Fan-Favorite NBC Series Sees Star Make Shocking Exit After New Episode

One of NBC’s most popular programs is losing a star. Monday, it was revealed Kristen Hager is departing Chicago Med. After just half a season as Dr. Stevie Hammer, Hager has left the production. Hager first joined Chicago Med in its Season 7 premiere last fall and appeared in 13 episodes of the medical drama.

While Hager has left the series, Chicago Med showrunners Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider say the door is open for the character to return at some point in the future. After all, Hammer has simply opted to leave Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and is very much alive.

“She’s a wonderful actor. We felt we had pretty much done her story regarding her mom and resolved that, but we’d love to have her back,” Schneider said in an interview with Variety. “And the great thing about the ‘One Chicago’ series is if the character’s alive, the character can come back.”

Frolov added a bigger teased, saying, “What’s happening with Stevie right now is she’s going back to try and reconnect with her husband and make that work. So we’re leaving that up in the air. Does that in fact happen? She is a character that has the potential to return.”

Instead of Hager continuing her role, Jessy Schram’s Dr. Hannah Asher has returned as a series regular.

NBC’s synopsis for the series can be found below.

Together they will confront Chicago’s most critical medical cases and challenging ethical dilemmas with courage, compassion and state-of-the-art treatment. Inspired by ripped-from-the-headlines cases, “Chicago Med” will weave cutting-edge medicine with the personal drama that comes with working in such a high-intensity environment. Through it all, familiar faces from “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” will intertwine with Chicago’s finest medical heroes.

Chicago Med, and the rest of Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise, is streaming on Peacock. New episodes of Chicago Med air every Wednesday night on NBC beginning at 8/7 Central.