ET was exclusively on the Atlanta set in September where the cast celebrated the TV accomplishment and teased season 6.
The Resident is getting the royal treatment for its 100th episode! Fox's medical drama celebrates the TV milestone with Tuesday's episode, which features the much anticipated wedding between Kit and Bell. ET was exclusively on the Atlanta set in September with the cast as they filmed the monumental hour, and they reflected on what the accomplishments means for the show -- and for them personally.
"A hundred episodes is really just a chance to reflect on all the obstacles we've been through to get to this moment. All the life that's happened for every single crew member, every cast member," series star Matt Czuchry told ET. "The entire production takes hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people to make this show, and now's the time to reflect and celebrate on the things that we've done to get here... So here we are, and we just stay focused and get ready to do the next scene. So maybe have a little bit of cake, then go do the next scene."
In the episode, titled "For Better or Worse," Kit and Bell get ready to say "I do," but of course, it being The Resident and all, the groom gets pulled away on a medical emergency when he and Conrad help treat the ill daughter of a major hospital donor. Cast member Manish Dayal, who described the upcoming installment as "intense," steps behind the camera to direct. (Watch ET's exclusive sneak peek from the episode below.)
"The episode itself, the 100th episode, is a huge celebration. We hope it will be. It's the wedding of Kit and Bell after five seasons of flirting. It's not without its challenges, the day itself," Jane Leeves previewed, adding that Dayal in the director's chair "makes it a wonderful occasion." "He's such an amazing director. So, it feels like a family affair. It feels like an actual wedding, in fact. It really does."
Leeves has been part of several TV shows that have passed the 100-episode threshold (see: Frasier and Hot in Cleveland) and has said "I do" a few times on various series, but she acknowledges this one feels special.
"Bruce [Greenwood] and I have developed this wonderful relationship off-camera. We just have so much fun together. So hopefully that translates to the actual wedding ceremony itself," she said. "At our age, we've both been married before many times as characters, so I think this will be a little more tongue-in-cheek and fun, hopefully."
While Kit and Bell's nuptials will take center stage, the lingering love triangle between Conrad, Cade and Billie will reach a fork in the road in the episode. "Throughout this season, there's this question about Conrad and Cade, and Conrad and Billie. And so, there's going to be some revealing elements in episode 100 that have to do with the wedding and with Cade and with Billie, which will be fun for the fans," Czuchry hinted.
The actor discussed the intricacies surrounding Conrad and Cade's current relationship status, with Billie -- his late wife's best friend -- looming in the background.
"Conrad has a great relationship with Cade and with Billie, they're just different kinds of relationships. Conrad has a very emotional connection to Billie in terms of everything they went through with Nic's loss and the memories that they share. And with Cade, they went through a lot in season 5, in terms of difficulties that brought them closer together. So, their relationship is incredibly beautiful as well," Czuchry said. "I like the idea that you can have this relationship with Conrad and Cade that is a love relationship. And then you can also have this friendship with Conrad and Billie. They're not mutually exclusive. Just because Conrad's with Cade now, that friendship goes away. That's what makes this, hopefully, interesting and complex as we move forward throughout the whole season."
Czuchry acknowledged there is no clear answer at the moment for Conrad, with regard to whether he'll ultimately end up with Cade or Billie.
"I don't know if we have an answer to that yet," he said. "A lot of times we begin these stories and we see how they develop and we see what fans think and we see what's working and what's not working. It's not necessarily determined yet as to where Conrad is going to end up in terms of his final love life. But right now, he's in a committed relationship with Cade and that's working."
Lucas, who plays Billie, said the current season delves a lot deeper into her Resident persona, more so than ever before -- and the 100th episode kicks that into overdrive.
"It's a lot of her romantic life, which we haven't really delved too deep in so far. We saw in the first episode that Conrad ended up with Cade, but I don't think that that's necessarily the end of [Conrad and Billie's] story," the actress noted. "We're going to keep drawing that out for the rest of the season. Her feelings haven't disappeared. There's going to be potential other love interests that come in that maybe make Conrad jealous... I think it's complicated because [Conrad] was married to her best friend, who is now deceased. But in a way, she felt like that let her off the hook. She doesn't have to confront her feelings so much. So, she's happy to put it aside for now, but the feelings are still there."
Czuchry and his castmates reflected on the significance of reaching this benchmark for the series, giving a lot of the credit to the viewers. As Lucas observed, "100 episodes is a very big deal nowadays [as] not a lot of shows make it so that milestone."
"The hundred episodes wouldn't happen without so many people and that includes the fans," Czuchry said. "The fans are a massive, massive reason why we are here. We wouldn't have had a pilot pick-up if it wasn't for the fans. So, to be able to be here for six seasons and to have a hundred episodes, so much gratitude and love goes out to the fans."
"The loyalty fans have shown to the show is extraordinary," Leeves praised. "It was so funny because when I first started the show, so many people came up to me and said, 'You're doing that show. I love that show.' They've stuck with us over the years and through all the changes we've gone through. We've lost cast members, we've gained cast members and they still are completely loyal to us. And I'm so grateful for that because we really work hard to make it a special show."
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who plays Raptor, echoed his co-stars' sentiments, expressing gratitude to the viewers for sticking around since Day 1. "Thank you for supporting us, for getting us to 100 episodes. Because, of course, without you guys watching and enjoying the show and sharing that you enjoy the show, we definitely would not be here talking about a 100th episode. I could speak for everybody when I say we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for rocking with us."
So, how long could they see The Resident continuing on for?
"We'll keep going till the end. Who knows when or how that will be? But we'll just keep going to the end," Czuchry said. "It's very special that we've been able to make it this far through all the obstacles we've had and it really just takes an incredible team effort from hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of crew members and cast and everyone to make this happen. So, we're happy to be here and I'll be here until it's done."
The 100th episode of The Resident airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
RELATED CONTENT:
