This ‘Chicago Med’ Character Was Originally Set to Be Killed Off

A major character on the hit NBC show Chicago Med was only ever supposed to last a few episodes — at least according to castmember Steven Weber.

Weber, 64, appeared on the Oct. 30 episode of the One Chicago Podcast to discuss his character, Dr. Dean Archer, as well as some of his favorite behind-the-scenes moments on the medical drama. During the conversation, the actor revealed a major piece of fan trivia: His character was initially supposed to be killed off after just a few episodes when he first appeared in season 6.

“The character was a guy who was a naval surgeon, who had been to Afghanistan, had been wounded, had PTSD, and in fact, at the end of this arc was going to do some self-harm. He was not good up here,” Weber said, motioning to his head. 

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“He was suffering and had untreated trauma, and at the end of this guy’s story, he was not gonna make it,” he revealed.

Weber said that he was eager to take on the role at the time, despite his seemingly limited appearance on the series. 

“I was kind of excited about that character. That was dark and interesting, and I was going to apply some things that I’d known,” he said, adding that he based a lot of the character on his father, who was a Korean war veteran.

“I was going to do some research and do what I thought was going to be just a good, nice little gig,” he continued.

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Weber went on to say that if fans of the show go back and rewatch his initial episodes, they will see clues that Dr. Archer wasn’t ever supposed to be a series regular.

“He was doing a couple of things that now, basically in the canon of the show, we’ve sort of conveniently forgotten about. I mean, at one point, I think I took out some guy’s kidney without his approval. I sedated him, pulled it out. It was really dark, and that’s why he was gonna kind of end,” he said.

However, he explained that the show’s writers ultimately realized that the character had more potential.

“Halfway through [the initial arc], I think they decided that this character had more depth and appeal and possibilities beyond where they were gonna take him. And so after that, they decided not to end the character, and they brought me back the next season for a number of [episodes]. And then from there, it sort of got longer,” he recalled.

Weber was promoted to series regular the following season, and he has since appeared on the show for five seasons. The abrasive, yet good-hearted Dr. Archer even eventually became head of the emergency department.

Season 11 of Chicago Med premiered on Oct. 1. The show airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m ET on NBC and is also available for streaming on Peacock.

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