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Chicago Med started season 11 with a piece of casting that brings new attention to Sharon Goodwin’s family. Gbenga Akinnagbe, remembered for The Wire and The Old Man, is joining the NBC medical drama in a recurring role. He will appear as David, Goodwin’s son.
The news came from showrunner Allen MacDonald in an interview with Deadline. The season already premiered in early October. A few days later, the 200th episode is set to air on October 8. Akinnagbe’s debut and the anniversary episode arrive almost at the same time, giving the season a double focus.
Expanding Goodwin’s family
Goodwin has carried heavy storylines in recent years. She survived a stabbing, ended her relationship with Dr. Dennis Washington, and later faced her attacker, Cassidy, once again in the finale of season 10.
Parallel to that, the series showed her reconnecting with Bert, her ex-husband and father of her three children. Audiences have met two of them before: Michael, played by Hampton Fluker, and Tara, played by Nicolette Robinson. David the third has not appeared until now. Season 11 introduces him for the first time.
MacDonald explained that showing more of Goodwin’s personal life has always been part of the plan. He praised S. Epatha Merkerson and referred to her as the queen bee of the series.
Impact on Chicago Med season 11
The season premiered on October 1. Within a week, it will deliver the 200th episode, which includes the return of Dr. Will Halstead. Nick Gehlfuss played the role since the pilot and left in season 8, and now he comes back for this special chapter.
With Halstead’s return and the introduction of David, season 11 brings together a familiar face and a character never seen before. It highlights the past of the show and extends one of its ongoing arcs.
Chicago Med remains connected to the One Chicago franchise, alongside Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. The three dramas share characters and themes, each centered on different institutions of the city.
Gbenga Akinnagbe’s career
Akinnagbe is best known for his work in The Wire, the HBO series by David Simon that remains one of television’s landmarks. He later returned to work with Simon and George Pelecanos in The Deuce.
He turned up on television in The Old Man on FX, working alongside Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. In film, there was Detroit with Kathryn Bigelow, and now another collaboration is on the way, A House of Dynamite for Netflix.
On Broadway, his name appeared in Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird. He played Bob Ewell, sharing the stage with Jeff Daniels. The shifts between theater, streaming, and network roles make his career look wide, stretched in different directions rather than one path.
Deadline confirmed that his participation in Chicago Med will be recurring through season 11. The number of episodes or the length of his arc has not been detailed yet.
Cast and production
The current season continues with Steven Weber, Jessy Schram, Luke Mitchell, Sarah Ramos, Darren Barnet, and Oliver Platt among the cast. Along with Merkerson, they form the main ensemble.
Production is handled by Universal Television, part of Universal Studio Group, in partnership with Wolf Entertainment. Dick Wolf’s company also produces Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., placing Chicago Med within the shared One Chicago structure.
The format of the series stays the same. Each episode alternates between medical emergencies inside the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and the personal matters that shape the staff outside the hospital.
Looking ahead
October 8 marks the airing of the 200th episode. The chapter will feature the brief return of Dr. Will Halstead and will coincide with the debut of David, the last of Goodwin’s three children to appear.
The focus of season 11 is split between these two points. The return of a long-standing character connects the season to its origins. The new casting expands a family storyline that has been part of the show since the beginning.
Conclusion
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Gbenga Akinnagbe joins Chicago Med as David, a son of Sharon Goodwin who has been mentioned but never seen before. With Michael and Tara already introduced in past seasons, the eleventh season completes the picture of Goodwin’s family.
Season 11 brings two moments almost back-to-back. The 200th episode arrives with Nick Gehlfuss returning as Dr. Will Halstead. Around the same time comes the introduction of a new face, Goodwin’s son David. Placed side by side, they show the drama still moving forward while keeping close to what it has already built.
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