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Chicago Med's Newest Doctor May Find Love with Another Hospital Employee, Producers Say
Dr. Mitch Ripley, played by Blindspot actor Luke Mitchell, is a "charming new addition" that just might spark some romance, producers say.
A new attending doctor in the emergency department of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center comes with a mysterious past, and may even turn some heads, according to the producers of Chicago Med.
Dr. Mitch Ripley, played by Blindspot actor Luke Mitchell, arrives with an interesting backstory in Season 9, premiering Wednesday, January 17 at 8/7c on NBC.
RELATED: Producers Warn Life is "Not Going Well" for This Chicago Med Fan Fave in Season 9
“It turns out that he has an old and difficult relationship with Dr. Charles [Oliver Platt],” Chicago Med executive producer Andy Schneider told NBC Insider. “And he carries some resentment to Charles for that past. Charles himself has to do some soul searching, and kind of reflect on how he treated people in the past.”
Dr. Ripley is “a very smart guy from a very rough background,” Chicago Med executive producer Diane Frolov revealed to NBC Insider.
“He had a troubled childhood, but looking at him you wouldn’t know that,” Schneider said. “He’s moved on and he’s a really good doctor. He’s got wonderful bedside manner — good with kids, good with patients, and to everyone else in the ED, he’s a charming new addition.”
Will new Chicago Med doctor Mitch Ripley have any love connections in Season 9?
The show bosses revealed another Chicago Med doctor is on the hunt for love and on the market: Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram). "Hannah is dating," Schneider said. "She’s out in the world of dating apps and not doing well with it. ... But there is this really handsome, new guy [Ripley] coming into the ED — and charming."
A lot has happened in the six months since we last saw the Gaffney staff in Season 8. And Dr. Ripley isn’t the only doctor potentially sparking up a romance in Season 9.
RELATED: What to Know About Chicago Med Season 9: Details
Will hospital head Sharon Goodwin find love on Season 9 of Chicago Med?
Executive producers revealed that Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), who heads up medical services at the hospital, has started a new romantic relationship since Season 8 ended, and it promises to make some waves — although viewers will have to wait until Episode 3 to find out more.
“This relationship will cause some conflict in the hospital — it’s somebody who works there,” Frolov said.
Last season, viewers saw Dr. Charles fall for Liliana Wapniarski (Alet Taylor) in a sweet romance that started after the pair connected over coffee.
“That [relationship] has progressed — they’ve been living together,” Frolov teased.
Dr. Dean Archer's health struggles continue in Season 9
Things aren't all rosy for everyone though. Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber) is “weak” and “not at 100 percent” as he waits for a kidney transplant.
Dr. Archer’s urgent need for a new kidney, and his son Sean's (Luigi Sottile) drug relapse putting a pin in his ability to donate to his dad for six months, is still very much at the forefront of the show at the start of Season 9. The executive producers hinted that Archer is starting to have second thoughts about accepting his son’s kidney.
“He’s been in dialysis which has been very hard on him,” Frolov said to NBC Insider. “What we’re going to be really seeing in this first episode is his emotional struggle with should he do this or should he not take this from his son. He doesn’t feel he was a great father, and he’s very hesitant to go though with this.”
Expect Hannah to be “very involved" in Archer's decisions, Schneider revealed.
“[Hannah’s] absolutely really campaigning hard for him to do this — to get the transplant,” Frolov said. She added that Sean is also pushing for the transplant, and said, “Sean really wants to do this. It means a lot for him.”
Sean and Archer’s relationship will continue to evolve and develop in Season 9, the producers said, with Sean set to be a recurring character.
What else can Chicago Med fans expect in Season 9?
Gaffney Chicago Medical Center's new operating suite — O.R. 2.0 — will continue to play a part in the show's plot. In the last six months, Dr. Crockett Marcel (Dominic Rains) has been working on getting it up to speed.
“He hasn’t used it on a patient yet, but he is forced into the position of having to do so in the premiere episode,” Frolov teased. “So, it’s going to have to prove itself or not.”
And proving itself could have very big implications, with Schneider adding, “[It] will put him and potentially his career in jeopardy.”
As for whether there will be a One Chicago crossover with Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. this season, the executive producers say it’s been discussed.
“Certainly there'll be some small crossovers of characters from the three shows that are mingling,” Schneider said. “But in terms of a major crossover, we don’t have it planned yet, but doesn’t mean it won’t happen!”
Watch the Season 9 premiere of Chicago Med on Wednesday, January 17 at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
