After 8 seasons of Chicago Med, Brian Tee will be leaving the series. Episode 9, titled “Could The Start Of Something New”, airs December 7. Tee’s final appearance is episode 9. However, he will make his directorial debut for episode 16.
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Tee decided to leave the series after his 6-year contract expired to spend more with his family. Madelyn, Madelyn’s daughter, was 5 weeks old at the time he began on Chicago Med. He also wanted to explore other opportunities to expand his acting, budding director and producer experience.
“It has been a great honor and blessing to play Dr. Ethan Choi in Chicago Med. As I embark on a new adventure, I will be forever grateful to my colleagues and our fans. “I am forever grateful to Dick Wolf, NBC and Universal Television for choosing my story,” Tee said in an exclusive interview with Deadline.
He said, “What we have been planning for Dr. Choy’s sendoff is fitting and beautiful.” It’s going to be a hit with the fans. It will bring back a bit of Ethan from the past and some of the new. You can be sure that episode 9 will be an incredible one.
Tee was a star of Asian bad guys when he started his Hollywood career. Before joining the Med cast, Tee appeared in one episode of Chicago P.D. The episode was titled “The Three Gs”, and aired as part of the second season of cop drama.
Tee is proud to have brought to life every character he has played throughout his career. They all led him to Dr. Choi who was a veteran of the military and a successful Asian doctor. He would later become the ED’s chief resident and then chief of Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. This was the role that would elevate his career and Asian representation.
“I have thought a lot about Dr. Choi. He shared that my career path was the school for hard knocks for a long while. I took the opportunities that were offered to me by the industry. The box I was allowed into, around 20 years ago, was extremely limited. It was stereotypical and cliché like the Asian bad guy archetype. It was not something I had against. I was able build a career, but it never took me to the level of my potential. Literally, I was playing Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the villain of all Asian villains. Then, my phone rings, and my agent asks me if Chicago is my destination.
“It has been a great honor and blessing to play Dr. Ethan Choi in Chicago Med. As I embark on a new adventure, I will be forever grateful to my colleagues and our fans. “I am forever grateful to Dick Wolf, NBC and Universal Television for choosing my story,” Tee said in an exclusive interview with Deadline.
He said, “What we have been planning for Dr. Choy’s sendoff is fitting and beautiful.” It’s going to be a hit with the fans. It will bring back a bit of Ethan from the past and some of the new. You can be sure that episode 9 will be spectacular.
Tee was a star of Asian bad guys when he started his Hollywood career. Before joining the Med cast, Tee appeared in one episode of Chicago P.D. The episode was titled “The Three Gs”, and aired as part of the second season of cop drama.
Tee is proud to have brought to life every character he has played throughout his career. They all led him to Dr. Choi who was a veteran of the military and a successful Asian doctor. He would later become the ED’s chief resident and then chief of Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. This was the role that would elevate his career and Asian representation.
“I have thought a lot about Dr. Choi. He shared that my career path was through the school of hard knocks. I took the opportunities that were offered to me by the industry. The box I was allowed into, around 20 years ago, was extremely limited. It was stereotypical and cliché like the Asian bad guy archetype. It was not something I had against. I was able build a career, but it never took me to the level of my potential. Literally, I was playing Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the villain of all Asian villains. Then, my phone rings, and my agent asks me if Chicago is my destination.
He said, “Ethan Choy is to me the first time that I have actually played a protagonist so strongly and he catapulted him into an other arena, one in which I feel the perceptions of not only myself, but Asian Americans was changed.” It was a stepping stone, if not the ladder, to have an Asian-looking leader man.
Tee was unable to appear in Med’s 22 episodes last season and instead starred opposite Nicole Kidman in Amazon Expats. Lulu Wang is the writer/director. Set against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s fabric, the series tells the story about an international community whose lives have been forever changed by a family tragedy.
After being shot in the Season 7 finale by a patient, Dr. Choi was temporarily removed from Med with the support of the executive producers.
Tee teased that the series would debut in 2023 and said, “This was huge; I’m still pinching my self.” “Lulu Wang, a genius. Her directing skills are amazing and she created a writers room with all Asian American women. Because of her talent, it felt like we were filming a six-and a half-hour movie. Expats was quite a shift from Chicago Med. It was not only the story but also the subtleties of what we wanted to convey. It was an amazing experience to be able to go toe-toe alongside Nicole Kidman, an artist of such high caliber. It allowed me to fulfill certain goals that I knew I could achieve and that I desired.
In the Season 8 premiere episode of Med, Dr. Choi was still on the mend after the loss of his father. A surprise reunion occurred between him and April (Yaya daCosta). Could this be a sign that the couple is headed for a happy ever after?
“Is it a coincidence that she returned and I left? I don’t know. “I know that the audience is guessing where Dr. Choi will be as a character and the direction in which our relationship will take them,” Tee said. I think April and Ethan’s relationship is so dramatic, powerful, and impactful. It was heartwarming to witness them together. It was a blessing to know that they were bringing her home to assist with Ethan’s exit. After 8 seasons, I feel satisfied with the story arc of my character. All I can tell you is that Ethan’s story will be told in full. I hope this leaves everyone happy.
He said, “I hope Dr. Choi will be remembered as the moral compass for Chicago Med that patients and fans trusted.” He did everything possible to win the trust of his patients and provide them with the best care. That’s what I want him to leave behind as a legacy. That trust he instilled in me will last long after he passes away.”
Tee was not open to discussing whether Dr. Choi’s death is possible, but he said that he would be open to returning in the future.
“I wouldn’t say no. Yes, if there was an opportunity. I feel like I have been a part this family for a long time and I will continue to be a part, no matter what screen it is. If there is an opportunity to bring him home, I’d jump at it. It’s okay for now. I’ll be back. I will be back. He concluded, “You can’t get rid me.”
