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2 • November 15 - 21, 2015 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media T he TV spinoff isn't exactly a new concept — "The Lucy-Desi Com- edy Hour" spun off of "I Love Lucy" way back in 1957. When producers find a formula that works, they tend to capitalize on it, and who can blame them? CBS has been wildly successful with several CSI and NCIS series in recent years. The peacock network has also had its fair share of spinoff hits thanks to the Law & Order fran- chise, but the network is breaking the mold with the new medical dra- ma "Chicago Med," which is slated to premiere Tuesday, Nov. 17, on NBC. Set in a Chicago hospital, the show is a spinoff of the hit drama "Chicago Fire," which also spawned "Chicago P.D." in 2014. Billed as "an emotional thrill ride through the day-to-day chaos of the city's newest state-of-the-art trauma center," "Chicago Med" features an ensemble cast that will, from time to time, mingle with the characters from the already estab- lished Windy City shows. It presents a unique opportunity to explore a storyline from several angles at once, something "Chicago Med" star Oliver Platt ("The Big C") told "ET Canada" he was excited about. "A lot of franchises have spun off shows before, but never into an ac- tive sort of living matrix of shows where we all get to visit the other shows," said Platt. "Sometimes we'll just sort of guest, and other times there'll be big story cross- overs, and that's exciting to me. It's a new idea." As in the other Chicago series, "Chicago Med's" ensemble cast will tell the kinds of stories that plague today's society, this time from the perspective of the health- care workers. Platt has nothing but praise for prolific television produc- er Dick Wolf's ("Law & Order") ripped-from-the-headlines style. "Ultimately it's entertainment, but I think Dick's always had a so- cial conscience, Dick's interested in talking about what's going on in our daily life," said the actor. With Wolf at the helm as execu- tive producer, alongside co-creator Matt Olmstead, it should come as no surprise that "Chicago Med" is poised to break new ground. The show has an impressive pedigree: not only is it on the network that brought viewers the iconic medi- cal drama "ER," its Windy City predecessors also con- sistently pull in millions of viewers. This will — with any luck — give "Chica- go Med" a head start in the ratings department as fans of "Fire" and "P.D." will likely want to check out the new members of the "Chicago" drama family. Nick Gehlfuss ("Shameless") serves as a link between "P.D." and "Med" as Dr. Will Halstead, a trauma surgeon and brother of Det. Jay Hal- stead (Jesse Lee Soffer, "The Mob Doctor"). Dr. Hal- stead has recently re- turned to the Windy City after practic- ing medicine for 10 years in New York. He joins new trauma fellow Dr. Connor Rho- des (Colin Donnell, "Arrow"). The hospi- tal's bril- liant chief of psychia- try, Dr. Daniel Charles (Platt), may possess re- markable in- sight into his patients' minds but lacks the same kind of per- spective when it comes to his own personal life. Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee, "Jurassic World," 2015) is a Navy flight surgeon who knows a lot about infectious diseases. Former "Law & Order" star S. Epatha Merkerson oversees the staff as Sharon Goodwin, the head of Chicago Med. She is but one of the show's fierce female characters. Despite being in the third trimester of her pregnancy, Dr. Natalie Man- ning (Torrey DeVitto, "The Vampire Diaries") remains committed to her patients. Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo, "Jane the Virgin") is an overachieving fourth-year medical student who may find herself in over her head. Yaya DaCosta ("Whitney," 2015) rounds out the cast as savvy ER nurse April Sexton, the "lifeblood" of the emergency room. Viewers were introduced to some of these characters in the sea- son 3 episode of "Chicago Fire" en- titled "I Am the Apocalypse," in which the members of Firehouse 51 raced to the scene of a gas leak and transported the victims to Chicago Med. There, one of the patients claimed to be the carrier of a deadly airborne disease, and the ensuing four-episode storyline introduced Dr. Halstead, Goodwin and Sexton. It turns out that Sexton is an old ac- quaintance of "Fire's" Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney, "Zero Dark Thirty," 2012). She made it clear in the episode "Forgive You Anything" that he was not the greatest of friends, so he may have his work cut out for him if he's hoping to woo her. "The Walking Dead" alum Lau- rie Holden was also introduced as surgeon Dr. Hannah Tramble in the backdoor pilot, but she backed out of the series, citing family reasons. Strong ensemble casts is some- thing all three series have in com- mon, and together the Chicago trio have the potential to explore all kinds of social issues. NBC has big plans for prime time, especially in the New Year. Viewers can expect a three-way crossover with "Chicago Med," "Chi- cago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." in Jan- uary and another big crossover event between all three series plus "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in Febru- ary. Catch all of the "Chicago Med" drama from the beginning starting Tuesday, Nov. 17, on NBC. Yaya DaCosta as seen in "Chicago Med" 'Med' makes three NBC adds 'Chicago Med' to the Windy City series family Cover Story this week Buy 3 Get the 4TH FREE TIRE SALE! Save BIG on select Goodyear tires plus mail in additional rebates for more savings up to $160! 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