'Code Black' season 2 release date, cast rumors: Series creator speaks on major cast overhaul, tentative premiere set for September
CBS medical drama series "Code Black" will soon return for its sophomore run, but fans will have to face disappointing news as two main characters have been axed by the show.
The hit series comes back later this year minus two series regulars: Bonnie Somerville and Raza Jaffrey. The two cast members portray the characters of Christa Lorenson and Neal Hudson, respectively. As noted by Deadline, Boris Kodjoe, who plays the role of Will Campbell, and Jillian Murray as Heather Pinkney have been upped as season 2 regulars. The big move was in line with the producers "creative decision" to relaunch the medical drama for it to reach a broader audience. Reports say that the show will have 17 episodes for season 2, plus new series-regular doctors and recurring medical staff.
During an on-the-spot Q&A with fans, executive producer Michael Seitzman explained that losing two key players in the show "sucks for sure," adding, "But I'm still excited about the new characters we haven't talked about yet! No answer I give will be satisfying.... It sucks. Nobody — nobody — enjoyed this." Seitzman also took the chance to urge fans not to point fingers at anybody after the major shakeup, saying, "Decisions like this aren't easy and are very complex."
For the uninitiated, the show takes place on the fictional Angels Memorial Hospital. Four first-year resident doctors along with their other colleagues must tend to patients in a very busy and understaffed emergency room lacking sufficient resources. During its freshman run, "Code Black" had an average of 7.1 million total viewers along with a 1.3 demo rating. The number of total viewers even went up to 10.2 million with Live+7 DVR playback.
According to Seitzman, the show's "unofficial" premiere date of "Code Black" season 3 is on September 21. It remains to be seen if the release date will change, but the series will definitely arrive in the Fall, with the timeslot of Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. EST on CBS.
