Firefighters, police and hospital personnel are three groups of people who are usually considered to be heroes on primetime TV. Then comes The Resident to yank off the cape and go straight into the controversial world of medical malpractice, sketchy surgeons, questionable diagnosis for diseases, bribery and insubordination. The Resident is either amazing to viewers because of all the drama on each episode or makes them permanently wary of every doctor they encounter.

Imagine a blend of Hugh Laurie’s know-it-all character Dr. Gregory House on House and Ellen Pompeo’s contumacious character Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy. That’s The Resident, but it’s the whole cast. While there were softer moments (ex. weddings, babies, schoolboy crushes, father-daughter bonding) at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, The Resident viewers knew there was only a matter of time before the police were called or an operating room was needed soon after. So, with all the antics and the excitement of the show, why was The Resident canceled? With many spoilers ahead, find out why some cast members left and some stayed until the final season.

Did the Show Take a Turn When Shaunette Renée Wilson Left?

Arguably one of the most well-trained and qualified surgeons on the show, Wilson’s character Mina Okafor was definitely light on soft skills. As the type to respond, “What’s good about it?” after a “good morning” greeting, this three-year surgery resident was still tough to replace when it came to talent. In fact, when Randolph Bell (played by Bruce Greenwood) was having his own medical issues, Mina was called in to take his place (without the public knowing). It took AJ Austin (played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner), who had two times as much of an ego as her, for Mina to finally realize who she was becoming. Instead of loathing each other as much as both of them disliked 98% of the world (including patients), these two found themselves liking each other romantically. But she already had a boyfriend, who was a prior patient. And Mina wasn’t nearly as sure about dating AJ as he was about her.

Their “will they, won’t they” was a little like Pam and Jim from The Office, but with way more blood, surgical tools and yelling. So why did one-half end up leaving when this was such a big storyline for the show? According to Wilson, this was her decision. In season 4, the writers created a storyline with Mina in trouble for speaking out against Dr. Barrett Cain (played by Morris Chestnut). And he responded by challenging the Nigerian doctor’s immigration status and potential deportation. Instead of that storyline playing out and AJ marrying her so she could stay in the U.S., Wilson exited early.

“After deeply thoughtful reflection, I approached the producers some time ago asking to leave the show and they agreed — and gave my character a wonderful sendoff,” Wilson, also a cast member in Black Panther, said in a statement. “I am appreciative of them for allowing me to embody as beautiful of a soul as Dr. Mina Okafor. I would also like to thank the studio, network, cast, crew and, most of all, the wonderfully dedicated fans of The Resident for their support over the last four seasons.”

Like romantic relationships, some cast members just left when they felt it was their time to go.

Who Stayed Until the Final Season of ‘The Resident’?

Minus patients, The Resident wasn’t the kind of show that regularly killed off cast members. Sure, there was a memorable stabbing scene and gun wounds were no stranger to the show. Minus Glenn Morshower (who played Marshall Winthrop) and Emily VanCamp (who played Nicolette Nevin), The Resident was more likely to add characters on than get rid of the most beloved ones like The Wire cast.

In VanCamp’s case, her character on the show got pregnant, and it turns out that the actress was pregnant in real life with a daughter named Iris.

“It was very interesting, mostly because I’m very private about my family life,” VanCamp told Deadline in an exclusive interview. “It allowed us to keep the pregnancy quiet and to have something that’s just ours for a little while. That was beautiful in and of itself — to finally have a little privacy. The timing wasn’t exactly the same, so I was wearing a [prosthetic] belly over my belly.”

VanCamp was written off the show when Nicolette was involved in an accident that left her with a brain injury. The new mom said she had nothing but positive memories of the show and would’ve been game to come back for flashback episodes.

Majority of the original cast hung around, including Matt Czuchry (who played Conrad Hawkins), Manish Dayal (who played Devon Pravesh), Bruce Greenwood (who played Randolph Bell), Jessica Miesel (who played Nurse Jessica Moore) and Vince Foster (who played Dr. Paul Chu). A few cast members arrived mid-season or left early but felt like they’d been on the show the entire time, including Warner, Chestnut, Anuja Joshi (who played Leela Devi), Jenna Dewan (who played Julian Booth) and Melina Kanakaredes (who played Lane Hunter).

Why Was ‘The Resident’ Canceled?

Throughout the six seasons, the Fox primetime show took on many topics that would’ve been considered “woke,” including a white nurse and white doctor repeatedly dismissing a black woman having complications after her pregnancy. At the end of that episode, footage of Charles Johnson IV and his wife, Kira Dixon Johnson, who died in 2016 from a similar real-life story, were shown. There was another episode about hospital staff treating an uninsured and undocumented patient while dealing with hospital administrators. And The Resident gave Black actors — who wouldn’t normally be the surgeon on a TV show — almost celebrity appeal as top-notch medical professionals, including Mina, Barrett and AJ. Devon, an Indian resident, even challenged whether Conrad would’ve been able to be as mouthy and hard-headed as he was without being a handsome, white man.

Could social justice issues like this have continued on the show? Would conservative viewers have been turned off by this? In a curious moment of season six, Irving Feldman (played by Tasso Feldman) yelled, “Chastain lives!” Then, series co-creator Amy Holden Jones asked producing director Rob Corn for a take where he yelled, “Chastain lives! On to Season 7!” According to Jones, the entire emergency room cheered.

But that didn’t happen, even with an average of 6.9 million viewers. Why was The Resident canceled at all? The show was losing viewers (69% drop) within the 18-49 demographic since season one. Then, Czuchry got a role on the 12th season of American Horror Story, also produced by 20th Television. And a seventh season of The Resident would’ve been competing with a new medical drama, Doc.

One month later, a listing for a liquidation sale in March 2023 was published, confirmation the sale of props and designer wardrobes from a “major network medical drama.” The Resident was not named at the time. But sleuths could quickly figure out which show it was, considering it took place in Conyers, a suburb 25 miles from Atlanta, where The Resident filmed. Fans of the show, and those who missed out on it altogether, can still enjoy all six seasons on Netflix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will there be a season seven for The Resident?

No, the show has ended after six seasons.

Why did Mina leave The Resident?

Although her character was going to be written off after a surgeon threatened her immigration status, Wilson chose to exit earlier than her storyline.

Did The Resident abruptly end?

As with every season, The Resident gave clear answers on some endings and left others with the potential to grow (ex. Conrad and Billie’s relationship). When Irving’s character yelled “Chastain lives!” that both confirmed that the hospital would fight its way through its financial barriers and potentially return for a seventh season. However, it did not.