Chicago Med interview: EPs on resolving Connor, Ava story, Natalie’s future
Interested in learning what some of the plans were for Chicago Med entering the fall season, especially when it comes to addressing some finale stories? Then we suggest that you check out some of what executive producers Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov had to say in part 1 of our interview with them! Part 2 of the interview will be available following the premiere next week, so we suggest keeping your eyes peeled for that then.
CarterMatt – After learning that Colin and Norma were going to be leaving, what was the biggest challenge entering season 5?
Diane Frolov – We had planned these stories more long-term, so the big challenge was to wrap it up in one episode.
Andrew Schneider – We wanted to make it a satisfying resolution to Connor’s story. We only found out that they weren’t going to be on the show at the very end of last season, so we changed some of the material at the end of last season … That helped [set up] what we do in the first episode in resolving Connor’s story.
There were some serious shout-at-your-television moments from the finale, with one of them being what happened to Natalie. When you ended last season, did you have a sense of where you were going with her story?
Frolov – We knew that we wanted to pick it up immediately. We wanted to [also] make it an ongoing story, one that would allow it to have an impact on her relationships.
Schneider – And create this triangle [between Phillip and Will].
Do you often go into each season with different ideas and themes that you want to explore over the full year, or do you break the idea of the story down into little individual chunks along the way?
Schneider – It varies. We were very affected by this book called An American Sickness a few years ago, so we did a number of episodes about economics, insurance, and the problems in getting expensive medical care in the United States.
Frolov – There’s a lot of [headlines] about opioids right now — it’s a terrible, terrible problem. That’s also going to feature [into the episodes]. We’re going to continue to look at the health-care system.
Schneider – Last season, we felt like we were resetting the show with Sarah Reese’s departure and introducing these new medical students.
Frolov – In a way, we feel like we’re doing that in a way [now]. People are going through big changes at the start of the season.
Schneider – All of our main characters are facing big issues in their lives. Dr. Charles is married to a woman with a terminal illness, Ethan and April are contemplating a family, and Maggie is dealing with a terrible health issue of her own.
The big takeaways…
Consider all of this a foundation to what’s going to be an exciting, dramatic season 5 — and we just have to hope that there are more twists coming! Stay tuned for more coverage, and you can watch the video below for a refresher on the end of last season. After you check that out, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube and stick around for more.
Related News – Check out more details on the Chicago Med premiere now
What do you want to see on Chicago Med season 5?
Be sure to share right now in the comments, and remember to stick around to get some more news when it comes to the show throughout the season. (Photo: NBC.)