CHICAGO MED: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider Preview the Fallout from the Fiery Cliffhanger

CHICAGO MED returns for its eighth season with a number of characters in danger after Will’s apartment was engulfed in flames. Naturally, that leads to an influx of patients at Med…including one of their own.

So what’s in store in the Wednesday, September 21 opener, “How Do You Begin to Count the Losses”? Showrunners Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider hopped on the phone with Give Me My Remote to offer a few teases…

What can you tease about the fallout from that ginormous fire and where the premiere picks up?
Diane Frolov: Well, it’s just minutes after, so we’re going to be in the building. And we’re going to have to find out who’s going to come out of that building.
Andrew Schneider: And even those who come out, how they’re coming out. What state they’re in when they come out. There should be some surprises there.

Certainly, there is fire in other parts of the ONE CHICAGO world, but don’t necessarily dabble as much with that. What kind of fun did you have in playing in that world for a few minutes?
Frolov: Oh, it was a lot of fun. And we had help from the consultants at FIRE, because it was a world that we didn’t know that much about. We don’t know about how doors blow out. [Laughs.]
Schneider: [Or] how you get a body out of a window. Yeah, it’s just great. They’ve got these fantastic consultants over there who used to be a former fireman themselves. And it was great to see [FIRE characters] Herrmann and Brett [in the premiere]. We love being able to integrate the worlds. It’s just fun for us.

To dig a little deeper into the ramifications of the cliffhanger, what can you preview about the medical cases that stem from the fire itself?
Frolov: Hannah has a surprise reaction from the fire.
Schneider: She does not come out unscathed. But it’s surprising as to what caused her reaction to the smoke. And her condition is kind of a medical mystery, which is explained in the premiere. And then it’s a major emotional impact for Dr. Scott.

Looking elsewhere, Crockett’s decision about Pamela’s surgery did not go over well. How much will you be digging into the fallout from that this season? And is he second-guessing himself at all?
Schneider: That will be a recurring storyline. Both of them are dealing with the fallout, both emotional and physical, from the decision that he made and her surgery in the finale.
Frolov: And he will be second-guessing.
Schneider: And his motivation for making the choice.

Given their tenuous personal relationship,  in your mind, does it slam the door shut on that relationship or does it open things up in a new way?
Frolov: At this point, it slams it. [Laughs.]
Schneider: But, you know, the door isn’t locked. It’s just slammed shut.

Ethan went through an awful lot last season, especially with the loss of his father. What can you tease about his emotional journey this year?
Frolov: He’s started this transformation and we’re going to continue to see that going forward. Ethan is changing. And so he’s not the rigid Ethan that we’ve seen before he’s coming. He’s dwelling more in gray areas than he did.

Looking ahead, is there anything else that you’re particularly excited for fans to see?
Schneider: Well, we have an interesting storyline for Crockett as he goes forward, where he becomes kind of a celebrity surgeon because of a hero move that he makes. And he is suddenly faced with a kind of celebrity that he did not seek and he didn’t ask for it, and hasn’t been looking for. And suddenly there’s a spotlight on him.

CHICAGO MED, Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC

RELATED:

• CHICAGO MED: ‘(Caught Between) The Wrecking Ball and The Butterfly’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED Season 8 Premiere: ‘How Do You Begin to Count the Losses’ Photos
• ONE CHICAGO: NBC Reveals New Posters for CHICAGO MED, CHICAGO FIRE, and CHICAGO P.D.
• CHICAGO MED: ‘And Now We Come To The End’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED Stars Brian Tee and Steven Weber Share One True and One Joke Finale Tease
• CHICAGO MED Post-Mortem: Brian Tee on Ethan’s Revelation and Blake’s Big Decision
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Lying Doesn’t Protect You From the Truth’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: Brian Tee and Steven Weber on Ethan Giving Archer Control Over the ED, a Surprising New Case
• CHICAGO MED: ‘End Of The Day, Anything Can Happen’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Like A Phoenix Rising From The Ashes’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Judge Not, For You Will be Judged’ Photos
• The CHICAGO MED Team Previews Ethan’s ‘Big Emotional Curveball’
• CHICAGO MED: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider Preview Dr. Asher’s Return
• CHICAGO MED: ‘If You Love Someone, Set Them Free’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘May Your Choices Reflect Hope, Not Fear’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Things Meant To Be Bent Not Broken’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘All The Things That Could Have Been’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Reality Leaves A Lot To The Imagination’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Reality Leaves A Lot To The Imagination’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘The Things We Thought We Left Behind’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider Offer 4 Teases of What’s to Come in 2022
• CHICAGO MED: ‘No Good Deed Goes Unpunished…In Chicago’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED Post-Mortem: Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov on the Fallout From the Party Reveal
• CHICAGO MED: Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov Preview A Chaotic Christmas Party, Love Triangle Twist, and a Determined Will
• CHICAGO MED: ‘A Square Peg In A Round Hole’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: Sarah Rafferty to Recur, Lily Harris to Guest Star
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Change is a Tough Pill to Swallow’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘Status Quo, aka The Mess We’re In’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED: ‘To Lean In Or To Let Go’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED Bosses Tease New Faces, ‘Beloved’ Characters Returning in Season 7
• CHICAGO MED Season 7 Cast Photos
• Yaya DaCosta on Her CHICAGO MED Exit, Reuniting with Her ALL MY CHILDREN Mom for Fox’s OUR KIND OF PEOPLE
• CHICAGO MED Season 7 Premiere: ‘You Can’t Always Trust What You See’ Photos
• CHICAGO MED Adds Michael Rady
• CHICAGO MED: Steven Weber Bumped Up to Series Regular, Guy Lockard and Kristen Hager Join Season 7
• CHICAGO MED Season 6 Finale: How Did the Show Write Out April and Natalie?
• CHICAGO MED Bosses Tease Ethan’s Medical Crisis, Will and Natalie’s Lies Being Exposed in the Season 6 Finale
• CHICAGO MED: Yaya DaCosta and Torrey DeVitto Set Exit
• CHICAGO MED: Brian Tee and Steven Weber on Ethan and Dean’s Tension
• CHICAGO MED: Brian Tee, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Nick Gehlfuss Preview Steven Weber’s Guest Arc
• CHICAGO MED Post-Mortem: Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov on Will’s Trial Misstep, Crockett/Natalie’s Moment, and More
• Daily Dose of Joy: ONE CHICAGO Stars Play Trivia for Charity

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.