Several original cast members have exited Chicago P.D. over the years, leaving a previously robust team that had all its bases covered struggling. Tracy Spiridakos' exit in Season 11 was the latest to shake up the show, and going into Season 12, Intelligence needs new members to remain as effective. Gwen Sigan, Chicago P.D.'s showrunner, has hinted that they might bring Bojana Novakovic's Petrovic as Upton's replacement, but that's not a done deal. And even if it were to happen, the team would still be stretched thin. Sigan talked to TV Insider about buffing up Intelligence by bringing in new blood.
"It's going to be very fun to come up with some ideas and a new character and what a new character could add and how it would shift up the dynamics of the unit and new stories to tell," she said while talking about what new changes might be on the horizon for the team. "I think it will invigorate the show a lot to have somebody new come on," Sigan added. She echoed similar sentiments shared by NBCUniversal's President of Programming and Strategy, Jeff Bader, who said a cast shake-up "obviously keeps the [One Chicago] shows fresh."
A Promotion Is in Order for Intelligence Team Members
Image via NBC
With Upton out of the picture, Intelligence has a rank gap. She was the only detective on the team, and the rest are officers. TV Insider asked LaRoyce Hawkins, who plays Kevin Atwater, what he thinks the potential new team members will add to the team. Hawkins offered an interesting proposal, saying,
"To be honest with you, I don' think I'm really worried about teammates as much as I would really love to be a detective, since it doesn't seem like we have any detectives on the unit. Somebody should probably step up. Somebody might deserve that role with those responsibilities, but it's up to the powers that be, naturally."
But what do the powers that be say? "It's always a possibility. I think story-wise, it's not as exciting of a story as you want it to be. It's really a test and then they do the same job," Sigan said in response to a question about the possibility of promoting a current team member to detective. However, she quickly noted that while the promotion would come with a shiny new title, it wouldn't affect the stories told because the cases would remain the same. "So yes, it's definitely a possibility. I think they're all pretty ready for it in terms of they've earned it," she concluded.
Chicago P.D. and the rest of One Chicago return on Wednesday, September 25. Catch up with past seasons on Peacock.
