SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from NBC‘s Chicago Med‘s 200th episode titled “A Game of Inches.”
Emmy and Tony Award-winner S. Epatha Merkerson has appeared in 625 episodes of television that Dick Wolf has produced, more than anywhere else to date.
This official tally includes last night’s special 200th episode of NBC’s Chicago Med, which she celebrated recently with collaborator of many decades, Wolf, co-star Oliver Platt, among others. Merkerson and Platt are the remaining two original series regulars from Chicago Med who continue to lead the medical drama.
In addition to Chicago Med, Merkerson’s prior credits with Wolf Entertainment include Mann & Machine (1992), South Beach (1993), as well as Law & Order, and its franchise offshoots: Criminal Intent, Trial By Jury, and OneChicago sister shows, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.
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“After 625 episodes of my shows, plus too many memorable performances to count in films (Terminator, Lincoln), the stage (August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson”) and television (Lackawanna Blues, Pee Wee’s Playhouse), needless to say, Epatha is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with,” Wolf shared with Deadline.
Merkerson attributes her many successful years working with Wolf to his loyalty.
“The one thing that I think most people who work with Dick a long time will say is that he’s really loyal, and that doesn’t happen much in our business. Dick is one of those people who, when you come in and do the gig, and you come in and know your stuff, he continues using people through all his shows. He appreciates their work, their honesty. I think that’s me with Dick, and why we’ve been able to work this long because he trusts that I’ll come in and do the work,” Merkerson revealed.
Last night’s 200th episode of Med was a particularly special one for the veteran actress, as she was reunited with original series stars Nick Gehlfuss and Torrey DeVitto. The Manstead actors were with the show since its inception, with Gehlfuss departing in Season 8 and DeVitto in Season 6.
“It was the absolute best. I hate to pick favorites, because I’ve worked with many lovely people on this set, but Nick and Torrey have a special place in my heart. They’re really, really great people, fun to work with. They’re very focused and committed, and their energy on set is just really, really lovely,” said Merkerson.
She continued, “I think we’ve been fortunate on this show, because the people who have come in, starting all the way back in our first season, the first person to leave was Colin Donnell, and I still stay in touch with him and his wife. You hear actors say this all the time, and it’s so true. Not only do we work well together, but we also work well outside together. We have friendships that are lasting friendships, and certainly Nick and Torrey are two of those for me.”
Goodwin also shared screentime with Owen (Frankie DeMaio), Natalie’s 9-year-old son, who is visiting Chicago with step-dad Will on a boys’ bonding trip. Since Will moved to Seattle and became a family with Natalie and Owen, Will and Owen’s relationship has become strained. It was revealed in last night’s episode that Manstead is expecting a baby boy! The news is fantastic, of course, but Owen is struggling with how his already busy parents will have time for him as well as his baby brother.
When Goodwin sees Owen entertaining himself by watching the Bears game on an iPad—a medical emergency prevented their attendance in person—she sits with him for a chat about what’s been going on. She offers Owen a journal and some advice that worked for her and her son, David, when he was younger. They wrote each other notes in the journal, so even if things got busy at home, they’d make the time to connect.
“Those are the kinds of things that I really love about the show. While we’re talking about the medicine, it’s great to see how it interacts with the people, because ultimately, that’s what the show is about. It’s about how in these moments of stress, these characters find humanity,” she expressed.
Speaking of the OG crew, Merkerson addressed Marlyne Barrett’s absence from Chicago Med‘s eleventh season. We confirmed Barrett would be taking a step back, which showrunner Allen MacDonald said recently he hopes is only temporary. In last week’s premiere, Goodwin and Dr. Charles (Platt) discussed Maggie’s being gone in a very brief exchange.
“Have you talked to Maggie since she left?” Dr. Charles asked Goodwin.
She replied, “Not a peep.”
Merkerson explained, “She’s an OG and she’s been there from the beginning. When people go, we miss them. We stay in touch and we move on, because that’s the nature of life. People come and people go.”
Regarding Goodwin’s story this season, there will be a focus on her family life. We recently announced that The Wire star Gbenga Akinnagbe has joined the Season 11 cast in a recurring role playing Sharon’s son David, who viewers have yet to meet.
“We will find out why David hasn’t been around; it’s such an amazing story. And the actor, Gbenga Akinnagbe, is just so perfect in the part. I think that people will get to see another side of Goodwin, one that they haven’t seen before, because all three of her children are together. And there’s news to be had with David showing up,” Merkerson shared.
Viewers have already met her two other children, Michael and Tara, played by Hampton Fluker and Nicolette Robinson, respectively. Goodwin’s husband and the father of her three children is Albert Goodwin, better known as Bert, who has been undergoing care for Alzheimer’s.
“It’s been off and on with Goodwin and Bert. The very first season he came in, he’s leaving her, and that’s how we find out about him. At this point, she’s so unsure about her feelings. But the thing about Bert is that that’s home. He knows her like no one else does, and even though they’ve broken up and now he’s going through this period of dementia, it’s still home for her and a comfort zone. Working with Greg Allen Williams is like pure joy. So it’s been lovely for me, and lovely for Goodwin,” she shared with a laugh.
Pivoting back to her career in Hollywood, Merkerson reflects on the secret to her success.
“You don’t do this alone. I’ve had people who’ve been extraordinarily supportive of me. My first job in New York was in theater, and George Faison, the choreographer and dancer, gave me that job. He believed in me. Meg Simon, the casting agent who got me onto Broadway with “The Piano Lesson,” changed my life,” she stated.
Adding, “Joe Stern saw me in that play, and then I met Dick Wolf, who has also changed my life. You don’t do this in a vacuum. There are people there who believe in you. If I make any comment about my success, it has been because there have been people who believe in me.”
New episodes of Chicago Med drop Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on NBC. All OneChicago series are produced by Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment.