'Chicago Med': Will the Series Discuss Mental Health In the Time of Coronavirus?
2020 has been a very tumultuous year. In just 10 months, we’ve seen the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ravage the entire world, and the fight against police brutality and racism through the Black Lives Movement has found its voice.
In all the tension, various shows have managed to slip in their message about some social injustices in the script. Chicago P.D., for example, has been working toward addressing police brutality owing to the fact that the lead, Sergeant Hank Voight, is very violent himself. Chicago Med is also set to include the discussion of mental health, especially during these times.
Chicago Med handles more than mental health
Chicago Med is an installment of the Chicago series franchises created by Dick Wolf. The show centers on the doctors and nurses at the emergency department at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and how they work together to save patients’ lives.
The lives of the members of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center always intertwine with the rest of the Chicago series, with crossovers sometimes happening in the franchise. For example, Dr. Will Halstead, the ED supervising attending physician at the hospital, is related to Detective Jay Halstead from Chicago P.D. At the same time, Dr. April Sexton is the childhood friend of Lieutenant Kelly Severide of Chicago Fire.
Chicago Med premiered on November 17, 2015, on NBC. It has been around for five seasons, and in February 2020, the show was renewed for another three seasons. The sixth season is scheduled to premiere in November 2020.
The show stars Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, and Collin Donnell, to mention a few. One of the characters on the show, Dr. Charles, stands out from the rest since it is unusual for medical drama shows to have such a character.
Who is Dr. Charles and why is he so unique?
Dr. Charles is a recently-widowed psychiatrist, played by Oliver Platt, at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Charles ensures his fellow doctors are in good mental health, as well as treating patients for a variety of mental health emergencies and conditions.
Dr. Charles is a very trivial member of Chicago Med since he introduced fans to a whole new angle on medical drama shows. Most medical shows focus on how doctors and nurses deal with the nuances of medicine with an occasional love story thrown in.
However, Chicago Med sought to show its viewers that doctors are also human, and they too undergo difficult moments in their lives. It also shows a wide range of mental health issues psychiatrists treat and how the field of medicine is more than people might think. This is why Dr. Charles is a very unique but essential part of Chicago Med.
His presence paves the way for the show to deal with mental health issues during this time
It is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has brought on panic and confusion. Doctors and nurses have been on the frontline to combat the spread of the deadly disease. Various shows have paid tribute to the frontline workers by donating to different causes dedicated to doctors and hospital staff.
Shows such as Chicago Med have not only donated some equipment, but they have also found a way to show viewers what doctors and nurses go through every day. Dick Wolf is known for borrowing inspiration from real-life situations, and the current climate could find a spot in an episode or two of the show’s upcoming season.
Fans of the show will get to witness their favorite on-screen medical heroes deal with the disease firsthand, according to One Chicago Center. Fans will also likely see the mental health challenges that come with dealing with something as traumatic as a pandemic, for both frontline medical workers and everyday people. While fans have stated that they wouldn’t necessarily want to have coronavirus invade their entertainment, many appreciate the series’ efforts to show reality as it is.
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