‘Chicago Med’ and ‘Chicago PD’: Why is the Franchise Losing So Many of its Stars?
It’s a sad time for the Chicago Med franchise. Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. are losing some of their most prominent actors.
Who is leaving ‘Chicago P.D.’?
Jon Seda announced on Sunday that he would be leaving Chicago P.D.
“It’s been an honor portraying Det. Antonio Dawson in the #OneChicago world. To my cast & crew #Family, I’ll always treasure the time and stories we shared,” he wrote on Instagram. “To all you #chihards out there, THANK YOU for being the best of fans! We’ll Always have CHICAGO.”
Seda originally starred in Chicago Fire before moving on to become a lead on Chicago P.D. He later left P.D. during the fourth season to take a role on Chicago Justice. But Justice failed to do as well as the other shows and Seda decided to go back to P.D.
Who is leaving ‘Chicago Med’?
Other stars are also leaving the franchise. Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling are making their exits from Chicago Med, as well.
Kuhling played Dr. Ava Bekker for just two seasons before deciding to leave the show.
Donnell, on the other hand, has played Dr. Connor Rhodes since the first season of the show.
He announced his exit via Twitter.
“Sorry to say that this is true,” he tweeted. “I love my #ChicagoMed#OneChicago family dearly. And a special thank you to all the fans that have made these last four seasons so amazing.”
Sophia Bush, who left P.D. in 2017, commented on his tweet, commending Donnell.
“A true gentleman, you are, dear sir,” she wrote. “Much love.”
Why is everyone leaving the show?
Whenever a mass exodus like this occurs, people always wonder why. What happened to make three key players want to leave the franchise.
Well according to Deadline, the change was due to creative issues.
“The cast departures stem from creative reasons related to the characters’ story evolution,” the outlet reported.
According to the news site, Seda’s character’s storyline had played out which led to him leaving the show. But, he is reportedly well-liked by the production team which means he could come back for a guest appearance or appear in another Dick Wolf show.
Who is returning to the shows?
Though some of the fan favorites are making exits, other prominent characters in the franchise are staying.
Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney have signed on to do another season of Chicago Fire.
The two both reportedly received salary bumps and added a year onto their standing six-year contracts.
Three other cast members’ contracts ended at the end of Season 6, Eamonn Walker, Monica Raymund, and David Eigenberg.
Raymund left the show and Walker and Eigenberg signed two-year contracts to keep them through season eight, according to Deadline.
Chicago Med, Fire, and P.D. air on NBC on Wednesdays starting at 8 p.m. with the last show airing at 10 p.m. ET
All three shows have been renewed for another season despite losing some prominent members of the cast.
Read more: Is ‘Chicago Med’ a Real Hospital?
Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!
