Tribute to resident Chris Harrell, explanation

For memory credits are one of the highest honors a television or film production can bestow on a deceased actor or crew member. Sometimes the words “in memory of love” appear at the end of a series or movie based on a true story, making it even more poignant, quietly confirming the death of one or more of the subjects. Other times, it’s a key member of the creative family who created the story being honored – a writer, actor, director, producer, author, musician, stuntman, or any number of other crew members.

There are also times when a movie or show honors someone whose name viewers don’t immediately recognize or can’t connect to the show in question. Taylor Sheridan’s ratings giant Yellowstone included a few surprises in memory over the years, celebrating the lives of everyone from the bat maker to the spur Billy Ray Clapper (who actually appeared on the show once) to the songwriter John Prine and Wilford Brimley, former spokesman for Liberty Medical, who had many other cowboy roles on screen never appeared in Yellowstone at all.

Yellowstone also paid tribute to an unannounced crew member and possible transportation and accommodation coordinator Melanie Olmstead in one episode, and it’s far from the only show to cover the death of someone who doesn’t appear to have been credited for the project during his lifetime. The same thing happened in the Fox medical drama “The Resident” in 2022, when someone named Chris Harrell was mentioned in the dedication at the end of the season 6 premiere.

Kharrell’s name appears at the end of “Two Hearts,” the episode in which Leela’s twin sister Padma (Anisha Joshi) undergoes a risky procedure when she discovers she is pregnant with twins, one of which is underdeveloped. At the end of the episode, the words “In loving memory of Chris Harrell” appear on the screen. According to LooperHarrell’s name never appeared in the official credits of The Resident , and while there are several Chris Harrells on IMDb — production assistant, producer, actor and director — none of them appear to have died.

Thanks to research by Looper and other sites, we know Harrell was a member of Teamsters Local 728, a union in Atlanta that often works with film and television productions. Nationally, the Teamsters is a grassroots labor group with a rich history, and its members include everyone from delivery drivers to orderlies and animal wrangling and location scouts on set. A public GoFundMe fundraiser created in honor of Harrell, contains a commentary indicating that he was a member of the film community, and also reveals details about the cause of his death. The fundraiser, identified on the site as Michael Freeman, wrote that Harrell “died unexpectedly during a medical procedure and leaves behind a loving family and countless friends.” A laudatory tribute noted that Freeman was part of the “racing community” and claimed that he “worked hard at any job he was given, but was just as proactive when pursuing his hobbies. Anyone he met,” he added, “was a friend.”

Fans of The Resident aren’t exactly sure how Harrell contributed to the medical drama by making him in memory – and so many others like it – a reminder to recognize the work that goes on behind the scenes of our favorite movies and shows on all levels. It’s also a much-needed reminder, in keeping with the life-and-death drama of the medical show itself, for each of us to give the people who help us in life our flowers while they’re still with us.