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For a while now, Chicago PD has been struggling to connect with its viewers and Hailey Upton's exit reveals why. The second show from Dick Wolf's One Chicago franchise, Chicago PD premiered in 2014 as the police procedural branch of the universe. It centers around the Intelligence unit, which is run by the infamous Hank Voight. When the show started, it had 9 main cast members, which followed the pattern of many Wolf Entertainment series as an ensemble. Over the years, however, it has seen its fair share of departures due to various reasons, the latest of which is Upton.
Like the majority of long-running shows on networks, a rotating cast isn't new to One Chicago. Despite its significantly shortened year, Firehouse 51 said goodbye to 4 characters, including Chief Boden's departure in the Chicago Fire season 12 finale. Despite this, One Chicago's inaugural project has somewhat maintained its popularity over the years. It remains the highest-rated Wolf Entertainment project, even surpassing Law & Order: SVU. Chicago PD, on the other hand, has been failing to connect with its viewers, as seen in its decreasing ratings in the last several years.
Upton's Exit Shows How Intelligence Has Lost Its Camaraderie
Chicago PD Only Showed Upton's Farewell To Voight
Ahead of Chicago PD season 11's premiere, it was announced that Tracy Spiridakos was leaving the show. This meant that it had the whole season to set up her eventual departure from Intelligence, although Upton's decision to resign from the unit didn't become clear until the end of the year. In light of Voight's abduction, she pushed hard to ensure that they could retrieve their boss safely. It highlighted how close the pair had gotten since Jay Halstead's Chicago Fire season 10 exit. Naturally, Voight gave Upton his blessings for her departure.
Voight and Upton's final Chicago PD conversation was emotional — perhaps one of the most bittersweet scenes in the police procedural in a while. However, that was the extent of her farewell. The series didn't show her sitting down with the rest of Intelligence — some she had been working for years, to properly say goodbye. It was a big missed opportunity, but most importantly, it highlighted how Intelligence has lost its camaraderie over the years.
Compare Upton's departure from Boden's Firehouse exit and this becomes more glaring. While Chicago Fire has been recycling many storylines for years, people still watch it because they are invested in the dynamic of the people in the firehouse. The weekly cases are still entertaining, but its main draw has now become its players' personal lives and relationships. Chicago PD barely has that anymore because Intelligence is usually scattered.
Chicago PD Is Best As An Ensemble Show
Intelligence Used To Have A Really Good Working Dynamic
Looking at the earliest years of Chicago PD, there was a conscious effort to focus on the ensemble's chemistry. There were banters and fun interactions interlaced with its procedural elements. It's unclear why Wolf Entertainment and NBC moved away from this and instead, adapted a character per week format. This means that each week, a member of Intelligence becomes the focal point of the story. This shouldn't be technically bad, but the way Chicago PD has been executing these arcs isolates characters from each other, resulting in underdeveloped office dynamics.
Somehow, Alvin Olinsky's emotional Chicago PD season 12 finale cameo makes this issue more glaring. Voight and Al's friendship was the backbone of the police procedural when it first started, and it was also the reason why the latter's death was so devastating. Beyond that, however, Chicago PD has never come up with a replacement friendship in the show. Kim Burgess and Kevin Atwater did have a good dynamic, but it's barely focused on now.
How Intelligence Can Bring Back The Team Spirit In Chicago PD Season 12
Luckily, It Isn't Difficult To Correct Chicago PD's Intelligence Mistake
With Upton now gone, there are only five confirmed members of Intelligence plus Trudy Platt. Most of these characters have been there for years — four of them, Voight, Burgess, Atwater, and Adam Ruzek were all part of the original cast. All Chicago PD season 12 needs to do is shift the focus back on developing their relationships and perhaps do away with the weekly case-per-character format. If they do, make sure that the rest of the team is involved. Finally, explore Intelligence's lives outside of work and make sure that they remain connected even outside the walls of the District.
