Fans of the gripping medical drama have one question looming large: Is it going to be a short season or not? If you want to know the answer, then continue reading to find out.
Earlier this year, everything seemed to be moving forward without any major hurdles for the approval of One Chicago’s beloved show, “Chicago Med,” for a ninth season, which excited the fandom to know what the next chapter is going to look like, especially after witnessing how the eighth season ended. The curiosity is quite understandable, but sadly, it looks like this cheerful news was short-lived and has completely been overshadowed by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which have stopped all the production houses across many networks, which also places NBC on that list!
This early renewal has been tainted with major changes happening behind the scenes, which usually doesn’t happen. But, unfortunately, this time around, the new season, which was expected to include at least 22 episodes with an average runtime of 40 to 44 minutes in order to remain consistent, will be undergoing drastic alterations, with its official count being reduced to 18 to 20 episodes due cost-cutting and the ongoing strikes which will further delay the production as it doesn’t seem to resume anytime later this year.
That’s not it! To add more confirmation to this update, NBC Chicago also reported that the ongoing strikes could also result in the season being shortened due to the lack of episode scripts written by the writers and the actor’s inability to resume their work until a proper resolution is made in their favor. “They could be forced to cut seasons short or delay filming altogether,” the outlet added. The upshot is that the season will be shorter than others since writers won’t have to rush to finish writing the scripts for so many episodes in such a short amount of time once the strike is over.
So, if they want to maintain its high standard by not trying to stretch plots, it’s better to get a condensed season with good-quality plotlines rather than trying to release all 24 episodes in this situation!
Chicago Med Season 9 Release Date: When will the series return?
As stated above, then you’ll know that after sixty years, both SAG-AFTRA, otherwise known as the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, join the WGA, or the Writers Guild of America, on the picket lines, due to which the production of major series and movies has come to a stop, putting Hollywood on hold leading to the entire 2023-24 fall broadcast schedule being revised as it has already been impacted by these two strikes, and there is no guarantee when they will reach an agreement.
Hence, there is no doubt in our mind that these two strikes are going to play a major part in causing delays in the production of Chicago Med Season 9, which usually begins around late July each year for the creators to successfully premiere new episodes by the fall release window for the respective works. Unfortunately, we don’t think that these strikes will be resolved anytime soon because both the writers and actors have joined forces in order to reach an agreement that benefits both parties, which is completely understandable as they are the backbone of the entertainment industry!
We predict that the production won’t be able to begin in earnest by August, and the premiere dates of these shows will now be further postponed. This means that there is also no likelihood of Chicago Med Season 9 returning at a later date this year. We would also like to emphasize that NBC might also opt in the same direction its competitor networks which are ABC and CBS, who have decided to shift the release dates for all the scripted shows until early to mid-2024 by scheduling all the nonscripted shows for the rest of the year, which usually doesn’t require any writers and actors.
We are hoping that NBC will also opt for the same option by quickly reviewing the fall lineup and releasing a new schedule in the coming weeks, for which the best release window will be set for sometime around early to mid-2024, with the show airing in the same time slot of every Wednesday at 8 P.M. EST, in order to avoid any further disruption caused by the strikes and disclose new details in the near future! In conclusion, it’s only a matter of time before the modified broadcasting schedule becomes known to the viewers.
Until then, we urge the fans to keep a closer eye on the strikes to get all the latest updates.
Chicago Med Season 9 Plot: What to expect in the new season?
Though it is far too early to predict future storylines, the new season is likely to maintain the show’s theme, which follows:
Members of the city’s most highly skilled medical team save lives while navigating their unique interpersonal relationships. The Gaffney Chicago Medical Center’s elite team of dedicated doctors, nurses, and staff face challenges each day as they do what it takes to treat their patients, sometimes in surprisingly inventive ways. As the city’s last line of defense, doctors Charles, Halstead, Marcel, Choi, and Manning; nurses Sexton and Lockwood; and hospital administrator Sharon Goodwin embody the heart of Dick Wolf’s triad of Chicago series.
The plot will also pick up from the 8th season’s finale, “Does One Door Close and Another One Open?” which was directed by Nicole Rubio and written by Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider. In the episode, the viewers get to see that “Shocking information threatens Jack Dayton’s surgery and the future of OR 2.0; Archer goes rogue to save a patient in need; Maggie questions her future at Med.”
“I’m pleased to continue my four-decade relationship with Universal Television and NBC,” Wolf said in a statement. “All six shows being picked up again is the ultimate accolade to our incredible casts, producers, and writers. I’d also like to thank our loyal fans who have kept our NBC shows on the air for what will be a cumulative 84 seasons.”
On the other hand, NBC Insider also highlighted that Chicago Med Season 9 would likely pick up the nail-biting ordeal where Chicago Med’s fearless boss Sharon Goodwin is fighting tooth and nail to prevent Jack Dayton (Sasha Roiz) from turning the hospital into a for-profit hospital. This is a possibility to be explored further; we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next. The One Chicago’s success will help to generate buzz, ratings, and increased viewership, which will be great for the next seasons to explore more plotlines and character arcs.
It’s readily apparent that the upcoming season will probably have more surprises in store for you, which will keep you riveted to the television screens! Only time will tell what this suspenseful medical drama has promised to deliver to their audience in order to win their hearts once again!
Chicago Med Season 9 Cast: Who will and will not return?
The main cast members from the last season who are speculated to return are as follows Dominic Rains as Dr. Crockett Marcel, Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Campbell, Guy Lockard as Dr. Dylan Scott, Jessy Schram as Dr. Hannah Asher, S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin, Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles, and Steven Weber as Dr. Dean Archer.
The recurring cast includes Brennan Brown as Dr. Sam Abrams, Devin Kawaoka as Dr. Kai Tanaka-Reed, Conor Perkins as Dr. Zach Hudgins, Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Dr. Nellie Cuevas, T.V. Carpio as Dr. Grace Song, Sasha Roiz as Jack Dayton, Luigi Sottile as Sean Archer, Alet Taylor as Liliana Wapniarski, and Stan Shaw as Dr. George Thomas.
Halstead will always hold a special place in our hearts 💚 pic.twitter.com/5Jms039hPQ
— One Chicago (@NBCOneChicago) June 8, 2023
Sadly, there are some major cast members who have confirmed that they have left the show. The recent list includes Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead, Brian Tee as Ethan Choi, and Asjha Cooper as Vanessa Taylor. There can be many characters who have left the beloved series, so there is a big chance that some new additions or removals from the cast can be announced for the next season, which will be revealed later if it ever happens.
“We understand the emotional connection our audience has with these characters and we can’t wait to bring more of their stories to the forefront next season,” Lisa Katz, the president of scripted programming at NBCUniversal and Streaming, said in a statement. “A huge thank you to Dick and his amazing team who are the masters of producing incredibly compelling television week after week.”
Chicago Med is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment. The crew also includes Dick Wolf, Diane Frolov, Andrew Schneider, Stephen Hootstein, Derek Haas, Arthur Forney, Matt Olmstead, Michael Brandt, and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.
Chicago Med Season 9 Official Trailer: Has it been released?
Despite being renewed back in April 2023, we are saddened to report this to our readers, but the filming status is neither here nor there, but we speculate that the production will commence once the Writers Guild of America strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike reaches a resolution, as it’s only then that the writers and actors will get the proper time to resume their work and create episodes that will follow up the series storyline and character arcs, which the audience loves to watch.
In short, due to the halt in production, no new teaser or trailer has been released for Chicago Med Season 9. Until then, we encourage viewers to speculate about the storylines that may be explored to extend the One Chicago franchise for more seasons. All the prior seasons of Chicago Med are currently available on NBC, FuboTV, Hulu Plus, and Peacock.
The series is also available to rent or buy on Amazon Instant Video or Vudu, with a vast number of membership plans according to the preferences of the users. Moreover, the series is also available to watch exclusively on the NBC official website, and you can also stream Chicago Med for free on NBC or IMDb TV, depending on the user’s location. You can also watch Peacock through platforms such as Fire TV, Apple TV Plus, and Roku.
welllll this is awkward pic.twitter.com/47u2qQeCr9
— One Chicago (@NBCOneChicago) July 14, 2023
While you wait for more Chicago Med Season 9 updates on Web News Observer, catch up on the previous seasons on NBC.