Chicago P.D. Season 12 is set to pick up several weeks after the devastating events of the Season 11 finale. Much of the previous season centered around Hank Voight’s (Jason Beghe) capture as the boss had a close shave with death in captivity at the hands of the brutal serial killer, Frank Matson. Time has passed since that near-death experience and Voight has had enough time to heal from his physical wounds. However, when we meet with him at the start of the new season, the boss will be dealing with trauma. In a new discussion with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner, Gwen Sigan shares updates on Voight’s state of mind as well as how the show will approach the task of finding a replacement for Hayley Upton (Tracy Spiridakos).
Voight will be dealing with a lot of emotional pain when Season 12 begins, as seen in a preview photo where he’s seated alone in an office seemingly in deep distress. “Voight’s definitely in a strange head space,” Sigan shared. “He’s trying to get back to baseline, but that baseline for him has changed. Voight’s in a place where he’s more introspective than we’ve seen him in a while — his unit has changed, he has changed, and whether or not he consciously knows it, when we find him at the start of this season, he’s taking stock of his life.” Despite being in a tough place mentally, the new season will see Voight hit the ground running with new tasks as another photo sees him walking gallantly down the streets with Adam Ruzek (Patrick J. Flueger). Another image teases the return of Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) who’s seen in uniform receiving a phone call.
Who Will Replace Hayley Upton In Chicago P.D.?
After Upton’s exit, fans have speculated that Bojana Novakovic‘s Petrovic could be her likely replacement in the Intelligence Unit. While Sigan acknowledges her performance in the role, the showrunner looks to be considering another yet unknown character to fill Upton’s spot. Sure, Petrovic seems like the natural replacement for Upton, but Sigan would rather make that decision “in a way that feels a bit unexpected and fun for the audience.” This replacement is now likely to come in form of a new character the audiences have yet to meet. “It’s given us a cool opportunity to cast some great guest stars and see new policing dynamics within the unit,” Sigan explained. Sigan mentioned no names, but from her words, it appears the show is set to welcome some more fresh faces to form new partnership dynamics as Season 12 progresses. She elaborated further:
“All the chemistry that’s been forged through our seasons is of course there, but anytime you add in some new characters, you have the opportunity for closer bonds, new bonds, and discoveries about new and past characters that we haven’t learned yet. I’ve really loved the idea this year of surprising our characters [and] shaking things up a bit for them in a good way.”
Gigan equally spared some thoughts about Burzek, saying that the couple is “in a really solid, steady place” following last season’s engagement. She confirmed that the much anticipated Burzek wedding is still happening, so ready your tux and get set to walk the aisle with your favorite slow-burn couple.
Chicago P.D. Season 12 premieres on NBC on Wednesday, September 25, at 10 pm. Previous seasons are available to stream on Peacock.
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