New Looks At Chicago Med Season 9 Confirm My Favorite Duo Back In Action, But What's Up With Will's Replacement?

The weeks are finally counting down until the doctors and nurses of Chicago Med are back in primetime on NBC, but not too many details are available just yet about the return of One Chicago's hit medical drama in the 2024 TV schedule. Med didn't end on the kinds of life-or-death cliffhangers that Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. did, with the biggest ending twist coming with Will Halstead leaving the hospital. Now, NBC has released some first-look images from the upcoming Season 9 premiere, and they give me reason to celebrate the return of my favorite duo while also asking some questions about Will's replacement in the ED.

Nobody was more surprised than I was during the eighth season when I started to root for a completely unexpected duo: Dean Archer and Hannah Asher. I wasn't crossing my fingers for a romance, but the gruff ED Chief who didn't want Hannah back at Gaffney in the first place forming his strongest bond with her? And Hannah winning over the man who actively opposed Goodwin bringing her back? Sign me up! And based on an image from the Season 9 premiere – called "Row Row Row Your Boat on a Rocky Sea" – of Jessy Schram and Steven Weber, Hannah and Archer are back:

Two characters looking serious in an episode of Chicago Med is no surprise, but it is reassuring to see Archer up and at 'em. In the Season 8 finale, he was in need of a kidney transplant, and his son wouldn't be able to donate for six months due to his relapse. Is the above shot of Archer looking perfectly healthy a sign that Med is picking up in real time, with the ED Chief getting the transplant over the time jump? A time jump between seasons wouldn't normally last for more than six months, but the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike meant a much longer hiatus.

Hannah's expression is distraught in the above image, and I can't help but wonder why she's in normal clothes rather than scrubs. Without an episode description available at the time of writing, there's no saying what exactly she has going on outside of the hospital in the Season 9 premiere, but it looks like she's having some kind of emotional exchange with Archer here! And not the fun kind that set off the unconventional Sean/Hannah/Dean love triangle from the second half of Season 8 after Sean formed an attachment to the OB/GYN.

While Chicago Med has a story to pick up for Hannah and Archer, that's not the case for the new character coming to the ED. Luke Mitchell, known for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Blindspot before landing his One Chicago Role, comes to Med to play Dr. Mitch Ripley. Take a look:

It was all but guaranteed that a new doctor would come to the show in the wake of Nick Gehlfuss' decision to leave Med after eight seasons, but Dr. Mitch Ripley won't be entirely unfamiliar to everybody at the hospital in Season 9. The early descriptions for the character previewed that he has a history with Dr. Charles.

While fans will have to keep waiting for more details about their past, NBC has released an image that looks to me like Dr. Charles encountering Mitch in the hospital for the first time:

Another image reveals that the two will share at least one encounter that looks a bit more secluded, and I'm guessing that it's where we'll really start to learn some details about how and why they already know each other. Take a look:

On the whole, it looks like fans can expect some changes when Chicago Med returns for Season 9. In addition to the returns of Jessy Schram, Steven Weber, and Oliver Platt, Marlyne Barrett and Alet Taylor are both confirmed to appear in the premiere as Maggie Lockwood and Liliana, respectively. S. Epatha Merkerson returns for the ninth season as well as Sharon Goodwin.

Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, January 17 at 8 p.m. ET for the Season 9 premiere of Chicago Med, followed by Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. You can also revisit last season's One Chicago finales streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.