“Chicago Med”'s Oliver Platt Teases 'The Book of Charles' Revelations: 'I've Known These Things for Years' (Exclusive)

Breanne L. HeldmanWed, April 1, 2026 at 8:50 PM UTC

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Oliver Platt as Dr. Daniel Charles on Chicago MedCredit: George Burns Jr/NBC

Fans of Chicago Med are about to have a rough couple of weeks.

The episode debuting on Wednesday, April 1, is titled "The Book of Charles," and will kick off a two-week arc for Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) as he continues to struggle with his mental health, and revelations about his family legacy are revealed.

"We've been pretty judicious with holding this stuff back," warns Platt, who is an original cast member on the show, which was recently renewed for a 12th season.

"Over the course of the series, you've gotten a lot of pieces of the puzzle," showrunner Allen MacDonald tells PEOPLE.

Oliver Platt and Manish Dayal on Chicago MedCredit: George Burns Jr/NBC

That puzzle includes Daniel's parents — his mother died last season and brought up a slew of complicated emotions — and his daughter, Annabelle (Hannah Riley), who attempted suicide last season. The psychiatrist himself has struggled with his own mental health over the years, and hints of his unraveling have been teased throughout the season.

That all will come to a head following a harrowing call he takes while answering phones for a suicide hotline.

"There's this family history, this family legacy that we've been trying to lean into a little bit more the last two seasons in anticipation of doing these two episodes, which Oliver and I have been planning to do for a long time, and very much is a collaboration between the two of us," MacDonald adds.

"You have his relationship with his mother: he didn't end up speaking to her for 30 years," MacDonald continues. (Among other matters, Margaret took issue with Dr. Charles marrying his first wife because she was Black. At the time of Margaret's death, though, they were mending fences, and it was revealed that Margaret and her granddaughter, Robin, spoke regularly.) "We found out in the season finale last year that his daughter, Anna, attempted to take her own life, but would not admit it until a very moving scene toward the end where Charles tells her the story of when he found his father dead from suicide in his car in the garage and died on exhaust fumes. And that's the thing that broke her down and helped her admit that she did try to take her own life, and that opened the path to healing."

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Oliver Platt on Chicago MedCredit: George Burns Jr/NBC

Platt is excited to see how fans react to everything to come in this episode and the following one.

"We're hoping it's rewarding for our extraordinarily loyal and wonderful audience, the people who have been with us for 11 years," he says. "Maybe they'll be really curious and will really enjoy going, 'Oh!' and be able to put some pieces together."

"The characters have been the characters," Platt explains. "I've known these things about my mom and dad for many, many years. And even if you don't see it, I hope that the way I've been playing the character has maybe been informed by that."

Steven Weber, Oliver Platt and S. Epatha Merkerson in Chicago MedCredit: George Burns Jr/NBC

Platt is also quick to celebrate MacDonald's "Book of..." episodes, which explore more of the backstories of beloved characters. Last season, he tackled Dr. Dean Archer (Steven Weber).

"The whole conceit of doing an episode every season from one character's perspective, that is Allen's," Platt says. "I think it's a wonderful invention. ... This year, it was my turn, and I just love it because I want to think that this [plot] is happening very organically."

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Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”