The One Chicago Actor Who Crossed Into Chicago Med As A Different Character
The NBC dramas "Chicago Med," "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." make up the "One Chicago" franchise created by producer Dick Wolf and includes various characters who often cross shows and storylines. Some fans of the franchise might have forgotten about the fourth show created by Wolf and set in the same major city — "Chicago Justice" — which only lasted one season in 2017 (per NBC).
That series began as a spinoff of "Chicago P.D." and followed prosecutors and investigators at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. It starred Philip Winchester as Assistant State's Attorney Peter Stone, Jon Seda as Chief Investigator Antonio Dawson, and Joelle Carter as former police officer turned investigator Laura Nagel (per One Chicago Center). Laura had left the Chicago P.D. after becoming addicted to painkillers and losing custody of her daughter. In an ironic twist, Carter would later appear on "Chicago Med" as a mother addicted to painkillers at risk of losing custody of her son — but as a completely different character.
Joelle Carter appeared on three 'Chicago One' shows
Actress Joelle Carter appeared in the Season 5 episode of "Chicago Med" titled "Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore" as Lynne Driscoll, who enters the emergency room with her young son after he experiences a severe burn to his leg. Upon investigation, doctors Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) and Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) realize the boy was harmed as a result of his mother's negligence. Ultimately, her character died at the end of the episode after overdosing, but her performance as both Lynne Driscoll on "Chicago Med" and Laura Nagel on "Chicago Justice" and "Chicago P.D." won praise for the actress.
Maria Smith with One Chicago Center expressed regret about the "Chicago Justice" cancelation largely because of the untapped potential of Cater's character on the show. "And if you ever had a chance to watch Joelle Carter in FX's 'Justified,' you know how talented of an actress she is. She should have gotten Emmy recognition for her performance in that series, and she could have built just as interesting a character on 'Chicago Justice.'"