The One Chicago franchise of TV shows has remained popular since its inception back in 2012. It started with Chicago Fire but has since grown to encompass four shows in total, including Chicago P.D. and more recently, Chicago Justice. Between them, they collectively average nearly seven million viewers per show and have consistently maintained good ratings.
Our focus is, however, on Chicago Med. The medical show among them, the series takes place at a fictional Chicago hospital Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. It follows the work of a diverse group of medical professionals and hospital management staff as they traverse a range of issues in their personal and professional lives while trying to provide affordable healthcare to those who need it most. Following its continued popularity, the show was recently renewed for a ninth season. Here's a cast and character guide covering the main characters across all eight seasons of the show so far.
S. Epatha Merekerson as Ms. Sharon Goodwin
NBC
Ms. Sharon Goodwin has been around since Season 1 and is still a stalwart of the show. She's a former charge nurse whose exceptional managerial and interpersonal skills set her apart. She's now the hospital's Executive Director of Patient and Medical Services. She may not be a doctor, but she's shown on many occasions what a skilled medical professional she is, often jumping into emergency situations and effortlessly rolling back the years despite it being years since she practiced.
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Always one to stand up for what's right and fight for her patients and staff against all manner of unjust boardroom members, shareholders, and policies, her most endearing quality has been her humanity. She's played by the excellent veteran actress, S. Epatha Merkerson. Merkerson has been around the acting world since the '80s and appeared in films like Black Snake Moan, as well as hit shows like The Cosby Show and Frasier. She's been nominated for and won a host of awards including an Emmy Award.
Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead
NBC
He's been one of the most popular characters on the show since Season 1. As an emergency medicine practitioner, Dr. Will Halstead has shown turns of brilliance. He has general surgical experience and has saved many patients' lives since he's also an exceptional diagnostician, finding innovative means to diagnose and treat rare disorders and illnesses that most doctors would miss. He's also one of the nicest people on the show, sometimes too nice for his own good since he often has a bleeding heart that causes him to bend rules for his patients and friends.
Dr. Halstead is also known for the romantic links he's had with other doctors on the show, and his on-again, off-again relationship with Dr. Natalie Manning has often been one of the core storylines in the show. At the end of Season 8, it seems he may finally be leaving the show, though with some unexpectedly touching moments providing a great send-off. He's played by Nick Gehlfuss, an actor with credits in films like Equity, and recurring roles in shows like Shameless .
Brian Tee as Dr. Ethan Choi
NBC
Being a stickler for the rules but also an amazing ED doctor with a Navy background often makes Dr. Ethan Choi one of the most valuable assets at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. His tough-guy persona is always tempered by his warm and caring nature. His military background makes him rigid at times, but his character development in later seasons shows a softer and more open-minded side to him.
Since the early seasons, his relationship with ED nurse April Sexton has provided much of his intrigue on the show and the couple prove that when something is meant to be, it's not easy to let go off. Dr. Choi is played by the amazing Brian Tee. Tee is a talented Japanese-American actor who's had appearances in blockbuster films like The Wolverine and who's also famous among superhero fanatics and gamers for playing Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and Liu Kang in the web series, Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood
NBC
Charge Nurse Maggie Lockwood has been a mainstay of the show since Season 1. Her personal life often provides some of the most intriguing subplots while she's remained one of its most endearing characters for her kind nature. She's often able to keep a cool head and has brilliant supervisory skills since she basically runs the ED. Her other skills include being trained as a surgical nurse.
Her vast experience means she's able to lend her hand during delicate and highly specialized procedures that other nurses wouldn't know how to handle. Season 8 also seems to indicate that she will also be leaving the show. Maggie is played by Marlyne Barrett, who's had recurring roles on shows like The Wire and Kings.
Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning
NBC
Another main character from the early seasons, Dr. Natalie Manning is a specialist in pediatrics and emergency medicine. This often made her one of the ED's most valuable doctors, and she had the skill and experience to back it up. Having lost her husband who was killed in action during military service, she raises her young son alone. However, she and Dr. Halstead's affinity for each other develops into a strong bond in the show.
Dr. Manning's flaw is that she often lets personal feelings cloud her work, and she sometimes becomes emotionally invested in her patients' struggles. She's portrayed by Torrey DeVitto who left the show in season seven but returned for some unexpected guest appearances in Season 8. DeVitto is an actress and former fashion model known for shows like One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries.
Yaya DaCosta as April Sexton
NBC
Nurse April Sexton has been a part of the show since Season 1. After taking a brief hiatus, she returned in Season 8. April and Dr. Choi's sometimes tragic love story has contributed to some great dramatic twists. An ED nurse, April is highly skilled and later adds to her resume by becoming a Nurse Practitioner, trained to treat some medical conditions without a doctor.
The character is played by Yaya DaCosta. The beautiful actress was the runner-up on the third cycle of America's Next Top Model. DaCosta currently has a recurring role on Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer, and has played Whitney Houston in Whitney, the film biopic of the legendary artist.
Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles
NBC
The show's psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Charles is easily one of its most likable characters. His gentle manner is matched by his brilliant skill and patient skills that often allow him to make brilliant diagnoses that most doctors wouldn't even think to investigate. His relationship drama also provides a lot of entertainment since he's been married more than once.
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Dr. Charles is played by the brilliant Oliver Platt. Platt is a veteran actor, who's been around since the late '80s and appeared in films like X-Men: First Class, Shut In, and The 9th Life of Louis Drax. He was also a main character on The Big C and has previously been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
Dominic Rains as Dr. Crockett Marcel
NBC
A late entrant to the show since season five, Dr. Crockett Marcel was quick to establish himself as one of its most popular characters and is still a part of its main cast. With a tragic past that includes losing his daughter to leukemia, Dr. Marcel has been troubled but is also an amazing physician and surgeon. Something of a charmer, he's also had a few romantic escapades with other characters and often forms the center of the show's intrigue.
Dr. Marcel is Played by the very suave and personable actor, Dominic Rains. Rains is an Iranian-American actor who had appearances in films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He's also no stranger to medically-themes shows since he's also had a recurring role on General Hospital.
Collin Donnell as Dr. Connor Rhodes
NBC
Dr. Connor Rhodes was one of the most popular and intriguing characters from the early seasons. A brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, his skill was matched only by his charisma and heart. His fractious relationship with his wealthy father and volatile love life ultimately send him down a tragic path.
Before that, however, Dr. Rhodes was a beloved part of the show and one of the chief protagonists that contributed to its success. Dr. Rhodes was played by Collin Donell. Donnell's looks made him popular with his mostly female fans. He's best known for main roles in shows like Pan Am and Arrow, and had a recurring role in the titillating show, The Affair.
Steven Weber as Dr. Dean Archer
NBC
Dr. Dean Archer was a late addition to the show but has also become one of its most intriguing. He and Dr. Choi know each other from their military service. While Dr. Archer initially starts out being unlikeable and antagonistic, his character development sees him soften a lot and has cemented him as one of the main characters. He can be a little dismissive of mental health patients, despite suffering from PTSD himself and having a son who struggles with addiction.
Dr. Archer is nevertheless a wise and skilled doctor with surgical experience. He's played well by veteran actor Steven Weber who has a long and impressive filmography that includes playing the lead role as Jack Torrance in the 1997 TV adaption of Stephen King's, The Shining.
Rachel DiPillo as Dr. Sarah Reese
NBC
Dr. Sarah Reese provided some of the most pivotal subplots from the early seasons as a psychiatry resident under Dr. Charles's mentorship. She made for a likable character but often agonizes over whether she is cut out to be a psychiatrist. Luckily Dr. Charles's instincts help guide her along.
However, the pair do ultimately suffer from a fallout that nevertheless adds some great intrigue to the show. She was played by Rachel DiPillo, an up-and-coming young actress who is well known for her recurring role in Jane the Virgin.
Ato Essandoh as Dr. Latham
NBC
Dr. Latham made for a wonderful addition to the early seasons of the show. He was the Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery and brilliant as a laser-focused surgeon himself. He had autism spectrum disorder which made it difficult for him to emote in the conventional manner for a doctor but was also his greatest asset since it gave him savant-level skills as a surgeon.
Dr. Latham often interacted most closely with his best surgeons, Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Bekker, while becoming embroiled in their drama too. He was played by Ato Essandoh, an amazing actor who really is brilliant since he holds a degree in chemical engineering from Cornell. He's also a successful actor who has been in films like Blood Diamond and appeared on shows Blue Bloods.
Norma Kuhling as Dr. Ava Bekker
NBC
Dr. Ava Bekker joined the cast during the early seasons as a cardiothoracic surgeon. She joined Gaffney Chicago Medical Center from the Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa. She came as a highly-rated surgeon since the hospital was famous for being where the world's first successful heart transplant was completed by pioneering surgeon, Dr. Christiaan Barnard.
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Dr. Bekker had antagonistic traits from the get-go. After initially competing with Dr. Rhodes, the pair end up in an unexpected relationship that later takes a very dark turn. A complex character, she was played brilliantly by American actress, Norma Kuhling. Kuhling has also been in shows like S.W.A.T and films like Fourteen.
Jessy Schram as Dr. Hannah Asher
NBC
A likable and somewhat tragic character, Dr. Hannah Asher has become a part of the show's main cast in later seasons. She's an OB-GYN and a brilliant doctor. She's also kind, caring, and hard-headed. Unfortunately, she's also a recovering addict whose struggles with heroin threatened to derail her career and even take her life.
She does, however slowly earn back people's respect and becomes one of the most likable characters of Season 8. Dr. Asher is played by Jessy Schram, an actress, model, and singer who has been prolific in TV roles. She's well-known for her roles in the Hallmark Channel's Jane Doe films and was part of the main cast of Falling Skies.
Brennan Brown as Dr. Sam Abrams
NBC
Dr. Sam Abrams is arguably the most capable doctor on the show and often displays flashes of being a genius as a neurosurgeon. However, he's also insufferable at times since he's extremely arrogant and can be condescending about his skills.
Nevertheless, he's been around since the beginning and has recently begun featuring in more humanistic ways in the last season. Dr. Abrams is played well by Brennan Brown, who brings a great air of smugness to the character. Brennan is known best for appearing in other shows like The Blacklist and Mozart in the Jungle.
Roland Buck III as Dr. Noah Sexton
NBC
Dr. Noah Sexton appeared on many seasons of the show and was the brother of Nurse April Sexton. The pair comes from a family of Brazilian immigrants meant Dr. Noah faced immense pressure from his family to succeed as a doctor. April’s own talents help guide him, and she even sacrifices her own chances of being a doctor to help him. He was played by actor Roland Buck III who has been in films like The Week Of and Sleight.
Guy Lockard as Dr. Dylan Scott
NBC
A newer member of the cast, Dr. Dylan Scott provided great scope for crossovers between Med and Chicago P.D. A former Chicago cop turned doctor, he is highly capable but often finds it hard to let go of his past role as a police officer. This comes to the fore when he allows his personal relationships and ties to police work affect his role as a doctor.
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It seems that his role too has come to an end on the show, but he remains a strong character who will hopefully return. Dr. Scott was played by the talented Guy Lockard. Aside from his dual roles on Chicago Med and Chicago P.D., he’s also been in shows like FBI, The Blacklist, and Bull.
Asjha Cooper as Dr. Vanessa Taylor
NBC
Another addition from later seasons is Dr. Vanessa Taylor who joined the show as one of its new interns. She proves to be highly capable but also a little troubled by issues in her personal life. She and Maggie Lockwood turn out to have a very strong relation with each other which adds to her intrigue. Dr. Taylor was portrayed by the young actress Asjha Cooper. Cooper has appeared in terrific shows like Snowfall and is firmly an actress on the rise.
T.V Carpio as Dr. Grace Song
NBC
Season eight of the show brought a host of new characters with it and a contemporary plot that centered around the hospital being taken over by a billionaire. With the new owner comes new technology as Gaffney Chicago Medical Center is soon fitted with highly advanced AI machines that prove to be very contentious.
Dr. Grace Song is a brilliant modern doctor who merges these technological advancements with her own expertise as a doctor. She’s played by beautiful actress, T.V. Carpio, an actress and singer who’s been in films like Limitless and shows like The Client List.
Devin Kawaoka as Dr. Tanaka-Reed
NBC
Another new Season 8 intern, Dr. Tanaka-Reed is initially stubborn, rude, and arrogant despite still being an intern. As a surgical intern, he does show promise of being a brilliant specialist one day but needs to work on learning humility too. To his credit, he does soften considerably after a series of chastening events cause him to learn the hard way.
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He’s played by Devin Kawaoka, a young actor with some great credits so far, such as a role in Shrinking, a great show that features Harrison Ford.
Connor Perkins as Dr. Zachary Hudgins
NBC
Season 8 of the show brought some new interns with it. One of them was Dr. Zach Hudgins, a sweet, but shy and uncertain of himself addition to the ED. While he’s very likable as a soft-spoken, warm, and kind person, he could do with being a little more assertive too. It’s uncertain if he will be joining the show on a longer basis. Dr. Hudgins is played by Connor Perkins, a young actor from Baltimore who has also appeared on the show, Almost There.
