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?