‘Chicago Med’ creator teases Season 12 plot after cliffhanger finale — and there’s an explosive love story
The 'Chicago Med' Season 11 finale, which aired on May 13, saw the hospital dealing with the fallout from a prisoner running loose inside Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Amidst all the chaos, Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) gave birth to her baby daughter, Mabel. At the finale, the prisoner was arrested, and the hospital ended its lockdown. Some characters ended the season on a happy note as Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) was able to hold on to his post as the head of the Psychiatry department. Other storylines, like Hannah and Dr. Dean Archer's (Steven Weber), were left ambiguous after he professed his love for her, which was reciprocated. On May 18, showrunner Allen MacDonald spoke to Parade about the show's cliffhanger ending and shared what fans can expect from Season 12 of 'Chicago Med.'
"There will be conflict, there will be medical stories, there will be unrequited love," he teased, before adding, "I always love when we pace up the show and I'm always interested in doing that, and I think that we have done that successfully, but I always want to push it a little more. I just think that dramatically we're going to push even harder next year." The finale also set the stage for a bitter confrontation between the hospital's executive director, Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), and the board member Miranda Lewis (Orlagh Cassidy). In the closing chapter of Season 11, Sharon was forced to resign from her post as a result of the fallout from psychiatrist Dr. Theo Rabari (Manish Dayal) trying to replace Dr. Charles as the department chief.
However, before the board members could decide Charles' fate, someone leaked Theo's confidential medical records, diagnosing him with antisocial personality disorder. As a result, he pulled his application for the post. Without any evidence, Miranda accused Sharon of leaking his medical records and demanded her resignation on the spot. MacDonald told the outlet that Sharon won't walk away without a fair fight. "She is going to have to fight for her job now. Sharon is a very empathetic, kind, caring person, but you also don't want to mess with her. Sharon means what she says at the end, 'If you want a fight, that's what you're going to get,' and that is the intention moving into next season."
Dr. John Frost (Darren Barnet) lost his father, James, to a terminal illness in the finale. MacDonald said that the character, who has struggled with mental health issues for the past two seasons, is ready to leave his past behind and "move forward." Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell) promised to stick with Caitlin Lenox (Sarah Ramos) after she came clean about her terminal GSS diagnosis to her brother and prepared to face the problem head-on. Speaking of Lenox, the showrunner said, "I think that this disclosure between them at the end of the season, she will have a more positive attitude moving into next season and will be wanting to embrace life in a healthier way. She thought she was embracing life this season, but she was really being self-destructive."
In Season 10 of 'Chicago Med,' Hannah agreed to be a surrogate for her sister, Lizzy Asher (Erin Anderson), following her hysterectomy. However, she had to back out after discovering that she was pregnant with Archer's baby in the finale. MacDonald assured fans that the show's next season will bring back Lizzy and explore her dynamic with Hannah. "We definitely intend to delve back into that story next season, and we love Erin Anderson, who plays Lizzy." 'Chicago Med' is set to return with Season 12 on NBC this fall. An official premiere date has not been announced yet, but it will likely arrive in September or October.
