‘Chicago Med’ Season 11 to Bring Back Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead

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Surprise! Gaffney is going to be visited by a familiar face when Chicago Med returns for Season 11, as Nick Gehlfuss reprises his series original role as Dr. Will Hallstead.

Deadline was the first to report the news that the actor would return to his role in the fall season, more than two years after his departure from the series after Season 8. The site did not specify how many episodes he will return for on Med.

The last time fans saw Halstead, he and Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) finally found a lasting love together in Seattle. The character resigned from Gaffey after sabotaging the hospital’s OR 2.0 technology.

After Gehlfuss left the show, he revealed in an interview with Variety, “It was a difficult decision, but ultimately, I felt I’d taken Dr. Halstead as far as I can go with him. Ultimately, I want to develop new, different characters.”

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“I am attracted to the profession for the variety in it, and eight years is a long time,” he continued. “It’s two college degrees! I’m joking now that I basically have a doctorate in television.”

Gehlfuss was part of the series’ original cast when it launched in 2015 and saw his character cross over with multiple episodes of both other One Chicago dramas, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire. He has not had a series regular role since leaving Med.

Chicago Med premieres on NBC this fall on Wednesday, October 1 at 8/7c on NBC.

Barring any exit announcements, the season will also see the return of Season 10 stars Marlyne Barrett (as Maggie Lockwood), Jessy Schram (as Dr. Hannah Asher), Steven Weber (as Dr. Dean Archer), Luke Mitchell (as Dr. Mitch Ripley), Sarah Ramos (as Dr. Caitlin Lennox), Darren Barnet (as Dr. John Frost), S. Epatha Merkerson (as Sharon Goodwin) and Oliver Platt (as Dr. Daniel Charles).

The news that Gehlfuss will return aligns with something showrunner Allen MacDonald told TV Insider during an interview for the Season 10 finale, in which he teased, “I think that in the One Chicago world, it’s completely legitimate to check in on people, characters that we love and we miss, and what fun to see them interact with the new doctors that the audience knows, but they don’t… So yes, I intend to bring back one if not two or more original cast members in the next season.” Looks like he’s made good on that promise!

Chicago Med, Season 11 premiere, October 1, 8/7c, NBC