sean’s dad). However, thanks to Sean for confronting them, the misconception was cleared out.
Or was it? We don’t know for sure, but we do hope we get some clarity on this matter in Season 9.
Will Maggie Lockwood Leave Us?
Maggie was seen questioning her existence in the hospital when Dayton was in charge, so we don’t know for sure whether she will leave us. We are hoping she will take one for the team and stay back to bring Gaffney back onto its feet!
We will be sure to update you if any other expected plotlines appear while we wait for updates on the new season.
Chicago Med Season 9 Episodes: Where to Watch
Following the earlier episodes, Chicago Med Season 9 would consist of 22 episodes. However, NBC Chicago reported that the ongoing strike and cost-cutting measures may affect the length of the new season, and we may only get an average of 18-20 episodes in Chicago Med Season 9.
Concerning its streaming probabilities, it will air on the official NBC network channel. Apart from that, you can access the earlier seasons of Chicago Med on :
- NBC official website
- FuboTV
- Hulu Plus
- Peacock (you can access Peacock through platforms like Fire TV, Apple TV Plus, and Roku)
Settling in for a #ChicagoMed rewatch. pic.twitter.com/zfgDGWjdTq
— Chicago Med (@NBCChicagoMed) October 3, 2020
Chicago Med Season 9: Offical Trailer
Unfortunately, due to the lack of updates regarding the filming as well as post-production of Chicago Med Season 9, we don’t have a trailer to show you yet. We will be sure to update you when it releases.
In the meantime, take a look at Chicago Med Season 8 finale promo.
We have our ears and eyes open for any new updates on our beloved show, and we will constantly keep updating you if we come across anything new. With that being said, turn on your notifications to Webnewsoberver so you don’t miss out on an update!