Chicago PD Season 12 left multiple characters at risk of leaving the NBC series following crucial, impactful storylines that affect their future. Chicago PD is one of the long-running series on NBC under the One Chicago banner, and major characters have come and gone throughout its 12-season run.
Jesse Lee Soffer's Jay Halstead left the series in Chicago PD Season 10, while other key cast members like Sophia Bush's Detective Erin Lindsay and fan-favorite Al Olinsky (Elias Koteas) left due to career progressions and death, respectively.
In Season 12, some characters' futures became unknown due to past mistakes. Chicago PD consists of its core cast led by Jason Beghe as Hank Voight, Patrick Flueger as Adam Ruzek, LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater, Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess, Benjamin Levy Aguilar as Dante Torres, Amy Morton as Trudy Platt, and Season 12 newcomer Toya Turner as Kiana Cook.
Is Anyone Leaving Chicago PD In 2025?
Following a major cliffhanger in the show's penultimate episode, which saw the Intelligence Unit being investigated by Internal Affairs, Chicago PD's Season 12 finale showed the ramifications of Deputy Chief Reid's revenge plot against Voight's team. While the finale resolved the team's issues with Reid, it still left some of the characters' futures hanging in the balance,
Benjamin Levy Aguilar - Dante Torres
Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) had quite an emotional journey in Chicago PD Season 12, mainly due to his intimate relationship with his criminal informant (CI), Gloria Perez, who was later revealed to be an active drug dealer. This secret relationship jeopardized his career, but thankfully, Detective Burgess decided to cover it up to save her teammate.
However, Deputy Chief Reid (Shawn Hatosy) became aware of Torres' relationship with his CI, putting him and Burgess in danger. At the end of Season 12's penultimate episode, Torres was arrested for sleeping with his CI.
While the Season 12 finale began with Torres behind bars, he was eventually released on bail. Despite that, there is still a good chance that his case may not be over, leading to potential problems sometime in Season 13 that put him at risk of leaving the Intelligence Unit.
Amy Morton - Trudy Platt
Amy Morton's Trudy Platt has been a mainstay of Chicago PD since the show's premiere in 2014. During the One Chicago 2025 crossover event, Trudy almost died after being shot by one of her former friends. Although she took a while to recover, Trudy returned as a Desk Sergeant in the latter episodes of Chicago PD Season 12.
While she may not leave immediately, Trudy may end up setting her sights on retirement in Chicago PD Season 13 and beyond, especially now that her husband, Mouch, was promoted in Chicago Fire's own finale.
LaRoyce Hawkins - Kevin Atwater
LaRoyce Hawkins' Kevin Atwater is no stranger to exit scares in Chicago PD, especially after he was absent in Season 12, Episode 6 (but it's for a good reason). His journey in the latest season mainly revolved around starting a relationship with forensic psychologist Val Soto and losing one of his childhood friends after it was revealed that he turned into a criminal.
After the Intelligence Unit shut down for a bit due to Deputy Chief Reid's revenge scheme against Voight, Atwater was shown in the finale as someone who had lost purpose, with him even declining Val's call in the opening moments.
While the fan-favorite character returned to duty at the end of the finale, this shows that losing the Intelligence Unit may be too much for him.
At some point in the future, it's possible that there is a long-term storyline for Atwater where he could end up at a crossroads in his career, leading to his potential exit down the line. Still, given Atwater's dedication to the team, it will be a while before he decides to hang it up.
Sara Bues - ASA Nina Chapman
Assistant State Attorney (ASA) Nina Chapman (Sara Bues) has been a loyal ally of the Intelligence Unit since her debut in Chicago PD Season 9. In Season 12, Chapman's closeness with Voight ultimately transformed into something romantic, and the pair teamed up to try to take down Deputy Chief Reid.
However, Voight crossed the line in the finale after pulling strings from behind, leading to Reid being shot down in broad daylight. The final moments between Chapman and Voight suggest that she is not on board with how Voight handled the situation with Reid, causing their relationship to fall apart.
In an interview with TV Line, Chicago PD showrunner Gwen Sigan confirmed that Chapman "can't abide" with what Voight did, noting that "it's almost like a breakup" for both of them:
"Chapman can’t abide by it. It’s the line he crossed, morally and ethically, that is something that she can’t stand by. That’s where she’s drawing the line. And also, the entire episode, she was basically trying to convince him not to go to this place that he went to, right? Like, she was the angel on his shoulder, basically, pulling him out, and even from that first scene they had together in the teaser, basically telling him, “You cannot shut me out. I’m going to help you,” and he just refuses to let her. And so, by the end of it, she’s realizing that any other hope of anything else is not going to happen. So in my mind, it’s almost like a breakup for Chapman, and it’s this big sad moment for her."
The showrunner's comments about Chapman being done with Voight could be a strong hint that she may be leaving the series for good after Season 12. Despite that, there may be a chance for a brief return for Season 13 to tie up loose ends.
Is Jason Beghe's Voight Leaving Chicago PD?
In the Chicago PD Season 12 finale, Hank Voight experiences a massive rollercoaster of ups and downs. This is understandable because his Intelligence Unit was shut down in an instant.
Voight decided to go underground with his team to try to take down Season 12's big bad, Deputy Chief Reid, but a tragic event happened when their only lead died due to a vehicular crash. As a result, Voight took desperate measures to defeat Reid, and he crossed a line in doing so.
It was revealed that Voight pulled strings from behind to pin down Reid, such as manipulating a key witness in exchange for immunity and subtly pushing Otero's teenage son to kill Reid after he told him how his dad died.
It is unknown if Voight's actions will come to light in Chicago PD Season 13, but the show has reiterated many times that all of their actions have consequences. Maybe not now, but sometime down the line.
This made fans wonder if Voight is at risk of leaving the Intelligence Unit behind in Season 13 and beyond.
Speaking in the same interview with TV Line, Chicago PD showrunner Gwen Sigan addressed what's next for Voight following his drastic moves in the finale, suggesting that it might be difficult for him to live with his choices next season:
"That’s the question that the audience is left with. It’s the question that Voight is kind of left with. We’ll see. We’ll see where he goes from here. I think he thinks in his head, at this point in time, that what he did was worth what he gained from it and was worth the cost, too. But that’s an easy thing to say in the moment, and then six months later, [he] might not feel the same. So it leaves us with this great continuing question to keep playing with. Like you said, he has this capacity — and it’s not the best capacity — that he can go to these dark places, and he can make these choices, but can he always live with them?"
The finale did provide a tease that Voight was having second thoughts about his actions, but he had no power to stop them because they were already in motion.
If he ended up coming clean about his actions in the future, the repercussions would be dire, and the worst-case scenario for Voight is for him to leave the Intelligence Unit behind and start fresh.
However, Chicago PD has proven time and again that Voight is the lifeblood of the series, and there is a strong chance that he would overcome his demons next season.
