‘Chicago Med’: Colin Donnell Will Appear in Season 5 Premiere Before Leaving

Colin Donnell will be returning to Chicago Med to take a bow during the Season 5 premiere before leaving the show for good. Donnell is one of three actors leaving Dick Wolf‘s Chicago universe, joining co-star Norma Kuhling and Chicago P.D. star Jon Seda on their way out the door.

On Monday, Us Weekly confirmed that Donnell will return for the Season 5 premiere just to film his character Dr. Connor Rhodes’ exit.

As TVLine notes, Rhodes’ story was left unfinished, making it clear that writers were not sure if Donnell was coming back for Season 5 when the Season 4 finale was filmed. In the episode, Connor started suspecting Dr. Ava Bekker (Kuhling) of causing his father Cornelius’ (D.W. Moffett) death. At the same time, Ava thought she could rekindle her relationship with Connor who would have none of that.

“You ungrateful prick,” Ava told Conno as she walked away in their final scene. “Rot in hell.”

In April, NBC announced that Seda, Donnell and Kuhling would all be leaving the Chicago shows. Donnell was among the original Chicago Med stars, while Kuhling joined the show during Season2 and was promoted to the main cast for Seasons 3 and 4. Seda, who played Detective Antonio Dawson, was a mainstay of the Chicago franchise, appearing on Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire and the short-lived Chicago Justice.

Donnell confirmed he was leaving Chicago Med with a heartfelt statement on Instagram, alongside a black and white photo with the cast and crew.

“These people have made my heart full for the last four seasons. I love and appreciate every gift they’ve given to me,” Donnell wrote. “Not pictured are the countless crew members who’ve made every day brighter and filled my heart with joy and accepted [Donnell’s wife Patti Murin] and I into their big wonderful family. A massive thank you is due to [Dick Wolf] and [NBC] for bringing me into the family fold.”

Donnell concluded, “Lastly thank you to all the fans who’ve made Connor what he is on [Chicago Med]. The show doesn’t exist without you and I know that there are exciting things in store for you all in the seasons to come!”

Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. will return for their new seasons on Wednesday, Sept. 25, with Med kicking the night off at 8 p.m. ET.

“We remain in awe of the job Dick Wolf, our producers, casts and crews do in creating some of the most compelling television today,” Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, NBC Entertainment co-presidents of Scripted Programming, said in a statement in February, when the shows were renewed. “The Chicago franchise is a lynchpin of our schedule and we’re thrilled that audiences have embraced our Wednesdays with such incredible passion for these shows and characters.”

Photo credit: NBC