Original ‘Chicago Med’ Star Returning to Series for Season 11

An original Chicago Med star is coming back to Chicago Gaffney Medical Center.

Deadline reports that Nick Gehlfuss will be reprising his role as Dr. Will Halstead in the upcoming 11^th season of the NBC medical drama.

Sources tell the outlet that Gehlfuss is guest starring in the new season, marking his return to the drama after exiting in Season 8. He made his debut as Will, an ED doctor, in Season 2 of Chicago P.D. in 2015, since he is the older brother of Jesse Lee Soffer’s Detective Jay Halstead. Chicago Med officially premiered later that year, and Gehlfuss exited in the Season 8 finale in 2023. Fans last saw him making the move to Seattle, where his former flame, Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto), lives with her son, Owen, after leaving in the Season 7 premiere.

As of now, it’s unknown how Will is going to come back, and if Natalie will be joining him. At the very least, fans can likely expect an update on their relationship and how things are going. More details will likely be released in the coming months, including when Will is going to pop up.

In a 2023 interview following his exit, Gehlfuss told Deadline how open he’d be to returning either in a guest role or on the other side of the camera. “We’ve talked about that, and that was part of the decision in how we exited Will,” the actor shared. “I wanted that to be the case, but of course, I would have been okay with whatever the writers felt necessary for the story. So I’m glad that they preserve that possibility. They said outright, ‘You know, we’d be happy to have you come back whenever you want.’ And it’s really touching.”

Gehlfuss is the latest Chicago Med alum to return to the series. Season 10 saw Rachel DiPillo come back as Dr. Sarah Reese in multiple episodes following ga falling-out with Oliver Platt’s Dr. Charles. After exiting in the sixth season, Yaya DaCosta returned as April Sexton in a recurring capacity in Season 8, marrying Brian Tee’s Dr. Ethan Choi and starting a mobile clinic for the impoverished people in her community with him.

Meanwhile, Season 10 of Chicago Med ended on quite the cliffhanger that saw Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) finding out she’s pregnant, with Luke Mitchell’s Dr. Mitch Ripley and Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) as the possible baby daddies. There will be a lot to look forward to when Chicago Med returns for Season 11 on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, including Nick Gehlfuss’ highly-anticipated return.