Will the staple NBC procedural lose another member of its Intelligence?
Keep reading to find out!
The flipside of long-running procedural dramas that end up latching itself to an ardent fan base is a revolving cast door. Due to the longevity of the series and better offers popping up every now and then, the said cast members tend to snip off their association with the series as a matter of choice. If you are searching for the burning question of whether Tracy Spiridakos will be leaving the Intelligence team, you have landed on the correct page. Let us lay everything out for your clarification.
Yes. Indeed, it is true. Tracy Spiridakos, who plays Hailey Upton in the procedural drama Chicago P.D., will bow out after appearing for the final time in Season 11, according to Variety, as several insider reports confirm. Additionally, it is difficult to determine the number of episodes in which she will be appearing in Season 11. Spiridakos appeared on Chicago P.D. as a recurring character first in Season 4, thereafter climbing the casting ladder to a series regular from Season 5. To date, her presence in the drama has been on in 125 episodes, and her appearances in the upcoming season remain guarded and will only be disclosed once it airs.
Reportedly, her leave comes after her on-screen husband, Jay Halstead, played by Jesse Lee Soffer, takes his leave from the show one season earlier. Season 10 featured Jay leaving for an Army task in Bolivia and choosing to continuously extend his trip, deciding not to come back to his wife. This left their blooming romance in the air until it faded out with the incessant storm that wedged between them. To provide closure to this story, Spiridakos will probably be saying her goodbyes.
Apart from the departure of the on-screen married couple, the following members will be joining us for the next season, as confirmed at the time of writing this:
- Jason Beghe as Sergeant Hank Voight
- 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 crucial to understand that the above-mentioned speculation is only a mere statement and is not set in stone. We can only derive the true nature of Upton’s leave and view a suitable closure to the character when Season 11 airs. Speaking of which, when will we see Chicago P.D. Season 11 on the NBC network?
Chicago P.D. Season 11 Premiere Date: Best Case Scenario
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.”
We want to hear from you. What do you think are the possible trajectory and plotlines Season 11 will discover following the bone-chilling cliffhanger Season 10 left us with? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.