‘The Resident’ on Netflix: 8 Burning Questions That Will Never Be Answered
The Resident only ended up being six seasons, with the Fox medical drama canceled months after the finale in 2023. At least it not only provided closure for some storylines but closed on a happy not for pretty much all the characters, making for watching it on Netflix—where it is now all streaming—a pretty complete binge.
Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) and Dr. Billie Sutton (Jessica Lucas) said “I love you.” Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood) was set to enter Dr. Devon Pravesh’s (Manish Dayal) MS trial and was looking ahead to his next chapter: teaching and spending time with his wife, CEO Dr. Kit Voss (Jane Leeves). Devon proposed to Dr. Leela Devi (Anuja Joshi), now an attending. Dr. Ian Sullivan (Andrew McCarthy) told Kit about his addiction, and she gave him another chance. Padma (Aneesha Joshi) was going home with Dr. AJ Austin (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) and their twins. Dr. Cade Sullivan (Kaley Ronayne) and Dr. James Yamada (Ian Anthony Dale) weren’t too broken up about the ends of their relationships with Conrad and Billie.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t still have plenty of questions for what could have been a seventh season (and that we’re now reminded of with its availability on Netflix), so check those out below.
Would Bell have returned to work at Chastain?
Bell took a leave of absence and was preparing to enter Devon’s MS trial when we last saw him, but he told Ian he’d be back soon, and he was planning to continue teaching, as we’d seen with Leela. But would we have seen him back in the OR, or was him passing the torch (and later stethoscope) to Leela in the finale truly the end of that chapter of his career?
“He, over the course of six seasons, really transforms into a compassionate, caring, moral, upright doctor and a person that people can look up to. He would teach. He would be a mentor. And his relationship to Kit Voss is so spectacular and such a fan favorite, so we would make sure that still is alive,” showrunner Andrew Chapman told TV Insider of Bell’s arc potentially moving forward after the Season 6 finale.
Could Ian have managed the stress of his job without relapsing?
Ian had left Chastain rather than reveal his addiction to Kit, then explained to his sponsor that one of his triggers was his job. He was needed in the finale, however, to save Bell’s granddaughter Sammie. He later told Kit the truth, and she offered him a second chance — which he took. But in doing so, he put himself right back where he could be at risk of relapsing.
For some doctors with addictions, “they can continue to be functioning doctors who save lives and do great things while knowing that they have the propensity to be addicts,” the showrunner said. “It’s an important story to tell about redemption. It’s an important story to tell about addiction as a disease, not something to become a pariah about and not something to lose all of your well-earned career about, and so we would love to tell the continuing story of Ian Sullivan as a doctor who will struggle with that but who can overcome it.” The hope also was that McCarthy would have continued to be a series regular.
How would Conrad and Billie's relationship have been challenged?
It might have taken Conrad and Billie a while to get together — Season 6 started with him choosing Cade, not knowing the other doctor was an option — but once they did, it seemed like things were pretty easy, including the “I love you” exchange to end the finale. According to Chapman, that was partly in case, as it did, it turned out to be the wrap-up of the series as well. However, we can’t help but wonder how the medical drama would have challenged their relationship if it had continued. That’s what always happens to romances on TV shows.
Would Cade and James' relationship have lasted?
After their relationships with Conrad and Billie ended, Cade and James fell together — and we have to admit we were surprised to find it worked! That was not originally in the cards, and in fact, the original plan for James completely changed after Dale’s casting.
“We were thinking that he would be … not a bad guy exactly, but a womanizer, slick, somebody you might not like. But honestly, when Ian came in and played James, he was so sympathetic and so warm, and his open, honest sexual relationship with Cade was fantastic, and we just immediately saw the sparks, and we were like, ‘Oh my god, this guy’s fantastic. He’s the perfect, hot, sexy but also very emotional and vulnerable doctor,'” Chapman explained. The hope was for Dale to continue with the show, possibly upped to a series regular.
But that doesn’t mean that Cade and James’ relationship would have lasted, especially considering how stable the other main couples (Conrad and Billie, Kit and Bell, and Devon and Leela) on the show were.
Would Devon and Leela have gotten married in the premiere?
Devon proposed in the finale, and Leela said yes, and while according to the showrunner, they wanted to have their wedding in the Season 7 premiere, plans could have changed. That being said, The Resident had a history of weddings to kick off a new season (Conrad and Nic), so it would have been fitting — and a great way to celebrate if there had been more episodes.
What would the next new doctor have been like?
Noting that the medical drama brought in two male doctors in Season 6 — McCarthy’s Ian and Dale’s James — Chapman said, prior to the cancellation, they “need more female doctors” and would “love to bring in some women.” If that happened, how would she have gotten along with the rest of the staff? Would there have been another doctor to face a redemption arc? Could she have filled the “cowboy” spot Conrad used to inhabit?
What would the next problem for Chastain have been?
The hospital’s budget was slashed and things were looking bleak, until AJ made a deal with Governor Betz (Steven Culp): help him get a heart transplant in exchange for him saving the hospital (since he’d cut their funding). It worked, and Betz surprisingly followed through. But throughout the series, there was always a new problem for Chastain.
When looking ahead to a potential Season 7, “we have to think about what the state of the hospital is because that’s always been really important to us,” Chapman noted at the time of what ended up being the series finale. Whatever that may have been, it had to “reflect the state of the show.”
Could we have seen Cain again?
Morris Chestnut’s Dr. Barrett Cain was last seen at the end of Season 4, and there was even a tentative plan if they’d been able to bring back the neurosurgeon the following year. We could have “possibly” seen him in a seventh season, according to Chapman. And given the major time jump that took place since his exit, it could have been interesting to see how much Cain might have changed (or not) since we last saw him.
