Chicago Med has never been the same since Colin Donnell left. The departure of Dr. Connor Rhodes not only left a massive hole in the NBC medical drama, but it served as a dividing line between the original era of the series and the show it’s evolved into today. It’s taken five seasons, but there’s finally an actor and character who can fill that massive void: Luke Mitchell as Dr. Mitch Ripley.
To understand what Mitchell’s accomplished, one has to look back at what Donnell did during his four seasons on Chicago Med—which was a lot. Connor was someone who always held the audience’s attention, primarily because he felt like a realistic doctor and not a heightened character. He was the voice of reason in several stories and someone whom viewers could respect. But by Season 4, everything around him was spinning out of control (his primary storyline was discovering that his colleague and ex-girlfriend was an unhinged murderer), so it wasn’t a surprise when Connor decided to bail out.
Off-screen, the departures of Donnell and co-star Norma Kuhling were a creative decision by producers that proved to be very unpopular. Fans have been wanting Connor back ever since, and while that’s not going to happen (the character has zero reason to return and Colin Donnell has a new gig on FBI: International), Ripley is following in his footsteps thanks to a strong effort by Blindspot alum Mitchell.
Read the rest of my Chicago Med article on Fangirlish.
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