Chicago Med has seen several prominent character deaths since the show began, and, as per Dean Archer actor Steven Weber, the series had originally planned to kill off yet another major player who ultimately ended up surviving. In a recent interview, the Wings alum revealed that Chicago Med’s creators did not initially have a full-fledged arc for Dr. Dean Archer in mind and instead wanted to get rid of him in Season 6.
Steven Weber says Dean Archer ‘was not gonna make it’ past Chicago Med Season 6
During his appearance on the latest episode of the One Chicago Podcast, Weber confirmed that the original plans for Dean Archer had the character dying just four to five episodes after his Chicago Med debut.
“The character was a guy who was a Naval surgeon, who had been to Afghanistan, had been wounded, had PTSD, and, in fact, at the end of this arc, was going to do some self-harm,” the 64-year-old actor noted while detailing how Archer’s story was initially going to end in Chicago Med. “He was not good up here. He was suffering and had untreated trauma, and at the end of this guy’s story, he was not gonna make it.”
Weber also highlighted that the doctor’s behavior “bordered” on him being a “sociopath,” which would’ve led to his premature demise. “It was really dark, and that’s why he was gonna kind of end,” the television veteran remarked.
However, Dean Archer ultimately survived the events of Chicago Med Season 6 and has since become an integral member of the long-running medical drama.
Explaining why the creative team decided to modify the fate of his character, Weber stated, “Halfway through [the initial arc], I think they decided that this character had more depth and appeal and possibilities beyond where they were gonna take him. And so after that, they decided not to end the character, and they brought me back the next season for a number of [episodes]. And then from there, it sort of got longer.”
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.
