Brian Tee is scrubbing out.
The actor, who has played Dr. Ethan Choi on NBC's Chicago Med since its 2015 premiere, is leaving the series after eight seasons, Deadline reported Oct. 12. He'll make his final appearance during episode nine, "Could Be the Start of Something New," which will air Dec. 7.
"Playing Dr. Ethan Choi on Chicago Med has been such a gift and a blessing," Tee told Deadline. "I am forever grateful to our fans and my colleagues both in front of and behind the camera as I embark on a new journey. I am forever indebted to Dick Wolf, NBC, and Universal Television for choosing me."
Calling Dr. Choi's sendoff "fitting," Tee added, "It's beautiful I think the fans are going to absolutely love it. It's going to bring a little bit of the new Ethan and a little bit of the old. Know that episode 9 is going to be an amazing one."
But, this isn't the last time we'll see Tee's name on the series. He'll soon return to direct, making his directorial debut during episode 16.
According to the outlet, Tee decided not to come back after his six-year contract ended to "spend more time with his family" and "pursue other opportunities." The actor is set to star opposite Nicole Kidman in Lulu Wang's upcoming Prime Video series Expats.
After the announcement, Tee reflected on how the role shifted the trajectory of his career, noting that before Chicago Med, he mostly played villains.
"I've thought a lot about what Dr. Choi represents," he said. "As far as my career path, it was the school of hard knocks for a long time. I took what the industry granted me as far as opportunities were concerned. At that time, the box I was allowed to play in around 20-plus years ago, was very limited; it was very stereotypical, and cliche like playing the Asian bad guy archetype. I have nothing against it; I was able to build a career but it never propelled me to a level of which I knew I was capable."
Tee added that his Chicago Med character not only changed his life, but the entire Asian American community.
"Ethan Choi represents to me the first time I've actually played a protagonist in such a strong way and he catapulted me into a different arena, one where I feel the perception of not only myself but Asian Americans had been changed," he said. "Just having an Asian face as a leading man was a stepping stone, if not the ladder."
Watch Tee's final episodes when Chicago Med airs Wednesdays on NBC.
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