‘Chicago Med’ Season 8: Will Asjha Cooper Return as Dr. Taylor?
Audience-pleasing medical drama Chicago Med returns soon, and there is one character fans can’t wait to see more of. Snowfall and All American actor Asjha Cooper joined the show in season 6 as the guest character Vanessa Taylor. She quickly left an impression, leading fans of the now long-running primetime drama asking for more.
She was upgraded to a recurring cast member for season 7. But will Cooper make it back for Chicago Med season 8? Does the plot call for her medical student character to return to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center? Read on to get all the details on her potential return.
Will Cooper return to ‘Chicago Med’ this year?
When Cooper was first announced for the show, TV Line reported that the former All American actor would have an interesting connection with someone on the show. Nurse Maggie Lockwood turns out to be her biological mother.
The moment could have major repercussions for the show and the Taylor character. It also likely seals the deal that Cooper will be returning. It has not been confirmed Cooper is returning, however the actor doesn’t have any current projects, according to IMDb, suggesting she The massive story hook was left hanging after season 7 wrapped up.
Nurse Lockwood wants to get closer to her biological daughter and is successful — in private. Looper reports that Taylor worries about the familial connection undermining her promising medical career, which has already been put at risk once.
Asjha Cooper was an instant fan favorite on ‘Chicago Med’ last year
Cooper was likely a familiar presence on Chicago Med last year. While she was new to the show, she’s been a go-to choice for guest and recurring roles in dramas for years. From prestige dramas like Friday Night Lights to comedies like None of the Above, she has long since proved her talent and range.
The 29-year-old actor instantly made an impression as Taylor, a medical student assigned to Gaffney Medical. She had relatable struggles, including a plotline where she risked her position at the hospital due to Adderall abuse.
Her work as a guest got her upgraded to recurring — at least, officially. She appeared as Taylor in almost every episode of season 7. The plot also eventually unveiled a shocking revelation that could have a big impact on her future with Chicago Med, NBC News reports.
Fans are hopeful and vocal for more of Cooper’s performance
The seeds of Cooper’s return are in place. But there have been no cast announcements as of yet. The show premiers on September 21, 2022. That means promotional activities likely won’t gear up until the beginning of that month. For now, the actors’ fate is known only to the cast and crew of the show.
The nature of long-running primetime dramas, especially in the Chicago franchise, is turnover. Actors getting such a big stage often means they use the show as a platform to move on to bigger projects in film and television. It isn’t out of the cards that the positive reaction to Cooper’s work on the show means that she’ll end up on that relatively long list.
Chicago Med fans, of course, would like things to turn out differently. The response to the character’s step-up in prominence in season 7 was extremely positive. The hope is that she’ll return in part due to that reaction. But that might not be the only factor at play.
Med writers initially presented Cooper’s connection to Lockwood as an ongoing story hook. These experienced TV scribes also set it up so that a second option could play out, albeit with some on-screen explanation required. Cooper could leave the hospital in-between seasons, severing her risky tie to her biological mother and its threat to her burgeoning career. We’ll find out when Chicago Med returns.
