As Chicago Med Alum Joins FBI: International To Replace Luke Kleintank, Could This Make Up For His Abrupt One Chicago Exit?
FBI: International is losing leading man Luke Kleintank as Agent Scott Forrester before the end of the 2024 TV schedule, but the show won't be short a character in the final two episodes of the current Season 3. Chicago Med alum Colin Donnell has joined the FBI spinoff for the end of the third season, marking his return to the Dick Wolf TV universe for the first time since leaving One Chicago in 2019. Considering how exactly Med said goodbye to Donnell as Dr. Connor Rhodes, I have to wonder: could his return to Wolf TV make up for how it went down?
How Colin Donnell Will Join FBI: International
News that Colin Donnell is coming to FBI: International broke less than a day after the shocking reveal that Luke Kleintank is leaving the hit CBS show as leader of the Fly Team in Budapest. Fans shouldn't expect to see any torch-passing between the actors, however, as People reports that Donnell will arrive for the last two episodes of Season 3 after Kleintank's departure in early May.
Plus, there are no details currently available about what kind of character Donnell will be playing. So, even if he's coming into International just after the Fly Team lost a member, that doesn't mean the Chicago Med alum will be playing an FBI agent. Donnell is currently billed as a guest star as well, so this isn't a case like Dylan McDermott becoming a new series regular on FBI: Most Wanted right away after the departure of Julian McMahon.
Fans can look forward to seeing Donnell with the Fly Team in the episodes that air on May 14 and May 21, with the May 21 installment as the Season 3 finale. With FBI: International renewed for Season 4 already, it's hard not to speculate if this could be Donnell's full-time return to the expansive Dick Wolf TV universe.
How Colin Donnell Left Chicago Med
Despite Donnell's departure from Chicago Med taking place all the way back in the very first episode of Season 5, it was also one of the most memorable of any before or since. News broke before the Season 4 finale that the actor was not returning as a series regular in the fifth season, and Donnell himself confirmed it shortly after. At the time, there was no confirmation that either Donnell or Norma Kuhling – who played Dr. Ava Bekker as a key character in Connor's life – would return at all for Season 5, which made their cliffhanger in the Season 4 finale all the more befuddling.
Luckily, both actors ultimately were brought back for the Season 5 finale for a pretty bonkers conclusion to their arcs when Ava revealed that she had indeed killed Connor's dad, and then slit her own throat in front of Connor, dying in the hospital. Understandably, Connor felt the need to leave Med afterwards, although he did it without many goodbyes and never returned even as a guest, despite what the showrunners told CinemaBlend.
All in all, it was better than if Med hadn't brought Colin Donnell (or Norma Kuhling) back at all, but it was an abrupt and unceremonious exit for an actor who had played a major character for four seasons and nearly 100 episodes of One Chicago, particularly since he never came back. So, while it's safe to say that Donnell isn't going to be playing Connor when he guest stars on FBI: International, I personally feel that seeing him again on a Dick Wolf TV show could help make up for how suddenly he was removed from Chicago Med.
I'd also love to see him join International as a new series regular for Season 4, although I might have to amend that depending on what kind of character he plays. That said, there's certainly precedent for actors playing more than one series regular within the same franchise. FBI's Jeremy Sisto starred in three seasons of the original run of Law & Order before landing the role of Jubal Valentine, and Dylan McDermott was the main villain of Law & Order: Organized Crime's early seasons before coming to Most Wanted. Could Collin Donnell be the next to switch shows long term?
Only time will tell, but hopefully I'm not the only One Chicago fan excited to see Colin Donnell back in the Dick Wolf TV universe... and kind of in the mood to revisit his Chicago Med years streaming via Peacock Premium subscription. For now, keep tuning in to FBI: International on CBS Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET to see how Luke Kleintank's Scott Forrester is written out and who exactly Donnell will be playing. You can also revisit earlier episodes of International Season 3 streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
