‘Chicago Med’ Season 12 welcomes back a familiar face after over a year away from the drama
While several characters from ‘Chicago Fire’ and ‘Chicago P.D.’ are set to exit the upcoming seasons, ‘Chicago Med’ appears to be welcoming back a familiar face. It seems that Devin Kawaoka, who played Dr. Kai Tanaka-Reed for three seasons, is making a comeback. NBC has not officially announced his return, but a social media story by Luke Mitchell has seemingly confirmed that fans will see Reed back on screen in Season 12, which is currently in production. Recently, Mitchell took to Instagram and shared a selfie with his co-stars. Jessy Schram, Darren Barnet, and Steven Weber were all smiling at the camera, but someone else's presence caught fans' attention. Posing with them was none other than Devin Kawaoka.
The show didn't have to spell it out, but the post hints at his return. Whether he will appear in a recurring or guest role remains unknown for now. Since filming began in late July and he has already reunited with the cast, it appears he will most likely be part of the season premiere or one of the opening episodes. Fans may remember that Kawaoka first joined in Season 8 as a first-year surgical resident. In his debut season, he played a key role and appeared in 11 of the season's 22 episodes. However, his role reduced as the seasons progressed. In Season 9, for instance, he appeared in just seven episodes. That number dropped again in Season 10, where he was seen in only three installments. The last time he appeared in the medical drama was during Episode 12 of Season 10, which dropped on February 5, 2025.
After that, he vanished without an explanation. No official statement was released by NBC or the actor explaining why he was written out so quietly. A possible explanation is that Kawaoka's involvement in ‘Shrinking’ clashed with his commitment to the NBC drama. Due to the Pasadena wildfires, the Apple TV+ series' schedule was disrupted, possibly making it difficult for Kawaoka to juggle both projects. But now, it seems he is set to return to Gaffney after over a year and a half. Maybe this time, the show will explain the reason behind his absence and why his character took so long to return. ‘Chicago Med’ Season 12 will premiere on Wednesday, October 7, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. It will be available to stream on Peacock the following day.
