Chicago Med ended Season 8 all the way back in May 2023 with plenty of stories unfinished, although Will Halstead's journey in Chicago seems over. With the Season 9 premiere quickly approaching, the cliffhangers large and small can finally be resolved. Showrunners Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov spoke with CinemaBlend ahead of the hit medical drama's return to NBC, and shared which stories they were particularly excited to pick up again for the 2024 TV season.
I spoke with the Chicago Med bosses about the episodes that will air in light of the the end of the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, starting with the Season 9 premiere on January 17. After explaining what's on the way with Hannah and Archer after the six-month time jump, they selected the stories they were happy to finally be able to continue.
- Andrew Schneider: "Well, how about Charles and Liliana?"
- Diane Frolov: "We won't see that pairing until a little ways into that season."
- Andrew Schneider: "They're living together now. It's a real bright spot in Charles' life but her difficult brother will come back to be a problem."
Dr. Charles found himself lucky in love in Chicago Med's eighth season when he unexpectedly fell for the musically gifted Liliana, who works as a cleaner at the hospital. While he'll have a storyline involving the new doctor played by Luke Mitchell, it seems that the love story with Liliana is going strong. In fact, Schneider went on to confirm that "Charles and Liliana are living together." That's not to say that her brother won't find ways to complicate their relationship (again), though!
Whether or not complications are on the way for her, Sharon Goodwin is getting a little love as well in Season 9, and she certainly deserves some happiness after dealing with Jack Dayton up last year. Diane Frolov previewed:
We also have surprises. What [Goodwin] has been doing is also having a relationship with a doctor at the hospital over this six months.
As for the identity of this doctor, fans will have to wait until Med returns to learn more about him and whether he's a familiar face. Goodwin will also have some new weight on her shoulders on the job. Andrew Schneider revealed that the hospital "has a new administration, bought by a consortium of business people," which at least partially resolves one of One Chicago's biggest 2023 cliffhangers. The co-showrunners went on:
- Diane Frolov: "Right now [with the new owners] it's a little smoother. It's not so erratic."
- Andrew Schneider: "There will be some ethical issues with a new board member who has a conflict of interest, and that comes back to Goodwin."
- Diane Frolov: "But we're not coming into the season with [the question of] what's going to happen to Med. That's been resolved."
- Andrew Schneider: "When we come into the season, the hospital's functioning well."
While the hospital may be functioning well when Med starts up again for Season 9, that's not necessarily the case for all of the characters' relationships. Maggie's marriage hit some rough patches in Season 8, and fans shouldn't expect her life to be perfect after the six months of the time jump. Andrew Schneider confirmed that professionally, "Maggie decided to stay as Med, which is her home." He went on:
We're also excited to see how Maggie's personal life might change and how that will make for changes in her relationship to the doctors at the hospital.
Schneider also previewed that "Maggie's marriage is not going well as a result of things that happened last season," and it's sounding like perhaps Dr. Charles and Liliana's love story may be going the strongest once the show returns! At the very least, fans can celebrate that Maggie decided not to take a tempting job at another hospital.
The Season 9 premiere of Chicago Med is called "Row Row Row Your Boat on a Rocky Sea" and will see the entire team joining forces to help when the ED is filled with patients following a crash. Charles has a feeling that he already knows the new ED attending (a.k.a. Luke Mitchell's Dr. Mitch Ripley) while Archer is having doubts about the kidney transplant from his son Sean.
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, January 17 at 8 p.m. ET for the Season 9 premiere of Chicago Med, followed by Chicago Fire – which starts Season 12 with some Stellaride tension – at 9 p.m. ET, and then Chicago P.D. – starting Season 11 with some big changes for Upton – at 10 p.m. ET.
