9 One Chicago Characters Who Deserve the Spotlight Next Season
With NBC announcing its plans for the upcoming 2020-2021 season, we’re looking ahead at what we hope to see on our TV screens.
Across all three One Chicago shows, there are characters whose storylines have set them up to play a major part next year or whom we want to see more of because what can be explored is just too juicy not to be. From P.D.‘s Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) in some serious trouble to Fire‘s Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) going through quite a bit to Med‘s Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) in the spotlight, we take a look at our favorite first responders.
Scroll down to see which characters we’re hoping to see highlighted in the episodes to come.
Chicago Med, Season 6, Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC
Chicago Fire, Season 9, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC
Chicago P.D., Season 8, Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC
Chicago Fire's Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer)
After everything she went through in Season 8 — especially meeting her birth mother only for her to die in child birth — and the fact that now she’ll be getting a new partner in Ambulance 61 with Annie Ilonzeh‘s exit, the paramedic could certainly use a break. But Fire also has to acknowledge and explore the aftermath of those key events. Factor in that and the slow-burn romance with firefighter Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer), and we expect to see a lot of Brett.
Chicago Fire's Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo)
The firefighter successfully started her “Girls on Fire” program to introduce girls to a career with the Chicago Fire Department and even gave a try at leadership within the department during Season 8. (Balancing the latter with her shifts at 51, however, wasn’t exactly easy.) As her program continues to shine — and we find out what happened to one of her trainees who was MIA after showing the most interest — we hope that means a lot more Kidd in the future. Let’s see her give a position in leadership a try again, but this time while taking into considering all aspects of her life.
Chicago Fire's Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker)
Firehouse 51 wouldn’t be anywhere without its battalion chief. The man in charge protects his own. Let’s see him get the spotlight in Season 9, whether in a professional or personal capacity; more of his wife Donna (Melissa Ponzio) is always great.
Chicago Med's Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson)
The head of Med keeps everything running, and she’s usually the one to mediate when it comes to external factors in matters concerning patient care. Let’s have an episode follow her day at the hospital, as she deals with everything from administrative pressures to hot-headed doctors.
Chicago Med's Ethan Choi (Brian Tee)
As we saw in the Season 5 finale, the doctor is just as skilled in the field as he is in a hospital room; the Navy vet ran into the middle of a hostage situation to save a young boy during a ride-along with paramedics. Between that and his uncertain future with nurse April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta) — they were engaged, but then he found out about her and Dr. Crockett Marcel’s (Dominic Rains) kiss — Season 6 is set to feature much more of Ethan.
Chicago Med's Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto)
The doctor got off to a rough start at the beginning of Season 5, considering boyfriend Phillip (Ian Harding) used her head injury and temporary amnesia to declare them engaged. By the time she recovered fully, ex-fiancé Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) decided they were better off apart. Let’s see Natalie thrive as a doctor in Season 6. And after everything she’s been through, if happiness lies with Crockett, why not?
Chicago P.D.'s Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins)
The Season 7 finale cliffhanger was all about the officer after he told Internal Affairs that another cop’s death — and that of an innocent man — was caused by racial profiling; Officer Doyle instigated the incident. But Doyle has friends and family in CPD and the mayor’s office, and they’re going to be a serious threat to Atwater and Intelligence moving forward. But we shouldn’t just see Atwater at the center of the story while this arc plays out. We also need to see how he handles the aftermath — because it’s unacceptable to think he won’t be around for it — and what’s next for him career-wise.
Chicago P.D.'s Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos)
P.D. had the detective making some decisions that were very much like Voight (Jason Beghe), resulting in her boss shipping her off to New York to work alongside the task force of CBS’s FBI. (They don’t break rules like she became apt to do.) How will her time there affect her when she gets back to Chicago? That’s something we can’t wait to see. (Plus, it seems very possible we’ll finally see a relationship between Upton and her partner, Jesse Lee Soffer’s Detective Jay Halstead.)
Chicago P.D.'s Trudy Platt (Amy Morton)
Where would anyone be without the desk sergeant? She’s quite the asset for everyone, not just Intelligence, at the precinct, and while we’ve had a few episodes throughout the series that have highlighted her character, it’s definitely time for another one. (Let’s just not have her end up in danger again.)
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