Torrey DeVitto Returns To ‘Chicago Med’ For Season 11

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from NBC‘s Chicago Med‘s 200th episode titled “A Game of Inches.”

EXCLUSIVE: Surprise! Torrey DeVitto returned to NBC’s Chicago Med for its special 200th episode, which aired tonight.

She joined Nick Gehlfuss, who plays her character Dr. Natalie Manning’s true love, Dr. Will Halstead. We confirmed in late August that he would reprise his role this season. Both are set to appear in multiple new episodes.

Since we last saw them in the Season 8 finale for Gehlfuss’s series exit, off-camera, Natalie and Will have been working on making their new family dynamic work. Becoming Owen’s (Frankie DeMaio) stepfather has been challenging, which is to be expected. What’s essential is that Halstead is working on strengthening their bond, which he was trying to do with this special boys’ trip to Chicago without Natalie to attend a Bears game.

“It’s like going back home for a visit,” DeVitto shared with Deadline earlier this week. “It was really lovely to be there with everyone. It was as if no time had passed and I wasn’t expecting that.”

Speaking of expecting, there’s a Manstead baby on the way!!! However, fans will be unable to celebrate in a big way with friends old and new at Gaffney after her son is shot there. Stress will be high, and that’s not a good combo for someone pregnant.

“It puts Natalie back in the thick of it on Chicago Med. When they called me and told me the storyline breakdown, I was like, ‘I would expect no less.’ Natalie always had some trauma or emotion, or something happening. Of course, I’m not going to come back to sit around eating candy or something. I’ll be back in the thick of it and bawling my eyes out,” she said with a laugh.

Gehlfuss shared with Deadline that he is equally overjoyed about bringing Manstead back, especially to share the fantastic baby news with longtime fans who have shipped them since day one.

“Knowing Torrey would join me for this storyline made the return all the more exciting and special. It really couldn’t have happened any other way, and it was wonderful to celebrate the 200th episode together. It was as if we hadn’t stopped working with one another; we fell right back into our rhythm,” Gehlfuss said.

He continued, “The most palpable part was that our characters are exploring such emotional material around parenthood, and we both are lucky enough to be navigating that in our personal lives. I got to meet her daughter for the first time on set! Just incredible. All of this played into our scenes together. The fans are going to be so surprised, and I hope satisfied.”

DeVitto and her husband, Jared LaPine, welcomed a daughter in November. Since becoming a first-time mom, DeVitto has taken a small break from acting to focus on being with her baby. This Chicago Med gig is her first role in nearly a year.

Showrunner Allen MacDonald chimed in on his decision to have Natalie and Will return to continue their storylines in such a unique way.

“If you bring back Dr. Will Halstead, the audience naturally hopes to see Dr. Natalie Manning, too… which makes total sense since their love story is so intricately woven into Chicago Med history,” he said.

“It was always my intention to bring back both characters, but I wanted to play with that expectation in the 200th episode — make the audience believe that only Nick was returning, then surprise them with Natalie’s appearance in the final scene when Goodwin tells her by phone that Owen’s been shot,” he added.

Following the events of Season 11’s second episode, MacDonald tees up where the story will go from here.

“Looking forward to Episode 3, Natalie will join Will in Chicago for an emotionally harrowing episode as Owen’s life hangs in the balance. Natalie will admit to feeling cursed… her husband Jeff died when she was pregnant with Owen, and now she’s pregnant again, and she might lose her firstborn. It just made sense to the writing staff to build a story around Owen for the 200th episode — and 201st — since Natalie was pregnant with him in the pilot and gave birth to him during Season 1. It all felt of a piece to us,” MacDonald said.

He continued, “It was so amazing to see Torrey DeVitto and Nick Gehlfuss reunited on set. But for Will and Natalie, these episodes show how their relationship has developed and deepened, while also propelling them forward into the future.”

Could that future perhaps include a wedding? The two are not yet married, and while they don’t have to take that step necessarily, Chicago Med sure does know how to throw fun weddings. There’s also the possibility that the stress from Owen being shot, the pregnancy could end up in the danger zone, or the baby could come early. Hopefully, Natalie will have Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram), Gaffney ED’s attending physician in obstetrics and gynecology, available to help.

In closing, DeVitto has some words to share with Chicago Med’s devoted fans.

“I hear from fans when I’m out in public or through comments on Instagram about how much they miss Manstead and how they’re still rooting for them. I really hope that the OG fans really love Nick and my storyline that we’ve come together to do for them. This really feels like we’re doing it all for them,” she shared.

“One of the most disappointing things about leaving the show is that it didn’t feel like Will and Natalie got what they deserved. Even when I did come back for Nick’s exit, it still didn’t feel like they got what they deserved, considering how long they’ve been together. Now I feel like people will be satiated. I’m really excited for them to see it, and I hope they love it. If the fans weren’t so invested in Manstead, we wouldn’t be coming back,” she concluded.

New episodes of Chicago Med drop Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on NBC. All OneChicago series are produced by Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment.