Although One Chicago shows are not soap operas, they can sometimes feel a bit like daytime dramas. Chicago Med Season 10 ended with a character returning from the past, a death, a breakup, and a character questioning who her baby’s father was (or at least the audience was). Our main characters go through a lot every year. Season 10 was no different, and Season 11 is likely to be the same.
As summer comes to an end and fall TV is on the horizon, you may be wondering when Chicago Med will come back. Here, we break down everything we know about the NBC show’s return. Continue reading to learn more about Chicago Med Season 11, including its release date, which cast members are returning, and what to expect from the storyline.
Fall TV schedules:
- CBS fall 2025 TV schedule: Here’s when Tracker, NCIS, and more return
- NBC fall 2025 TV schedule: The return of the NBA forces cancellations
- ABC fall 2025 TV schedule: Shifting Gears shifts premieres
- Fox fall 2025 TV schedule: Doc returns on Tuesdays
Chicago Med Season 11 release date
Chicago Med Season 11 will premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/ PT on NBC. Although fans will have to wait a little longer this year (the show usually premieres in September), they will be treated to the full One Chicago return: That Wednesday will also feature the premieres of Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.
Those with a Peacock subscription can watch Chicago Med live online in most areas. The show can also be viewed on the streaming service the next day.
What will Chicago Med Season 11 be about?
Although there is no trailer for Chicago Med Season 11 yet, it’s likely that the upcoming season will address some of the biggest cliffhangers from Season 10. Here are the questions we hope are answered about our favorite Gaffney employees next season:
Can Goodwin get a break? Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) not only confronted her attacker in prison — and refused to accept her apology — but she refused to accept her boyfriend Dennis’s apology. She does accept his resignation from the hospital, which will help her cut costs, but she can’t forget that he didn’t tell his daughter about their relationship. In Season 11, we can only hope that she finds peace in her life… and maybe a new love interest.
Who’s the father of Dr. Asher’s baby? After a season-long effort of trying to help her sister conceive, Dr. Asher (Jessy Schram) learned she couldn’t be her surrogate… because she was already pregnant. This is shocking news for someone who is an OB-GYN and should know how to prevent that! But it’s also surprising because she never wanted kids. The twist for us, as viewers, is that the father might not be Mitch (Luke Mitchell).
He would be the most likely suspect because they had only recently broken up. But the finale ended with Hannah going to talk with Archer. When asked if Archer (Steven Weber) was the father, showrunner Allen MacDonald told TV Insider, “I’m not going to comment on that. I will say that I think Hannah needs to process this in one way or another. Archer is someone who she feels very safe speaking with.”
To complicate things even more, Mitch goes to visit Sadie, the woman he saved from the well earlier in the season. Hopefully, we’ll learn the romantic status of this potential love square in Season 11.
Is Dr. Charles’ family okay? It was a rough few weeks for Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) and his family as Season 10 was ending. First, his estranged mother came into the hospital and tragically died right as he was reconnecting and reconciling with her. His daughters Anna (Hannah Riley) and Robyn (former series regular Mekia Cox) return for the funeral, but he can tell something is off with Anna. She eventually tells him that she dropped out of Stanford and plans to stay in Chicago for a while.
In the season finale, Dr. Charles is called to the ER when Anna is brought in. She’s been in a car crash, and as details emerge, he realizes she wrecked into a tree on purpose. Anna is struggling with her mental health, and Dr. Charles has to acknowledge that he can’t be her father and her therapist. MacDonald said that he wants to explore the relationship between Anna and Dr. Charles in Season 11.
What does Dr. Lenox’s future look like? We’ve known that Dr. Lenox (Sarah Ramos) has the risk of developing Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker, the disease that killed her mother. When her brother has concerning symptoms, he comes to the ER for treatment. After much debate, they both decide to get tested for the markers. Although she tells her brother and Archer she’s negative, we find out in the finale that Dr. Lenox lied. She’s not sick yet, but MacDonald said this test will play into Season 11: “This news is going to have a profound effect on how she chooses to live her life.”
Chicago Med Season 11 cast
George Burns Jr/NBC
Chicago Med could be saying goodbye to a favorite or two. In May, Deadline reported that NBC was taking cost-cutting measures on One Chicago. The seasons may be shorter. (Chicago Med has, on average, 22 episodes a season.) The network has asked some cast members to forego their five percent annual raise. And Chicago Fire is saying goodbye to two characters: Darren Ritter (played by Daniel Kyri) and Sam Carver (Jake Lockett). As for Med, the Deadline report stated that sources said “other One Chicago departures are possible.”
However, in good news, we may see the return of a few faces — even if it’s only for a short time. Showrunner Allen MacDonald told TV Insider he intends to bring back one or two original cast members in Season 11.
Aside from the news that there may be cuts in One Chicago, there have not been any cast announcements about Chicago Med. No one died or officially left in the Season 10 finale, so we anticipate the main cast to return. (It’s likely John Earl Jelks, who played Dr. Dennis Washington, won’t return since he resigned and broke up with Goodwin, but he wasn’t a main character.)
However, when TV Insider asked MacDonald after the finale if everyone would be back in the same capacity, he said he wouldn’t answer.
Chicago Med main cast:
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin
- Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles
- Marlyne Barrett as Maggie Lockwood
- Steven Weber as Dr. Dean Archer
- Jessy Schram as Dr. Hannah Asher
- Luke Mitchell as Dr. Mitch Ripley
- Sarah Ramos as Dr. Caitlin Lenox
- Darren Barnet as Dr. John Frost
Chicago Med recurring cast:
- Brennan Brown as Dr. Sam Abrams
- Lorena Diaz as Nurse Doris
- Marie Tredway as Nurse Trini
- Natalie Zea as Nurse Jackie
Where to watch Chicago Med
All nine seasons of Chicago Med are available to stream on Peacock with a subscription. The seasons are also available to purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
