We’ll kick this off by saying Shawn Hatosy is easily one of the greatest actors of our generation.
No, that’s not hyperbole, and if anyone has had the distinct pleasure of watching him in literally anything, you’d know this isn’t up for debate.
So, as if Chicago PD Season 12 isn’t stacking up to be one of the BEST seasons of the series yet, his addition as a recurring guest star is icing on the cake.
Longevity Requires Reinventing to Keep Fresh
Here’s the thing: Any series fortunate enough to survive the past five seasons knows how important it is to revitalize itself every few years.
Every notable series with longevity has undergone a soft reset or reboot over time, whether it was Law & Order SVU or Grey’s Anatomy.
When characters and cast come and go, and there’s a desire to expand upon plot points or venture into new directions, it’s instinctively biological to “adapt or die.”
And Chicago PD is finding new ways to stay fresh and relevant as it heads into an impressive twelfth season.
Not too many series have a shot at longevity anymore; broadcast is the only place you can still find formidable television that’s steady and reliable.
Despite that, I couldn’t help but wonder if budget cuts and constant cast shifts would negatively impact Chicago PD and other series in One Chicago.
After all, I was just lamenting about why another exit in the FBI franchise was so frustrating.
Hailey’s Exit Could Lead to Compelling Voight Development
While it wasn’t exactly a secret that I took issue with Hailey Upton and even the Upstead pairing in terms of how they often impacted the series and the other characters, I also knew how much of an impact Halstead and Hailey’s exits would have on the series.
By the Chicago PD Season 11 Finale, it was evident that her presence and subsequent departure would deeply affect Voight moving forward.
But you know what? That’s one of the many exciting things about this upcoming season!
What does Voight even look like now when he’s lost another person in his life who he held close to his heart?
The man is still mourning the losses of victims from cases such as Noah and Anna.
While Voight hasn’t had the most pronounced presence in the series over the past couple of seasons, it’s been apparent that he’s longing for some form of connection with other people and doesn’t want to be on an island by himself anymore.
With Hailey gone, you could easily guess it would close him off from others again, but that won’t happen.
Voight Has the Other Unit Members to Interact With in Chicago PD Season 12
There were cracks where the light came in for Voight, and you can’t easily seal those back up because the damage was already done.
One of the season’s most interesting impending storylines concerns Voight, his headspace, what it means for the series’ future, and how he interacts with the rest of his team.
I’d love to see the man flex his mentoring muscles even further and extend that to the other team members.
In my perfect world, we’d see Atwater take up the role of Voight’s “second” a bit more, which at least feels like the show was hinting at last season.
My Atwater Wishlist? More Leadership and Balancing Out Voight
Atwater has grown a great deal throughout the series, and he’s become more of a leader.
But he also offers that bit of balance to Voight that we don’t get anymore.
He also offers something different.
And let’s be frank; it’s genuinely refreshing to see a man of color climbing the ranks and making a name for himself in some capacity in law enforcement.
It’s especially interesting because there was a time when the institution threatened Atwater’s existence as a cop and wanted to ensure he’d never get any further than where he is now.
It would be a great and different way of continuing his Black versus Blue plot points without it being so overt.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. I don’t know what Atwater’s storylines will look like in the upcoming season or if what I hope will ever come to fruition.
However, that’s part of what has been so great about Chicago PD Season 12: for the first time in a while, the series feels like it could explore many possibilities.
Torres Time: Torres Will Continue to Develop in Exciting Ways
Torres’ addition has also been one of the best moves the series has made in a while, and there are so many places they can take this unique character.
We keep peeling back more layers to him; each one has been more entertaining than the last.
Chicago PD Season 12, especially because it is longer, means that we can spend even more time digging into Torres than we had the chance to before.
With fewer primary characters to focus on, there may be more balance and exploration of the remaining characters.
The twelfth season feels like a new chapter for the series, and hopefully, balance will be crucial to it.
The New Season May Be the Most Balanced in Years
As much as Halstead and Hailey were fan favorites, they often dominated many episodes and plots and took up much of Voight’s time.
Where does Voight turn without them, and what does that mean for the other characters?
The new season may finally be a level playing field for the remaining characters.
Yes, the budgetary regulations resulting in fewer of our favorite characters in every episode will still be in effect.
At this point, there’s no getting around that.
But with fewer primary cast members, it also means that maybe we will have more mixing and matching with dynamics, and it won’t constantly feel like there’s division amongst the team comprised — duos or trios aren’t living in separate worlds from the others.
The team doesn’t have to be fully featured in every episode to feel cohesive as a unit, right?
Return to Patrol and Trudy’s Comeback Too
Now that there are fewer main players and a shot at more balance, we could actually get more content for characters like Trudy.
What damn near guarantees this is Chicago PD Season 12 is bringing back patrol!
It was a fun element of the series, and when it diverted us from some of the other storylines involving Intelligence, we never felt like we were missing out on anything.
Understandably, we all wanted Atwater and Burgess to make it to Intelligence, and I would never take that back.
But it was still fun to see the type of on-the-ground patrolling of uniformed cops who had to juggle the streets of Chicago, sometimes working with Intelligence and, of course, interacting with Trudy.
Trudy has been aimless the past few seasons because there wasn’t much for her to do.
But now, thanks to Toya Turner’s addition to the series as Patrol Officer Kiana Cook, we can finally expect some of that on-the-ground policing we loved so much.
Chicago PD’s Newest Patrol Officer Brings New Energy
This new addition provides the perfect way to utilize a beloved character to the best of her abilities.
It’s also nice to have some new blood on the team and a female officer added to the mix.
It’s also great that we have another woman of color added to the mix, and there are even more nuanced plots the series can explore with her.
We haven’t had that specific perspective since Rojas mysteriously departed.
Kiana also sounds like a fascinating character, an adrenaline-seeking, headstrong cop who is steady in the storm but may thrive off the chaos and action for the job.
It’s a different perspective than some of the characters we’ve had before, and thankfully, it already distinguishes her from other characters.
It sounds like she’s a character who will instantly leave her mark on everyone around her, and I love that! Bring it on!
More than anything, it’ll simply be great to have Trudy interacting with more cops again, especially women.
A Strong Female Energy with New Additions and Dynamics Old and New
Trudy’s relationship with Kim on patrol was endearing, and it would be nice to continue the tradition of female cops who were truly inspired by this woman who came before them.
Maybe the new season will bring us more of the “Girls Supporting Girls” we used to have in the early days with Erin and Nadia or Trudy and Kim.
If female friendships are even remotely close to the horizon for this upcoming season, it’s all the better!
It’s also one of the rare moments when most of the characters are in a good place, which means they’re starting on a solid foundation.
Burzek, as a Stable Couple and Family, is Promising
Ruzek and Burgess are in a great place on the job, off, and with one another.
The happy family angle has been a long, well-treaded path, but they’ve finally earned this beautiful family they formed together.
And the best part is that we may have a full-blown wedding this season.
It’s so common for series to resort to putting couples through absolute hell because, for whatever reason, there’s the notion that struggling love is somehow more interesting than stable love.
But that’s not the case at all!
It’s genuinely a breath of fresh air to see a happy, stable couple attempt to navigate life and all sorts of conflicts together.
Maybe, after all these years, Burzek will finally be able to do that, and the series will explore it.
I cannot wait to see the happy, stable, mature, and healthy version of this pairing as they juggle their home life with their work one.
But, okay, yes. I need that damn wedding too!
Voight and Chapman Offers up an Intriguing Connection
Voight will forever be a polarizing character for the series, but he’s vital to it, and the season promises to explore him further.
There’s so much to unpack with Voight as he recovers from his near-death experience, and regardless of how much he’ll put it off, that ordeal would have left a toll on him.
I’m genuinely excited to see how they explore Voight in the aftermath, especially knowing that he’ll connect with two different characters in the season.
Voight and Sarah have such an understated dynamic.
It always feels like there is more under the surface when it comes to those two, but then the series would often shift focus again, and we never get to pick their dynamic apart any further.
Apparently, we may get to do that this season and Voight may lean more on Sarah in Hailey’s absence.
It’s a totally different dynamic than what he’s had with Hailey or even Erin, so it’s already a win for that alone!
Shawn Hatosy is a Game Changer in Chicago PD Season 12!!
Of course, there’s the whole Shawn Hatosy of it all to get my blood pumping, though.
Remember how I opened this? Shawn Hatosy is one of the greatest actors of our generation, and I firmly stand by that.
I’m bouncing in my seat at the mere thought of Hatosy and Beghe playing off one another in various scenes — a masterclass in the making.
Voight may find some kinship in Hatosy’s Chief Reid since they have a similar outlook on policing and how to do things.
It means that maybe we won’t have the recycled storyline of a chief who has a contentious relationship with Voight that is at odds with how he does things.
One Chicago loves a good storyline with some higher authority coming after the characters we love.
Indeed, conflict will arise with this character, so I’m not ruling anything out.
Nevertheless, this is such a thrilling addition to the series.
Hatosy, who is staying booked and busy, is like this series — striking gold in the casting department.
If that man doesn’t do anything, he BRINGS it every single time!
Some fresh blood for Voight to play off of that doesn’t feel like a repeat of the same thing? Sign me up!
These are all the reasons why I will be locked in for Chicago PD Season 12.
And, yes, I’ll be faithfully reviewing the season again.
But now I’m interested in your thoughts about the upcoming season.
Does it feel like a fresh start to you? What are you most excited about?
Are you a Hatosy Fanatic as well who is excited about this casting?
Let us know below!
Chicago PD returns on September 25 at 10/9c on NBC. The following day, you can stream it on Peacock.