Midseason Report Card: ‘Chicago Med’ season 2 delivers highs, lows, and everything in between
When “Chicago Med” entered the TV landscape last year, it did so under some upheaval. It changed showrunners before the start of the series, had some shakeups in the cast, and had a lot of hurdles that it needed to overcome. It took a little bit of time in order to start to find its footing.
Luckily, we do think that it did once you got around to the end of the season, and that has carried through into the start of season 2. We wouldn’t necessarily say that this show is doing anything flashy, but what it does it does very well: Create compelling, interesting stories focusing on its characters in a way that makes sense and is relatable to viewers.
What worked – Let’s start here with performances. We do think the majority of the cast continues to do an outstanding job — Oliver Platt chews the scenery, the evolution of Torrey DeVitto’s Natalie Manning has been tremendous, and we do very much love anything Colin Donnell does. Yet, we’d argue that Rachel DiPillo has been the shining star of the past two months playing Dr. Sarah Reese who is learning not only what it means to be a doctor, but how to navigate the difficult pathways that lead to someone getting the help that they need. Her take on the whole Danny crisis was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same exact time.
In general, this show also examines medicine in a way that is organic and different than any other show in the genre — we feel like they really do emphasize big decisions in a clinical way, and are able to showcase conflict without making it look like it’s coming straight from a daytime drama.
What we want more of – Maybe it’s in part because we’ve seen the set in-person when CarterMatt attened the One Chicago Media Day last month, but the world does feel a little small and could use even more expanding. Get the characters out of the hospital more! Also, give us more Ethan Choi (Brian Tee is amazing), and more stories of the hospital from an administrative standpoint given that this is not often explored on such shows.
Overall – “Chicago Med” season 2 to date is pretty outstanding — it’s our personal favorite medical show on TV at the moment, and while we do want to see it push itself even further, it’s definitely moving down the right path. Grade so far: B+.