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Why Brilliant Minds' Dr. Josh Nichols Will Be Familiar to One Chicago Superfans
Before treating patients at the Bronx General Hospital in Brilliant Minds, actor Teddy Sears was saving lives on another show.
The premiere episode of Brilliant Minds wastes no time in introducing main cast member Dr. Josh Nichols (portrayed by Teddy Sears). A focused neurosurgeon, Dr. Nichols is a respected staff member at Bronx General Hospital. He and Zachary Quinto’s character Dr. Oliver Wolf often team up to uncover the hidden details of their patients’ diagnoses, truly proving that two heads are better than one.
But Nichols’ serious demeanor paired with Oliver’s off-kilter personality makes for a unique dynamic that consistently toys with the journey of the two becoming friends, enemies ... or something more.
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If you feel as though you recognize Dr. Nichols while watching new episodes of Brilliant Minds (on NBC on Monday nights at 10/9c), you’re not alone: Sears is a career actor and has been working in TV for years, perhaps most notably on a certain fire department drama. Read on to find out about his previous NBC-based reoccurring role on Chicago Fire.
All About Teddy Sears' Role on Chicago Fire
Sears has appeared in a total of 11 episodes of Chicago Fire over the course of three seasons (Seasons 7, 8, and 11).
He made his debut on the show in Season 7, Episode 6, "All The Proof," as Kyle Sheffield, the Fire Chaplain for the Chicago Fire Department.
His character instantly becomes smitten with hardworking paramedic Sylvie Brett (portrayed by Kara Killmer), and the two strike up a romance. He and Brett developed a relationship but things got complicated when Sheffield was assigned a new peer support director position in Indiana. Before leaving, though, Sheffield proposed to Brett. She said yes and agreed to re-locate with him at the end of Season 7.
Season 8 starts off with the engaged couple starting their new life in Indiana. Brett, though, starts getting cold feet about leaving Chicago behind. She explained to Sheffield that her life is in Chicago and the two call things off in Season 8, Episode 2, "A Real Shot in the Arm."
Sears’ last appearance on the show was in Season 11 when he makes an unexpected cameo in the premiere episode. Sheffield revealed then that he was happily in a relationship with someone else now, a woman named Cassie, and that the two of them were engaged.
At the time, Chicago Fire co-showrunner Andrea Newman told NBC Insider that "Brett has become a really tough and independent woman, and she's really focused on her career. So that'll be a lot of where the focus is at in the beginning [of Season 11], when she's still mourning the relationship with Casey. But at a certain point, yeah, it's gonna be time for her to get back out there. And we've got some fun surprises on that end—who she ends up connecting with."
It all works out for the best, as Brett gets engaged and subsequently married to Matthew Casey (played by Jesse Spencer) in Season 12.
Teddy Sears on an "Unused" Pilot Scene Teasing a New Romance
Sears' role in Brilliant Minds seems to also be veering in a romantic direction, with Wolf showing clear surprise — and maybe a bit of interest — upon accidentally learning that Nichols, like himself, is also a gay man.
While we're just learning this fact in Episode 3, "The Lost Biker," Sears revealed in a recent interview that there is a deleted scene from Episode 1 that discussed both Dr. Nichols and Dr. Wolf’s sexualities.
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“I go to Wolf’s office and say essentially, 'Hey, hey, man, I think we started off on the wrong foot. Let me buy a drink.' And then they cut to a bar and they’re just in the middle of talking, having a nice time," Sears explained to TV Insider. “But Wolf is like, 'What do you know about me?' And I say, 'You have quite the reputation in the community.' Wolf’s like, 'In the doctor community?' and I say, 'The gay doctor community.'"
Will the stars align for Sears' character this time around? Find out as new episodes premiere every week on NBC.
New episodes of Brilliant Minds premiere on Mondays on NBC at 10/9c and are available to stream on Peacock the next day.
