This Wednesday, Brian Tee returns to Chicago Med to make his directorial debut after leaving the show last year.
Tee directed Season 8, Episode 17 titled Know When to Hold and When to Fold. The episode features a documentary crew visiting Med to film Marcel (Dominic Rains) and Abrams’ (Brennan Brown) groundbreaking surgery; Archer (Steven Weber) refusing to ask for help for his kidney issues despite the staff’s unrelenting kindness; and Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) starting to develop feelings for a coworker.
Chicago Med Season 8, Episode 17: Know When to Hold and When to Fold airs Wednesday, March 29 at 7 PM CST on NBC and will stream on Peacock the next day.
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) John Wusah as Wu Kuan-Yu, Brennan Brown as Dr. Sam Abrams, Oren Gottfried as Dr. Gottfried, Dominic Rains as Crockett Marcel, Lorena Diaz as Nurse Doris, Stan Shaw as Dr. George Thomas, Dominic Burgess as Michael Kennedy — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) Dominic Rains as Crockett Marcel, Brennan Brown as Dr. Sam Abrams, Oren Gottfried as Dr. Gottfried, Dominic Burgess as Michael Kennedy — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) Dominic Burgess as Michael Kennedy, Dominic Rains as Crockett Marcel — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) Brennan Brown as Dr. Sam Abrams, Dominic Rains as Crockett Marcel — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: Dominic Rains as Crockett Marcel — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: Steven Weber as Dean Archer — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: Jessy Schram as Hannah Asher — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) Bonnie Discepolo as Cara Wallace, Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead, Jessy Schram as Hannah Asher — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) Jodi Long as Wu Da-Xia, Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin, Oliver Platt as Daniel Charles — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: (l-r) Jodi Long as Wu Da-Xia, Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: Oliver Platt as Daniel Charles — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
CHICAGO MED — “Know When to Hold and Know When to Fold” Episode 817 — Pictured: Dominic Rains as Crockett Marcel — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
March 29, 2023
Tee’s final appearance as Dr. Ethan Choi was Season 8, Episode 9 titled Could Be The Start Of Something New, which aired on December 7. Tee had played 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 at the end of Season 6.
Choi’s absence allowed Dr. Archer to take over as interim chief of the Emergency Department and 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.
Fans were shocked when it was announced that 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, however his storyline was wrapped up very neatly with Choi marrying the love of his life, April Sexton played by Yaya DaCosta. The pair then drove off into the sunset in their mobile clinic, taking first-rate medical care to underserved neighborhoods in Chicago.
In February, Wolf Entertainment confirmed that Tee was returning to Chicago Med, only this time, behind the camera. It seems that Tee had been interested in directing for quite some time and he shared that when he first took the role as Choi in 2015, a friend told him, “It’s gonna be an amazing experience and a wonderful ride.”
“I took that to heart. In Season 2, I started shadowing directors,” Tee told Variety. So, when he chose to exit the show in 2022, he asked if he could direct. “It was not necessarily an easy yes. I’m sure there’s a bit of a hesitation. But I think everyone has known that I’ve been wanting to do this. It wasn’t just something new, out of the blue. It’s been something I’ve been working toward. So I asked, ‘If I’m going to come back and do nine episodes, I would love to come back and direct one.’”
After leaving the show in October, and then returning in January to direct, Tee explained exactly how it felt to return to the set, “There weren’t any nerves. It was really fun to come back and see everyone. It felt like jumping back into the swing of things, obviously in a completely different role, but to be back with the cast and crew was just a lot of fun and really a wonderful experience to be a part of, especially from this point of view,” Tee shared. “It’s bittersweet to say goodbye but I don’t think it’s ever a real goodbye. It’s a see you later. Our paths will cross. It’s what we do, as far as artists or actors are concerned — and even directors or writers. There will always be an end and there will always be a goodbye, but you make certain relationships that last forever. That’s what you hang your hat on.”
Tee expressed how much the cast of Chicago Med means to him, “I enjoy the people. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters,” Tee said. “I love the cast, I love the crew. To be able to come back and play with them again would just be a joy to do. The door will always be open.”
ALSO READ: JESSE LEE SOFFER RETURNED TO DIRECT AN EPISODE OF CHICAGO P.D.
As for a potential return in the future, Tee previously told Deadline that 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,” Tee 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.”
Tee also explained to Deadline what the role of Choi meant to him, “Ethan Choi represents to me the first time I’ve actually played a protagonist in such a strong way and he catapulted me into a different arena, one where I feel the perception of not only myself but Asian Americans had been changed. Just having an Asian face as a leading man was a stepping stone if not the ladder.”
Chicago Med is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment. Filmed at Cinespace Chicago Film Studio.
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