What is happening with Lisseth Chavez’s character arc in the new season? Continue reading to find out.
If you’ve been watching the police procedural action drama television series for the last couple of years, then we’re sure you’ve been curious about whether Lisseth Chavez as Officer Vanessa Rojas will return to the show or not. This question has generated a lot of discussion on social media and in fandom, especially after NBC renewed the series for an eleventh season on April 10, 2023.
Therefore, it is only fair that you receive all of the responses to the flaming queries because you’ve come to the right place. For you, we’ve put together a quick rundown of everything you need to know about the current situations surrounding the characters’ plotlines. Here’s everything we know about whether Lisseth Chavez may or may not be returning to NBC’s Chicago P.D. Season 11.
Chicago P.D. Season 11: Will Lisseth Chavez return in the new season or not?
Lisseth Chavez is one of the talented actresses who captivated audiences with her compelling performance, as last seen in Chicago P.D. Season 7. Her character quickly became a household name through her role in the hit TV series as Officer Vanessa Rojas, a rookie and Antonio Dawson’s replacement following his resignation. She previously worked in an undercover operations unit. The undeniable magnetic presence on screen proved that her character was a special addition to the show, and her presence in the show was sadly shorter than everyone was anticipating it to be.
If you recall, she was all over in the seventh season, yet the character was abruptly removed from the show without any explanation, which has once again raised some eyebrows about her comeback! If you are wondering whether the right time has finally arrived for Lisseth Chavez to reprise her role in the much-awaited Chicago P.D. Season 11, then don’t worry because you have reached a sense of where this character stands in the series. Firstly, let’s remember her role as it originally was designed to create long-term romantic tension with the character Kevin Atwater, initiated in season seven!
Sadly, the tables quickly turned for the worse as her role was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to major changes in the casting due to cost-cutting. Because of this, Lisseth Chavez’s character was removed, and the overall arc of Officer Vanessa Rojas ended right there then, as it was announced during the break, Chavez could not return to complete her character’s storyline. This was due to the fact that the character never entirely clicked with fans or the producers. The timing of the change, however, allowed Chavez to take on the new role of a tech geek with a tragic past, Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz, in The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow’s sixth season.
Now, to answer your question, whether Lisseth Chavez will reprise her role in the new season or not.
Right now, we can assure the Chicago P.D. fans that it’s very plausible for Officer Vanessa Rojas to grace the screens in the near future. Many fans think that there is a chance that the character may be working in a nearby precinct or even a different squad and be called back in to address a case that goes outside the IU’s authority. Given that Chicago P.D. is normally better at providing fans with a feeling of closure, it would be interesting to have Rojas explain what occurred and provide a clear context for which we will be very excited if it ever happens!
Moreover, Rick Eid, the showrunner for Chicago P.D. at the time, told TV Line that they tried to address Rojas’ exit in the Chicago P.D. Season 8 premiered back on November 11, 2020, but that it ultimately felt forced. He admitted, “It’s always hard to say goodbye to a character.” Further adding, “We tried to address it in the premiere, but it felt forced. In other words, we’re still working on it.” Unfortunately, these were just false hopes, as nothing came of this possibility, and the chance to bring Rojas back in the new season remains up for debate.
Many fans have also speculated that she’s been gone for so long, which suggests that writers and the actress herself might have already moved on, due to which her return in the new season might not be crucial to the overall story, as this character who has been around for a single season may seem less crucial to make her reprise her role after a hiatus of three seasons! Besides, Lisseth Chavez has already found herself a new gig in fictional law enforcement. The actress currently stars on The Rookie opposite Nathan Fillion since the fifth season, where she plays newly minted LAPD officer Celina Juarez, who is Nolan’s enthusiastic new rookie!
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Release Date: When will it return on NBC?
We know that the fans have been excited for a long time to see the next chapter of this beloved fictional 21st District, but sadly, despite being hinted that the new season will be released in the fall of the 2023–2024 broadcast season, with September being the best release window. A sudden storm of hurdles has landed on major television networks! Right now, it looks pretty evident that the network is perhaps deviating off course this year, as it has been officially confirmed that the show won’t be able to premiere on the approved schedule.
We say this with a bit of assurance because NBC has also revised their fall schedules, and now the majority of the scripted shows, which includes the entirety of the One Chicago series, which includes the three series named Chicago P.D., Chicago Med., and Chicago Fire, are set to make their official comeback with the best release window for 2024. The new seasons of the three One Chicago series will start airing every Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in order to avoid any further disruption caused by the dual strikes and disclose new details in the near future.
Hence, any hopes for the series’ official release date in 2023 for Chicago P.D. Season 11 is pretty bleak at this moment! The only thing that has been confirmed by the network so far is that on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the NBC network will start premiering reruns of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. to fill up the empty slots in the primetime schedule that are caused by the ongoing dual strikes, which include the 2023 WGA and 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Additionally, the shows that were filmed ahead of the dual strikes have been moved up from their original mid-season slot to occupy the empty slots in the fall schedule. There is no question that this has happened due to the ongoing strikes that failed to meet an agreement, putting a temporary halt in working Hollywood until a proper resolution regarding the compensation of the writers and actors is made for the work to effectively resume and the production to conclude on time without causing any further hurdles or delays in the release.
Moreover, LaRoyce Hawkins, who plays Kevin Atwater, discussed the strike during a recent master class lecture at LSU. “Naturally, after the writers strike, it’s going to take the writers a while to start warming up their rooms again and starting to conceptualize stories again,” he told the LSU audience. “So we might need like a three-week buffer.” Further adding, “From my personal research, we have a big hill to climb before we can find an agreement,” he explained. “I’m faithful and optimistic that it will only be a couple more months if that, that we’re off.”
So, if we look at this current status, one thing is pretty clear: no new release date will be confirmed anytime soon, and NBC might also be considering taking a step forward as there is no chance for the production of the new season to commence even by late August 2023, which will lead to delays in post-production, eventually forcing the creators to skip the 2023 fall schedule and modify the release window by confirming it to premiere sometime around the first quarter of 2024, starting from January to March, because this situation doesn’t seem to get resolved anytime soon.
hailey has dante's back 🤝 pic.twitter.com/1xnj6pksLr
— One Chicago (@NBCOneChicago) July 21, 2023
In conclusion, as of writing this, the exact release date is uncertain, and we’ll just have to wait and see what more the cast and show creators will decide to disclose in the coming weeks! *Finger’s Crossed*