Summary
Hailey Upton actor, Tracy Spiridakos is confirmed to leave Chicago PD. The actress joined One Chicago to fill the void that Sophia Bush’s Erin Lindsay left in season 4. Despite not being an original cast member, Spiridakos is one of the most veteran cast members of Chicago PD, so she will definitely be missed once she departs the NBC series.
Per Variety, Spiridakos is set to exit the One Chicago police procedural after season 11. That being said, it’s unclear how many episodes she is still poised to appear in before her Chicago PD exit. Her exit comes just a year after her on-screen partner, Jesse Lee Soffer ended his long stint as Jay Halstead in the project. Neither Spiridakos nor NBC has commented on the matter.
Why Upton May Be Leaving Intelligence in Chicago PD Season 11
What was supposed to be a banner year for the police procedural turned out to be its roughest outings thus far. Chicago PD season 10 failed at captivating its usually invested audience because of a combination of factors, primarily the loss of Halstead. The way Soffer’s exit was handled was divisive, with many criticizing how his character oddly just left Spiridakos’ Upton despite just getting married. Instead of giving the pair a definitive ending, however, NBC kept their romance fate in limbo for a while until Upton seemingly accepted the fact that it was over.
Chicago PD season 10 left Upton seemingly ready to start fresh, leaving her failed marriage behind. However, Spiridakos’ impending exit from the show can pave the way for her and Halstead to reunite. The best way to write her character out and fix the assassination of Halstead’s reputation is to bring them back together. Upton opting to leave Hank Voight and Intelligence behind to prioritize her relationship with Halstead makes sense in this scenario, considering that there’s no future for their relationship if she stays behind in Chicago.
Upton may be looking at a great future after Intelligence for her, but her exit leaves Voight’s team severely undermanned. Between losing Halstead and her in a short period of time, the team needs to recruit more people to help run their operations. Whether NBC announces additional Chicago PD characters ahead of its season 11 premiere is currently uncertain. However, it’s difficult to imagine Wolf Entertainment not actively looking at their options moving forward.
Source: Variety
