Fall screening season is officially upon us.
Will the most popular One Chicago series make it back to mark their one-decade bull’s eye?
Or is October not feasible?
Before zooming into the necessary details of Season 11 of Chicago P.D., the most popular of the One Chicago franchise and has been a broadcast staple for NBC ever since its inception, let us get some unfortunate news out of the way. In junction to whether the new season of Chicago P.D. will return for its 11th Season in October, the result on is a resounding no. Why?
With the fact that the production for the new Season had been plunged into an indefinite hiatus with the inception of the four-month-long double strike situation with the WGA and SAG AFTRA demanding fair compensation and alleviated protection against artificial intelligence. With no writers to finish the scripts and no actors to film the sequences, NBC had decided to shift its fall focus releases of 2023 to a mid-season 2024 release due to the uncertainty of the unwavering strikes.
The mid-2024 season release of Chicago P.D. Season 11 still holds true while writing this, but we may have gained some impetus on the proposed release timeline and updates on how the production crew is keeping up to ensure that the new season drops on the proposed timeline. So, it is clear that Chicago P.D. Season 11 will not be reaching NBC in October. So when will it?
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Release Date: Best Case Scenario
Do you miss your favorite 21st District of the Chicago Police Department in action? Seems like the NBC network was missing them, too. Hence, they decided to bring them back for the fall season of 2023. But… not in the way you imagined!
Initially, after the strike curtailed script writing and production initiatives, other competitor networks like CBS released an updated version of their fall schedule amidst the strike. NBC finally followed suit on July 19th and updated its 2023 fall lineup. Check out its update on their official Twitter page.
the fall lineup is here. original programming and brand-new specials are coming to NBC and streaming on @peacock this fall. https://t.co/WKrGqo0iGh
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) July 19, 2023
Can you spot ‘Chicago Dramas’ written under “Wednesday, October 4th” on the 8-9 pm slot? Yes! That is a synonym for the entire One Chicago franchise (P.D., Med, and Fire). However, you might have also noticed ‘reruns’ written in brackets. This is because the episodes from earlier seasons of the three shows will feature on the NBC network.
More drama is on its way! One Chicago returns Wednesdays this fall on @nbc and streaming on @peacock. pic.twitter.com/09k6tVmiO4
— Firehouse 51 squad (@NBCOneChicago) May 12, 2023
We know what you are thinking. ‘But NBC promised Chicago: PD Season 11 in fall 2023.’ As mentioned above, that is not going to be possible to achieve. However, we have gathered some important developments in the sphere of the writer’s room within the past few days.
September 27th finally witnessed the WGA and AMPTP coming to an agreement, resulting in favorable deals for the union. As soon as the exciting news struck the internet, ardent One Chicago fans took to their social media accounts and bombarded the internet with plaguing questions of developments now that the writers got a fair deal. To that, we have a formidable answer. According to Deadline, the One Chicago writer’s room has reportedly joined back together to dip their pens in ink and etch out the plotlines of the next season. Although NBC has not given any formal announcements on the exact release date of the series, according to several insider sources and thorough research, we can expect Season 11 of Chicago P.D. to hit our screens by March 2024.
Cementing this release window would be treason, given that the SAG AFTRA is still negotiating terms with the AMPTP but is making favorable progress. So until that is over, even if the scripts are ready, there will be no actors to film the sequences.
Speaking of actors, here is an account of who will return for the next season of Chicago P.D. and who won’t:
Chicago P.D. Season 11: Who Will Reprise Their Roles?
Who will be back for Chicago: P.D. Season 11? Who will not be joining us for the next Season? We have gathered all the intel.
While there has not been any official announcement surrounding the cast for Season 11, this is the cast with regards to the reruns that the NBC network will feature this fall on the NBC network.
- Jason Beghe as Sergeant Hank Voight
- Jesse Lee Soffer as Senior Detective Jay Halstead
- Tracy Spiridakos as Detective Hailey Upton
- Marina Squerciati as Officer Kim Burgess
- Patrick John Flueger as Officer Adam Ruzek
- LaRoyce Hawkins as Officer Kevin Atwater
- Benjamin Levy Aguilar as Officer Dante Torres
- Amy Morton as Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt
It is noteworthy to mention that Season 10 saw the exit of Detective Jay Halstead(Jesse Lee Soffer), who does not return and ultimately detaches from his wife. So we don’t know whether the character will return for the next season. We will keep you updated as soon as we receive news on this.
“We understand the emotional connection our audience has with these characters and we can’t wait to bring more of their stories to the forefront next season,” Lisa Katz, the president of scripted programming at NBCUniversal and Streaming, said in a statement. Further adding, “A huge thank you to Dick and his amazing team who are the masters of producing incredibly compelling television week after week.”
Where Can I Watch Chicago P.D.?
As of writing this, the show still has an approved 22-episode order with an average runtime of 40 to 44 minutes. But if the writer strike isn’t resolved anytime soon, then this count can go down to 18 to 20 episodes. This news is confirmed by NBC Chicago when they speculated, “Scripted series, like Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med will take longer to be affected, but could be impacted as well. They could be forced to cut seasons short or delay filming altogether.” In any case, the show reruns will air on the official NBC network from Wednesday, October 4th, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Meanwhile, if you don’t want to be stuck in the loop of a weekly screening, you can access all the earlier seasons of Chicago: P.D. on the following platforms:
- NBC (in the US)
- Sky Witness (in the UK)
- Peacock
- FuboTV
- Hulu Plus
- Amazon Instant Video (rent)
- Vudu (rent)
What Can We Expect The Plot Of Season 11 To Cover?
Regarding Season 11, we may expect it to follow the overall plotline of the series, which reads: ‘Chicago P.D.’s Intelligence Unit investigates the city’s most formidable offenses – drug trafficking, organized crime, high-profile murders, and other large-scale felonies. The squad – made up of Voight, Trudy Platt, Kim Burgess, Adam Ruzek, Kevin Atwater, Jay Halstead, and Hailey Upton – is committed to protecting the city and seeking truth, but in the midst of a changing criminal justice system, the team struggles to maintain peace in the community. Voight must learn to adapt to a shifting sociopolitical climate and embrace new tactics to crack down on crime in the city he loves.’
Chicago: P.D. Season 11 will pick up where the Season 10 finale, “A Better Place,” left us, which reads: “As Richard Beck’s timeline for a deadly attack moves up and Samantha panics, Ruzek, and the team scramble to get ahead of an unprecedented disaster.” Along these lines, here are some questions Season 11 might answer for us after the cliffhanging end to Season 10.
- Will Ruzek live to see the day?
In the series finale, while the gang is on the hunt for white extremist Beck, Ruzek finds him first with his grandson Cal and Cal’s mother, Samantha. Beck had already used Cal as leverage by tapping into his consciousness and making him believe in the ideals he followed. While Ruzek tried to steer Samantha and Cal away from Beck, something inside Cal made him get hold of the gun and shoot Ruzek without flinching!
Ruzek bled out on the ground but managed to call for help while Samantha and Cal fled the scene. We saw Ruzek being carried to the hospital, and emergency surgery was performed on him. However, by the end of the episode, we still didn’t get an update on how he was doing. It begs the question. Is he still alive? Only time will tell as we wait for our next season. However, according to Screen Rant, ‘Leaked photos from a deleted scene in the finale depicted Burgess at Ruzek’s hospital bedside, but since this moment was erased from the episode, it technically doesn’t exist (yet).’
2) Will Burgess and Ruzek finally tie the knot?
Their relationship has been a roller-coaster ride since its inception in Season 1 when Burgess had feelings for Ruzek, who was then engaged. Season 2 saw Ruzek breaking off his engagement and getting engaged to Burgess. Season 3 followed their breakup. Seven years and an adopted child later, they are living together and dating. So marriage is probably on the hooks, ONLY if Ruzek survives to see Season 11. But fans are desperately trying to communicate with the One Chicago team and asking them not to separate the two AGAIN! In a conversation with NBC insider, Patrick John Flueger, who plays Ruzek, said,
“If Instagram comments are any indication, most of the fans are like, ‘Just leave them alone, leave them alone. So I think we’ve got enough opportunities for drama on our show that maybe you’ll actually be able to see two people just kind of be happy together.”
He added, “[Marina and I have] definitely both told the writers—and, you know, we can tell them anything we want, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to listen—that if they break us up again, like, please let’s not try this again because it’s too much. It’s too much.” For now, let’s hope for the best while we wait it out.
3) Cal seeks revenge for Beck’s death
It’s a possibility. Beck was successful in passing down his white extremist ideology to Cal. When Kevin Atwater(a black man) shoots Beck dead without harming Cal(whom Beck used as a shield), Cal shoots Artwork a disgusted, menacing look. That might actually be the offset of another criminal with a white extremist ideology in the making. Will Cal debunk what his grandfather taught him? Will he rise above his beliefs? Or would he succumb to racist motives and take out the police department for killing his grandfather? Guess we will just have to wait and watch. With that being said, for any new developments that are underway, we will be the first to update this space. So stay tuned.
Apart from these obvious trails of plots that Season 11 will explore, what else can it bring to the table? We would like to view your thoughts on some plotlines in Chicago P.D. Season 11 will explore, so use the comment section to elaborate.
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