The TV lineup is a lot lighter on new scripted content this fall due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with mainstays like NBC's One Chicago off the air until production can begin on the new seasons. Fans of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med have already been waiting much longer than usual for payoff on spring finale cliffhangers. I'm missing Med in particular at this point for one big reason, but NBC fortunately has another medical drama in primetime to help me cope: Transplant, starring Hamza Haq.
First things first, though! There's a reason why I've been missing Med so much this fall.
Why I Miss Chicago Med So Much
Aside from the obvious fact that Chicago Med is usually back with a new season by mid-to-late September each year, there has been a shortage of One Chicago's medical drama longer than P.D. and Fire. Repeats of Chicago P.D. were airing during the summer in its usual 10 p.m. ET time slot on NBC, to the point that I was feeling the blow of losing Halstead all over again.
Chicago Fire is now getting the Wednesday night reruns, and I've been enjoying those giving me a new perspective on Severide's absence as well. But NBC hasn't yet gotten to Med in its One Chicago rerun rotation this fall, and it just feels like a very long time since we saw characters like Hannah Asher, Crockett Marcel, and Maggie Lockwood in action. There is some primetime hospital action this fall, however, and it's all thanks to a show set in Toronto rather than the Windy City.
Why Transplant Is A Great Replacement
Admittedly, I've been a fan of Transplant ever since the Canadian series made its U.S. debut in fall 2020, when COVID shutdowns rather than strikes resulted in a shortage of scripted options, including Chicago Med. Plus, I was already hoping that Season 3 would make its way to NBC after the eventful Season 2 finale.
The recent premiere with a Battlestar Galactica alum and big romantic leap forward for Hamza Haq's Bashir delivered. In fact, after watching that first episode back, I really think that Transplant is a great replacement for any Chicago Med fan this fall, regardless of whether they've been watching from the beginning.
In Season 3, Bash is continuing to build a life for himself and his sister in Canada after having to leave their home in Syria as refugees. Already a skilled doctor, he has had to start over and rebuild his career in a very different medical system. The flashbacks that were a major part of the first two seasons will continue, while he also pursues Canadian citizenship. He and Amira have come a long way, but plenty of challenges still face them.
There's a strong ensemble with storylines ranging from crises in the ED to critical surgeries at York Memorial Hospital to Bash trying to balance his past with his present. Throw in the aftermath of Season 2's cliffhangers, and there is a lot to build on in Season 3! Plus, the full first and second seasons are available streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription, so it's easy to catch up if you're a newcomer.
I won't say that there's a Manstead 2.0 with versions of Chicago Med's Natalie and Will, but I can say that there's a duo that will likely have new viewers rooting for them!
How Showrunner Joseph Kay Hyped What's To Come
Only one episode of Season 3 has aired in the U.S. so far, but Transplant will continue with new episodes on NBC in the 2023 TV schedule. The third season premiere had several cliffhangers to resolve, including one unanswered romantic question, one life-and-death emergency, and one possibly departing series regular. The episode addressed all three of those unresolved twists, although it also left Bash with a new professional challenge: wanting to practice as a trauma surgeon at York Memorial after already going through that training in Syria. When I spoke with showrunner Joseph Kay, he hyped what's next for Hamza Haq's lead character and his goal, saying:
That's in the front of his mind. He wants it very much. In every season of Transplant, we tell a story that takes place in the past, and the story that we tell for Bash in Season 3 that takes place in the past is what his life was like before there was a war in his country, and he had to leave. He grew up with two surgeon parents, and it was sort of the life that was laid out in front of him. When he was a kid, and kind of a happy, relaxed kid, he sort of took that life for granted, and then lost it all. And the Bash that we know now wants to get that back. The thing that he once took for granted, he wishes that he had again.
The Season 2 flashbacks definitely didn't show a whole lot of a Bash who I'd describe as "happy" or "relaxed." In fact, some were so gruesome when they were originally filmed that they had to be reshot. It sounds like Season 3 will go in some new directions, and the first episode already showed him being a little wistful that he couldn't go home to Syria even for a visit. His journey to hopefully becoming a trauma surgeon again in Canada could be a difficult one! The showrunner continued:
He does get the opportunity in this season to try to retrain as a surgeon again, and it's an opportunity for us as a show to sort of explore the different ways that this character has his feet in multiple worlds. He's both a surgeon and not a surgeon. He's both a Canadian and not a Canadian. He's both a Syrian and not a Syrian. This is one of the sort of emotional things that's always pulling at him, and seeing him as kind of a fractured individual in the ways that we all are, but unique to him. He wants it very badly, and he gets the opportunity to go for it in Season 3, and we think it goes to some surprising and emotional places.
Bash and his sister Amira passed the first step of applying for Canadian citizenship in the first episode of the third season, but they're presumably still a ways off from actually getting it. Whether or not retraining as a trauma surgeon is the tougher battle for him remains to be seen. His instincts when treating traumas are still different from his fellow doctors who weren't practicing in a war zone before coming to York Memorial, and newcomer Dr. Devi doesn't seem to as supportive of that approach compared to Dr. Novak.
How To Watch Transplant
Fortunately, it's not hard to find Transplant to watch live and revisit previous seasons. The full first two seasons are available streaming on Peacock; with only thirteen episodes each, binge-watching to catch up wouldn't take nearly as long as binge-watching two seasons of Chicago Med. New episodes of Season 3 air on NBC on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET, following the latest reruns of Law & Order: SVU. If you can't watch Season 3 live, you can also find the newest episodes streaming next day on Peacock. Chicago Med is also available on the streamer during the wait for Season 9.
If you're a returning viewer, Season 3 of Transplant arriving on NBC is certainly something to celebrate. If you're a newcomer trying it out for the first time... well, count yourself lucky that you didn't have to wait from July 2022 to October 2023 to see the payoff of the Season 2 finale cliffhangers!
