One Chicago: Three non-cliffhanger things to watch this season

A new One Chicago season is three weeks away—and this year there’s more than those cliffhangers to look forward to!

All three of the NBC hit series ended with cliffhangers last season; Chicago Fire and Chicago PD left main characters fighting for their lives, while Chicago Med had a character seemingly about to get fired. Viewers are buzzing about those things with good reason. But what happens after those cliffhangers get resolved? There are additional big questions and great opportunities this season, and that’s what this preview is about.

These are three other developments that One Chicago fans need to keep their eyes on when the franchise returns on Wednesday, September 22. They could change the upcoming season just as much as what happens in the season premieres.

Chicago Med: The ED has a new boss

There’s a new sheriff in town, er, the Emergency Department. Chicago Med season 6 ended with Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) being promoted to head of the ED while Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee) recovered from being shot in the hospital parking lot. With Steven Weber also being promoted to series regular in season 7, this is a change that’s going to have long-term effects.

Obviously Choi won’t be recovering forever, because that’d be paying a lot of money for Brian Tee to lay around in a hospital bed all season. But does Archer seem like the kind of guy who’s just going to go back to being second in command when Choi is ready to return? And how many people will Archer tick off before that happens? The only way Archer doesn’t wreak all kinds of havoc in the ED is if Chicago Med does one of its time jumps during the season premiere.

Frankly, that would be a huge missed opportunity. Archer is exactly the kind of character Chicago Med season 7 needs—someone who is contrary to everybody else. Fans pointed out last season that the doctors and nurses ran a bit amok, doing whatever they wanted with few consequences until Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) got fired. It would be a welcome change of pace if Archer cracked down on the ED staff’s behavior, especially with that not so small caveat that he’s not policing his own behavior. (Remember that he’s actively avoided treatment for his PTSD.)

Plus entertainment-wise, more of Steven Weber is going to be a huge boost for the quality of the show. Anyone who’s watched NBC since Wings knows how much talent he brings to any TV series. Since the departure of Colin Donnell the program has needed someone who brings some intensity, and Weber can absolutely do that. He’s at least got plenty of scenery to chew between Archer’s new job description and the old problems that’ll continue to gnaw at his psyche.