Venting on the show's subreddit discussion, original poster u/kush80w90gl5 complains that plotting is the issue for "Chicago Med" Season 6: "The atmosphere feels weird, the storytelling is weak so far." But on the same thread, u/doubleplusfabulous puts their finger on what turns out to be the most significant complicating factor about the show's 6th season, writing, "I'm guessing the original trajectory of the plotlines were thrown off by [COVID-19], and they had to scramble to make things work."
As the air dates listed above no doubt tipped you off, Season 6 hit viewers' screens just as the COVID-19 pandemic erupted into the headlines — and into the world's hospitals and emergency rooms. COVID-19 hit the series hard, causing cast and staff absences and resulting in only 16 episodes that season, most of them dealing with the outbreak in one way or another (via Deadline). But the constant COVID-19 narrative on "Chicago Med" also wore more than a few fans out, like this Reddit user who confessed: "I'm a bit exhausted with [COVID-19] content." However, as executive producer Diane Frolov explained to Us Weekly just before Season 6 launched, the series had an obligation to reflect what was going on: "Real-life doctors have been at increased risk and have been disproportionately infected. We felt we had to show that."
