Fans of Chicago Med were shocked when Variety reported actor Marlyne Barrett is stepping away from the show before Season 11 for “personal reasons.” They had good reason; Barrett is one of three original cast members still remaining on the NBC medical drama. But it may not be that big of a deal, and hopefully it won’t be.
Deadline subsequently claimed that Barrett’s departure is “envisioned as a temporary leave and the hope is for her to return at some point.” So it’s possible that she’s only gone for a short period, similar to other One Chicago actors who have taken breaks in the past—most notably Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney, but others have been absent as well. Obviously, what’s most important is what’s best for Marlyne Barrett, but Chicago Med should also respect her with how the show handles Maggie, and leave that door open for her return as long as it takes.
Maggie is a fan-favorite character, but beyond that Marlyne Barrett is a fan-favorite human. Audiences heard her speak about her cancer diagnosis in 2022 and how she was in remission in 2024. It’s not clear from the early reports if her leave of absence is related to her health, but she’s been incredibly vulnerable and inspiring in telling her story, and is also a great ambassador for the One Chicago franchise. The show will definitely feel her absence, and the best thing it can do is take care of Maggie while she’s gone.
Chicago Med hasn’t always given Maggie the best storylines. The character’s cancer plotline was moving, but that got somewhat co-opted by the introduction of Ben; it was nice to see Maggie fall in love again, yet then the story became about what she did for Ben—most notably forging a doctor’s signature on paperwork and not facing any real consequences for it.
Maggie and Ben’s subsequent divorce felt like it came out of the blue, simply so Maggie could be paired with Loren, whom she broke up with anyway. Until the nurses’ strike storyline in Season 10, it felt like a lot of Maggie’s character development was related to whomever she was romantically involved with. (To be fair, Maggie isn’t the only character to have that issue, but it’s been more noticeable with her.)
But the nurses’ strike plotline showed another way that Maggie adds value to the series. Since the departure of Yaya DaCosta’s character April Sexton, there haven’t been regular dedicated storylines for the nurses. It’d be great to explore medicine from the perspective of nursing further, especially within the big-picture dynamic of hospital operations (similar to when Dr. Crockett Marcel was involved in board meetings before his departure). There’s so much more in a hospital beyond what happens in the Emergency Department, and Chicago Med used to be excellent at exploring that. It would also be worthwhile to see some of these talented characters move up somehow, as befitting their years of service.
Maggie’s absence could be explained by her working elsewhere in the hospital, elsewhere with the nurses’ union, or even training other nurses (that training idea worked for Stella Kidd on Chicago Fire, after all). She has the experience and the tenure to be a major player in more than the ED. And then if or when Marlyne Barrett returns, Maggie is in a position with more power as well as more options for future stories.
What Chicago Med absolutely can’t do is forget about her, or come up with some vague explanation for her exit. Fans have seen time and time again how Maggie is the glue holding the ED together. Doris or anyone else can’t just step into her job easily; there’s going to be difficulties. That’s not counting the friendship that the writers were building between Maggie and Dr. John Frost, which was important to fleshing Frost out and getting him past his own questionable “child star” plotline. If Maggie is kept active in the background, then she still has a seat at the table. It would be easy to mention her now and then, so Frost and other characters can still have her in their lives. And she can be doing some pretty great stuff; audiences just won’t be able to see it.
But she deserves to be a part of the show, because Marlyne Barrett will always be a founding part of One Chicago. Hopefully her leave of absence is short-lived and she will be back before the end of Season 11. Until then, it’s up to the writers to do right by Marlyne by looking out for Maggie.
Chicago Med Season 11 premieres in October 2025.
