The cast of "Chicago Med"

The TV spinoff isn't exactly a new concept -- "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour" spun off of "I Love Lucy" way back in 1957. When producers find a formula that works, they tend to capitalize on it, and who can blame them? CBS has been wildly successful with several CSI and NCIS series in recent years.

The peacock network has also had its fair share of spinoff hits thanks to the Law & Order franchise, but the network is breaking the mold with the new medical drama "Chicago Med," which is slated to premiere Tuesday, Nov. 17, on NBC. Set in a Chicago hospital, the show is a spinoff of the hit drama "Chicago Fire," which also spawned "Chicago P.D." in 2014.

Billed as "an emotional thrill ride through the day-to-day chaos of the city’s newest state-of-the-art trauma center," "Chicago Med" features an ensemble cast that will, from time to time, mingle with the characters from the already established Windy City shows. It presents a unique opportunity to explore a storyline from several angles at once, something "Chicago Med" star Oliver Platt ("The Big C") told "ET Canada" he was excited about.

"A lot of franchises have spun off shows before, but never into an active sort of living matrix of shows where we all get to visit the other shows," said Platt. "Sometimes we’ll just sort of guest, and other times there’ll be big story crossovers, and that’s exciting to me. It’s a new idea."

As in the other Chicago series, "Chicago Med's" ensemble cast will tell the kinds of stories that plague today's society, this time from the perspective of the health-care workers. Platt has nothing but praise for prolific television producer Dick Wolf's ("Law & Order") ripped-from-the-headlines style.

"Ultimately it's entertainment, but I think Dick's always had a social conscience, Dick's interested in talking about what's going on in our daily life," said the actor.

With Wolf at the helm as executive producer, alongside co-creator Matt Olmstead, it should come as no surprise that "Chicago Med" is poised to break new ground. The show has an impressive pedigree: not only is it on the network that brought viewers the iconic medical drama "ER," its Windy City predecessors also consistently pull in millions of viewers. This will -- with any luck -- give "Chicago Med" a head start in the ratings department as fans of "Fire" and "P.D." will likely want to check out the new members of the "Chicago" drama family.

Nick Gehlfuss ("Shameless") serves as a link between "P.D." and "Med" as Dr. Will Halstead, a trauma surgeon and brother of Det. Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer, "The Mob Doctor"). Dr. Halstead has recently returned to the Windy City after practicing medicine for 10 years in New York. He joins new trauma fellow Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell, "Arrow"). The hospital's brilliant chief of psychiatry, Dr. Daniel Charles (Platt), may possess remarkable insight into his patients' minds but lacks the same kind of perspective when it comes to his own personal life. Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee, "Jurassic World," 2015) is a Navy flight surgeon who knows a lot about infectious diseases.

Yaya DaCosta as seen in "Chicago Med"

Former "Law & Order" star S. Epatha Merkerson oversees the staff as Sharon Goodwin, the head of Chicago Med. She is but one of the show's fierce female characters. Despite being in the third trimester of her pregnancy, Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto, “The Vampire Diaries”) remains committed to her patients. Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo, “Jane the Virgin”) is an overachieving fourth-year medical student who may find herself in over her head. Yaya DaCosta ("Whitney," 2015) rounds out the cast as savvy ER nurse April Sexton, the "lifeblood" of the emergency room.

Viewers were introduced to some of these characters in the season 3 episode of "Chicago Fire" entitled "I Am the Apocalypse," in which the members of Firehouse 51 raced to the scene of a gas leak and transported the victims to Chicago Med. There, one of the patients claimed to be the carrier of a deadly airborne disease, and the ensuing four-episode storyline introduced Dr. Halstead, Goodwin and Sexton. It turns out that Sexton is an old acquaintance of "Fire's" Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney, "Zero Dark Thirty," 2012). She made it clear in the episode "Forgive You Anything" that he was not the greatest of friends, so he may have his work cut out for him if he's hoping to woo her. "The Walking Dead" alum Laurie Holden was also introduced as surgeon Dr. Hannah Tramble in the backdoor pilot, but she backed out of the series, citing family reasons.

Strong ensemble casts is something all three series have in common, and together the Chicago trio have the potential to explore all kinds of social issues. NBC has big plans for prime time, especially in the New Year. Viewers can expect a three-way crossover with "Chicago Med," "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." in January and another big crossover event between all three series plus "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in February. Catch all of the "Chicago Med" drama from the beginning starting Tuesday, Nov. 17, on NBC.