Chicago Med Treats A Criminally Overlooked One Chicago Original Star Better Than Their Own Show

George Burns Jr/NBC Published Nov 6, 2026, 9:45 AM EST Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning: this article contains spoilers for Chicago Med season 12, episode 5, "Baptism by Fire."NBC shook up Chicago Med early on in season 12 by adding Sharon Goodwin to the ED, and the switch in chiefs from Archer to Ripley complicated everything further in "Baptism by Fire." In an unexpected twist, though, the episode's star wasn't one of the doctors or nurses from the halls of Gaffney Med. The highlight was a guest star from another show in Dick Wolf's TV universe, and the Chicago Med episode treated them even better than their usual series. One Chicago could learn a lesson from how it all went down. With Goodwin now working as a nurse in the hospital's emergency department, Dr. Lenox still absent, and Archer demoted from interim chief, Ripley was under pressure to manage the ED chaos while also appointing the new chief resident. Several doctors were needed to handle the biggest case of the episode: women who had been trapped in a bunker for decades. Goodwin and Dr. Charles in particular stepped up, and their help was invaluable to none other than Chicago P.D.'s Trudy Platt. The case was close to home for Platt, which led her to cross over from One Chicago's crime procedural to its medical drama. Appearances from P.D. characters on Med are usually brief and often amount to little more than cameos to share information and/or lead suspects away. In "Baptism by Fire," Platt got the spotlight that she so rarely gets on her own show, and it was the showcase that actress Amy Morton deserves in NBC's 2026 fall schedule. Why Chicago Med Needed Platt Elizabeth Sisson/NBC The major case of the week on Chicago Med leaned so heavily on a despicable crime that it could have fit for an episode of Chicago P.D. as well. A fire in a bunker (possibly tended to off-screen by Chicago Fire first responders) led to the discovery of three women who had been kidnapped as children and held by their captor for many years. The crime caught the attention of Sergeant Platt (Amy Morton), who suspected that one of the women was actually a girl whose kidnapping she'd worked decades ago. "Baptism by Fire" needed a cop character because the case was so serious, and the storyline wouldn't have worked nearly as well without a familiar face from the CPD. Considering that Platt and Voight are the only main Chicago P.D. characters whose histories go back far enough to be involved in the first kidnapping, Platt was a perfect fit for a crossover. She raised the emotional stakes even more than Dr. Wu's allusions to her own past did, and Morton proved yet again that she can rise to stories much bigger than what she usually gets on Chicago P.D. While it's hard to say that a case involving kidnapped women who'd endured sexual abuse (and the theft of one of their children) had a happy ending, they were all rescued from the bunker, and their captor was arrested. Platt also got closure about the missing girl from all those years ago, even though it came with the disturbing twist that she'd become the kidnapper's "wife" after years of torment. Platt Deserves More Chicago P.D. Storylines Elizabeth Sisson/NBC Platt getting such a major role in Chicago Med hit even harder just a couple of hours later on NBC's One Chicago Wednesday, when an episode of Chicago P.D. aired that focused on pretty much every series regular except for Amy Morton. That's not to say that Burgess didn't deserve the spotlight, and the drama does need to keep developing Atwater's replacement if he sticks around, but Platt was once again underserved. The Platt-centric episodes are few and far between, and she's much more of a peripheral character than the other regulars. The "Baptism by Fire" episode of Med was arguably the most emotional installment of season 12 so far, and much of that goes to Morton's performance as Platt. If she could make such a big impact as a guest star on another show, she could surely carry more main storylines on her own series. In fact, she did such a solid job anchoring elements of the Med storyline that it almost felt like a P.D. case that just featured Med stars as guests. Scratch & Peek Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible. Of course, the current seasons of One Chicago's three dramas haven't even hit the halfway point, so Chicago P.D. has plenty of time to give Amy Morton more big storylines like she got on Med before the end of season 14. As always, NBC's One Chicago Wednesdays begin with Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, ahead of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. Release Date November 17, 2015 Network NBC Showrunner Michael Brandt Cast Marlyne Barrett Maggie Lockwood S. Epatha Merkerson Sharon Goodwin Directors Michael Waxman, Michael Pressman, Charles S. Carroll, Milena Govich, Anna Dokoza, Bethany Rooney, Fred Berner, Tess Malone, Mykelti Williamson, SJ Main Muñoz, Donald Petrie, Martha Mitchell, Vincent Misiano, Timothy Busfield, Jonathan Brown, John Polson, Stephen Cragg, Anthony Nardolillo, Michael Berry, David Rodriguez, Afia Nathaniel, Oz Scott, Valerie Weiss, Gonzalo Amat Writers Joseph Sousa, Lily Dahl, Natalie Drayer, Darin Goldberg, Shelley Meals, Melissa R. Byer, Treena Hancock, Mary Leah Sutton, Simran Baidwan, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Jason Cho, Will Pascoe, Liz Brixius Creator(s) Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Matt Olmstead