From one Dick Wolf show to another!
A sorely missed former cast member of Chicago Med has found a new home on the latest spinoff series from another fan-favorite franchise.
Nick Gehlfuss, who was an original cast member of the hospital-based drama—playing the character of Dr. Will Halstead—has officially signed on to star in FBI’s sister show CIA (another branch of the Dick Wolf Cinematic Universe), coming to CBS as a midseason pickup early next year.
According to Variety, the actor and Michael Michele have both been cast to star alongside series lead Tom Ellis, who was previously announced and is said to portray an experienced CIA field officer. Gehlfuss is set to star as his FBI counterpart, with the intent of the series to explore the relationship between the two agencies.
Michele has been cast as a supervisor within the CIA.
According to the publication, the official logline says the show is “centered on two unlikely partners – a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer (Ellis), and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent (Gehlfuss) who believes in the rule of law. When this odd couple is assigned to work out of CIA’s New York Station, they must learn to work together to investigate cases and criminals posing threats on U.S. soil, finding that their differences may actually be their strength.”
Gehlfuss has a busy schedule ahead of him between his new lead role and a brief stint back at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, where he hasn’t been seen in two years. The actor has been slotted in for a guest-starring role this season, though details about his return are still under wraps. Fans, however, are likely crossing their fingers for an appearance from Torrey DeVitto, too—or at least an update as to how life in Seattle with Natalie and her son Owen is.
Another casting shakeup for the third addition to the One Chicago franchise was recently announced, with original cast member Marlyne Barrett (Maggie Lockwood) choosing not to return for Season 11 due to personal reasons.
Her departure follows John Earl Jelks (Dr. Dennis Washington), who was written out as part of a budget-cut storyline, and Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut (Dr. Naomi Howard), who chose to resign in search of a fresh start following her involvement in an interhospital #MeToo moment, and leaves just two original cast members standing: Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles, chief of the psychiatry department, and S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin, the hospital’s chief administrator.