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5 Characters Who Exited ‘Chicago Med’ in 2022
Chicago Med’s mass exodus continues with several characters exiting the medical drama in 2022 alone.
Some of the exits were preplanned and announced in advance, allowing fans to prepare mentally, but a handful caught viewers by complete surprise, without much of a sendoff for the beloved characters.
While hospitals typically see a rotation of doctors in real life, it’s understandable that fans aren’t exactly thrilled with the constant shakeups on the One Chicago show.
Here are all the stars who have departed (or are departing) Chicago Med Season 8:
Sarah Rafferty
Rafferty starred as Dr. Pamela Blake, the Head of Transplant Surgery. She made her debut in the fifth episode of season 7 before exiting in the premiere episode of season 8. And it felt abrupt considering the promising relationship she built up with Crockett (Dominic Rains). The couple had a bit of a falling out after she didn’t agree with the decision he made as her power of attorney during an operation, so fans would’ve understood if she wanted to end things and get a fresh start, but the writers didn’t do these two characters justice by addressing her decision to leave before she just packed her things and left. There was no goodbye or closure. Crockett went to her house to apologize for making a poor decision influenced by his own selfish reasons, but Blake’s daughter, Avery, informed him that she had already left town. It was weak and left fans scratching their heads, which wasn’t fair to the incredible pairing they built up ahead of this moment.

CHICAGO MED — “Lying Doesn’t Protect You From The Truth” Episode 721 — Pictured: (l-r) Dominic Rains as Dr. Crockett Marcel, Sarah Rafferty as Dr. Pamela Blake — (Photo by: George Burns Jr./NBC)
Guy Lockard
Locked portrayed Dr. Dylan Scott on the series after joining the cast in season 7, but he also exited the drama one season later in the premiere of season 8. Scott went through a bit of a heartbreaking situation when he lost the woman he loved, Jo, who was undercover as Milena (played by Riley Voelkel). Upon her death, he realized he’d constantly be pulled back into his former life as a cop, so he resigned to get a fresh start.
Executive producer Andrew Schneider defended his exit to TVLine saying they “played” his character out and felt it “would be a good time for him to move on,” but honestly, Will Halstead is still here, so they surely could’ve taken Scott’s character in another direction if they wanted to.

CHICAGO MED — “Just as A Snake Sheds Its Skin” Episode 708 — Pictured: Guy Lockard as Dr. Dylan Scott — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Asjha Cooper
Cooper’s exit was a total shocker and a lot of fans may not have realized that handing her birth mom, Maggie, papers for vaccinations she needed to get in order to accept a job as a clinic nurse in the Philippines meant that this was Vanessa Taylor’s final episode. Why did Asjha Cooper leave Chicago Med? It’s unclear, but what we do know is that we’ll miss her. And maybe she’ll swing back around the next time she’s in the Windy City to visit her mom!

CHICAGO MED — “To Lean In Or To Let Go” Episode 702 — Pictured: Asjha Cooper as Vanessa Taylor — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Brian Tee
Tee might be the biggest character exit to date as he’s been with the show since 2015. Sadly, his final episode as Dr. Ethan Choi will air on December 7. Tee told Deadline that he will be pursuing other projects and spending time with his family as his daughter was just a few weeks old when he joined the series. The comforting thing is that he’ll be back to direct an episode later in the season, but it’ll be hard to say goodbye to one of the OGs. Choi’s on-again, off-again love interest April (Yaya DaCosta) made a few guest appearances on season 8, even rekindling her romance with the ED doctor, so hopefully, the writers will tee-up Tee’s exit by noting that he’s going to be following his heart.

CHICAGO MED — “What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt You” Episode 712 — Pictured: Brian Tee as Ethan Choi — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Kristen Hager
Hager joined the medical drama alongside Scott in season 7 as Stevie Hammer, an ER physician, but she didn’t even last the season, exiting halfway through without as much as a goodbye. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it-moment, Stevie decided to go to Michigan to give her marriage with her estranged husband another try, which was so odd considering the series was building up a love story between her and Halstead. We invested so much time into this storyline simply to have it fizzle out with an explanation. The show’s executive producers noted that they’d love to have Hager back on the show at some point, but they never gave a reason for her abrupt exit. However, a quick glance at her Instagram page reveals that she was very far along in her pregnancy at the time and gave birth over the summer to a beautiful baby girl!

CHICAGO MED — “To Lean In Or To Let Go” Episode 702 — Pictured: (l-r) Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead, Kristin Hager as Dr. Stevie Hammer — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
Which Chicago Med cast members’ exits hurt the most? Who would you like to see return?
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‘High Potential’ Hits a Huge High Note Ahead of Season 3

It’s pretty obvious why High Potential was renewed for a third season, especially if the season 2 finale is any indication of the drama’s draw and popularity.
It seems as though ending the drama on a huge cliffhanger (spoiler—fans have to wait till season 3 to see if Nick Wagner (Steve Howey) survives the ambush by whoever is trying to silence him and Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) from pursuing the Roman Sinquerra trail) paid off, as the ratings hit a high note.
Per Variety, the series wrapped up its run on April 7 with 12.69 million total viewers, per Nielsen live+7 multiplatform numbers.
While that’s slightly down from its freshman run finale, which hit 12.79 million viewers in February 2025, it’s way up from the season 2 premiere with 11.99 million viewers.
And it’s proof that the show has staying power, continuing to draw in eyeballs who remain invested in the series.
The outlet noted that the numbers were the best since February, “up 137% vs. the show’s live+same day average of 5.36 million viewers,” adding, “That multiplatform number is up 137% vs. the show’s live+same day average of 5.36 million viewers.”
The multiplatform ratings have the series tied with the success of CBS’s newest hit, Marshals.
This is great news for Olson and the cast, who celebrated the achievement on Instagram Story, thanking the fans for their loyalty.
The season finale packed in plenty of developments. In addition to Wagner’s potential demise (either way, he is leaving the series as a series regular, so if he survives, he’ll only return in a guest star capacity), Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) experienced the ultimate heartache and betrayal with Lucia’s involvement in a murder. It was a twist of events that brought Karadec and Morgan even closer together.
High Potential is living up to its name and proving there’s plenty of store left to tell when it comes to this single mom and her special set of skills.
Re-live the glory of the season 2 finale—and the steamy kiss between Wagner and Morgan in the penultimate episode as you patiently wait for season 3 to return, hopefully in the early fall.
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CBS Unveils 2026-2027 Fall Primetime Schedule Featuring New Dramas, Franchise Expansion and Returning Hits
CBS has unveiled its 2026–2027 fall primetime lineup, going big with a slate built around returning ratings leaders, major franchise expansions, and several high-profile new series.
The network, which says it is on track to deliver the season’s top three primetime series with Tracker, Marshals, and 60 Minutes,along with multiple top new shows and returning favorites, is leaning heavily into franchise power, sports, and event programming.
CBS also highlighted its continued dominance across comedy and drama, including the top two comedies, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and Ghosts, plus 13 of the top 20 most-watched series on television.
The lineup expands major franchises, including NCIS, FBI, and Fire Country, while introducing new series such as NCIS: New York, Cupertino, and Eternally Yours.
“CBS broadcasts the most-watched entertainment shows in the country and continues to launch more every season,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “We’ll build on that this fall by expanding the powerful NCIS franchise, introducing a new original drama from the creators of THE GOOD WIFE and ELSBETH and a new comedy from the acclaimed duo behind GHOSTS. This all adds up to another schedule built for launching new hits, scaling audiences and growing content value.”
Einstein, Matlock, Ghosts, (which will have its one-hour Halloween and Ghostmas special episodes airing this fall) and NCIS: Sydney are saved for the midseason schedule!
See what’s in store below:
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What Happened to Maggie Lockwood on ‘Chicago Med’?

When Chicago Med Season 11 premiered on Wednesday, Oct. 1, there was one key character missing—Maggie Lockwood.
Played by Marlyne Barrett, the NBC drama briefly mentioned that charge nurse Maggie was taking some time away from Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, causing concern amongst fans.
Where Was Maggie Lockwood on the Chicago Med Season 11 Premiere?
Back in August, People reported that the actress would be taking a step back from the series, with the exit being teased as “temporary” by Deadline.
Marylyne Barrett’s Health Battle
Will Any Other Original Cast Members Join Chicago Med Season 11?
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