The Resident: Nicolette Nevin's Tragic Death Explained

Summary Nurse practitioner Nicolette Nevin was a standout character in The Resident for her ability to stand up to the hotheaded Dr. Conrad Hawkins, who would later become her husband

Nic died early in The Resident season 5 after a car crash left her brain dead.

The character's death was the result of Nic actress Emily VanCamp wanting to lead the show, citing shifting priorities. Nic returned in flashback for The Resident's season 5 finale.

Nicolette Nevin (Emily VanCamp) suffers a tragic death in The Resident, which left the rest of the staff at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital reeling. The Resident is a medical drama that often flits between real down-to-earth medical dramatics, and hospital horror that makes for a disconcerting yet poignant, tone. It's this tone that allowed the show to stand out within the packed genre for six seasons before it was canceled in April 2023. The staff and doctors at the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia are some of the best reasons to watch The Resident.

One of the main characters of The Resident is Nicolette Nevin, a talented nurse practitioner at Chastain who is one of the few people willing to push back against Dr. Conrad Theodore Hawkins' (Matt Czuchry) unconventional medical practices. This contentiousness between the two medical professionals quickly blooms into a romantic relationship that results in a wedding and a child, Gigi (Remington Blaire Evans). Nic's level-headed presence on The Resident balanced out Conrad's hot-headedness and her death caused a deep rupture in the lives of everyone she knew.

Related The Resident: 10 Movies & TV Shows Where You've Seen The Cast The Resident’s cast has been lauded for their work on the medical drama. But what other genres can fans find these actors in their list of credits?

Nicolette Nevin Is Left Brain Dead After A Car Crash In The Resident Season 5

Emily VanCamp Wanted To Leave The Show

Close

At the end of season 5, episode 2, "No Good Deed", after two episodes of no Nic (she's away on a spa trip), a police officer arrives at Conrad's house and tells him his wife has been involved in a major car accident. In the next episode, "The Long and Winding Road", it's revealed that Nic has suffered a traumatic brain injury and is in a coma she almost certainly won't awake from. When her brain herniates, Nic is declared brain-dead and Conrad has to make the difficult choice to let her go.

By virtue of Nic donating her organs, she's brought up throughout the season, as some patients come back through Chastain, revealing that they are the recipients of Nic's final gift.

He's then made to decide what to do with Nic's organs and eventually agrees to follow his late wife's wishes and donate them, resulting in a sad scene of Nic being wheeled to the operating room, surrounded by her friends. By virtue of Nic donating her organs, she's mentioned throughout the season, as some patients come back through Chastain, revealing that they are the recipients of Nic's final gift. Conrad is of course, more heartbroken than anyone, and his struggle to accept the death of his wife is a significant storyline in The Resident season 5.

Nic's father, Kyle (Corbin Bernsen), takes his anger out on Conrad, unfairly blaming him for Nic's death, and his coming to grips with his daughter's death is another result of the tragedy. Why Nic was killed off is not known for sure, but it likely had to do with VanCamp rearranging her priorities once she had her first child sometime in 2021, around the same time her character was pregnant in season 4. She told Deadline,

"We started talking about [my leaving] awhile ago. I spent so many years on network television, but then suddenly priorities shifted. I think there comes a moment in every woman’s life—in every person’s life—where it becomes less about work and more about family, and that’s what happened while I was making the show."

Nic's Timeline On The Resident Season Episode Event 1 1 Nic is introduced 1 10 Nic and Conrad comfort one another and fall asleep together 1 11 Nic is unfairly fired from her job 1 14 Nic and Conrad kiss for the first time on the show, Nic gets her job back 2 20 Nic and Conrad take a break from their relationship 2 23 Nic and Conrad get back together 3 1 Nic's sister dies 3 2 Nic and Conrad move in together 3 16 Conrad proposes to Nic 4 1 Nic and Conrad get married 4 2 Nic reveals she is pregnant 4 5 Nic is stabbed in the abdomen but she and her baby are saved just in time 4 14 Nic gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Gigi 5 3 Nic passes away from the injuries she suffered in a car accident 5 23 Nic's last appearance on The Resident, in Conrad's memories

Nic Returned For The Resident Season 5 Finale

Conrad Remembers Nic For An Extended Flashback

Though absent for nearly all of season 5, VanCamp did return to The Resident in the season finale, "Neon Moon". In the episode, Conrad has flashbacks to a night he spent with Nic soon after Gigi was born. In the flashbacks, Nic and Conrad share an evening, teasing one another about past romances. Eventually, the question comes up about what they would do if one of them passed away, and Nic says she hopes Conrad would find someone else. It's with this memory that Conrad realizes he can move on, and not feel wrong for pursuing someone else.