‘Chicago Med’ OGs S. Epatha Merkerson, Oliver Platt & Marlyne Barrett Close New Deals To Continue On NBC Drama
Marlyne Barrett, S. Epatha Merkerson and Oliver Platt Art Streiber/NBC
EXCLUSIVE: Chicago Med has locked in its three remaining original cast members for 2024-25. S. Epatha Merkerson, Oliver Platt and Marlyne Barrett, whose most recent contracts were up at the end of this past season, have each closed a deal to extend their tenure on the NBC medical drama to a decade, sources tell Deadline.
Emmy winner Merkerson plays Sharon Goodwin, the chief administrator of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Platt plays Dr. Daniel Charles, chief of the psychiatry department. Barrett plays Maggie Lockwood, charge nurse of the emergency department.
The new deals with Merkerson, Platt and Barrett assure continuity on the One Chicago offshoot, which is undergoing a major behind-the-scenes transition ahead of Season 10, with co-showrunners Diane Frolov and Andy Schneider stepping down after nine years. They are being succeeded at the helm by Allen MacDonald. On-screen, cast member Dominic Rains is departing after five seasons.
Dick Wolf and MacDonald executive produce Chicago Med alongside Stephen Hootstein and Peter Jankowski. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, producers in association with Wolf Entertainment.
Merkerson, whose association with Wolf and NBC spans 30 years across Law & Order and Chicago Med, won an Emmy, an Indie Spirit Award, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for Lackawanna Blues. She also won two NAACP Image Awards for her long-running role on Law & Order. Merkerson, a Tony nominee for The Piano Lesson, is repped by CAA, manager Bob McGowan and Kraditor & Haber.
Platt has been recurring as Uncle Jimmy on FX’s hit comedy The Bear, a role, which earned him his fifth Emmy nomination, following noms for Nip/Tuck, Huff (twice) and The West Wing. Platt, who will next be seen in the Pamela Adlon-directed movie Babes, is repped by WME.
Barrett is repped by Gallant Management and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.