One Chicago continues to shake things up with stars leaving the shows as Brian Tee announces he is leaving Chicago Med in December.
Both Guy Lockard who played Dr. Dylan Scott and Sarah Rafferty, who portrayed Dr. Pamela Blake left Chicago Med in the Season 8 premiere, and now Brian Tee, who plays Dr. Ethan Choi is exiting the series. Tee’s exit won’t be quite as abrupt as Jesse Lee Soffer’s when he left Chicago P.D., since we know exactly which episode will be his last on screen and when it will air.
Season 8, episode 9 titled Could Be The Start Of Something New, which will air on December 7, will be Tee’s final appearance as Dr. Ethan Choi. Tee has been playing Dr. Choi since the beginning of the series in 2015, only missing a few episodes in Season 7 after being shot on the rooftop by a gun-wielding patient who ambushed Dr. Choi and Dr. Archer (Steven Weber) at the end of Season 6.
Choi’s absence allowed Dr. Archer to take over as interim chief of the Emergency Department and Steven Weber was then upped as series regular, all while Tee took some time off to film his role in the streaming television series Expats alongside co-star Nicole Kidman, based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee.
Director of the Amazon series, Lulu Wang was thrilled to share a photo of Tee with Kidman on her Twitter:
Tee will appear in all 6 episodes of Expats once it airs in 2023.
Tee he might return to Chicago Med, and already has plans to return offscreen to make his directorial debut in episode 16.
According to Deadline, Tee made the choice to not attempt to renew his 6-year contract once it ended in order to spend more time with his wife Mirelly Taylor and their daughter Madelyn while he pursues other opportunities in acting, directing, and producing.
Tee shared the news on his official Instagram with a screen shot of the Deadline article and captioned, “As I step away, my heart is full and filled with gratitude… especially for the #fans. It was a beautiful ride with an incredible group of people that I will hold in my heart forever. This is not goodbye, but a see you later… and a sincere thank you to you all.”
Co-star Yaya DaCosta, who exited the show in 2021 after six seasons, and was just welcomed back as April Sexton in the Season 8 premiere episode, was one of the first to comment on his post, telling him, “We all love you, Brian!!!”
“Playing Dr. Ethan Choi on Chicago Med has been such a gift and a blessing. I am forever grateful to our fans and my colleagues both in front of and behind the camera as I embark on a new journey,” Tee told Deadline. “I am forever indebted to Dick Wolf, NBC, and Universal Television for choosing me.”
Tee didn’t spoil his exit, but shared, “What we’ve been planning for Dr. Choi’s sendoff is fitting, and it’s beautiful. I think the fans are going to absolutely love it. It’s going to bring a little bit of the new Ethan and a little bit of the old. Know that Episode 9 is going to be an amazing one.”
As for a potential return in the future, Tee said he is open to reprise his role as Choi.
“I would never say no. Yeah, if the opportunity arose, absolutely. I feel like I’ve been a part of this family and will remain a part of this family, whether it’s on-screen or off-screen,” he said. “So if there’s an opportunity to bring him back, I would absolutely jump right in. For now, it’s just, I’ll see you later. I’ll be back around. You can’t get rid of me.”
Chicago Med airs on Wednesdays, at 7 PM CST on NBC and streaming on Peacock on Thursdays.
Chicago Med is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment. Filmed at Cinespace Chicago Film Studio.
