Jason Beghe as Sergeant Hank Voight
Jon Seda as Detective Antonio Dawson
Sophia Bush as Detective Erin Lindsay
Jesse Lee Soffer as Detective Jay Halsted
Elias Koteas as Detective Alvin Olinsky
Patrick John Flueger as Detective Adam Ruzek
Laroyce Hawkins as Officer Kevin Atwater
Marina Squerciati as Officer Kim Burgess
Fall TV Preview 2017: Details on new seasons of 'Chicago Fire' and 'Chicago P.D.'
Chicago, here we come!
This fall, two of Dick Wolf’s Chicago-set shows — Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. — are returning with more thrilling and mysterious cases, life-and-death situations, and interesting new characters that will turn things upside down for the firefighters and police officers of the city.
For what else to expect, we asked Fire executive producer Derek Haas about Season 6 and P.D. boss Rick Eid about Season 5 of their respective shows. Read on for their answers to our fall questionnaire!
Chicago P.D. preview from EP Rick Eid
1. What’s coming up this season: This season, the Chicago Police Department faces major reform. In the season premiere, we learn that an “Independent Auditor,” Lt. Denny Woods (played by Mykelti Williamson), has been appointed to make sure the Intelligence Unit complies with new rules and regulations. And it doesn’t help that Woods has a personal vendetta against Voight (Jason Beghe). Now he and the Unit are Wood’s biggest target.
We’ll also see the team grapple with the absence of Detective Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush), who, in the Season 4 finale, took a counterterrorism job in New York. But we’re excited to have Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) rejoin Intelligence to help the team navigate this difficult, new terrain.
The main thing we want to do throughout the season is attach the show to Chicago 2017. To keep it current, the episodes will explore hot-button issues, like police shootings, human trafficking and racial discord. Our goal is to reflect the complex racial, social, and political environment in that city right now
2. A guest star who will surprise you: Wendell Pierce, who I was a huge fan of in The Wire, will guest star on Chicago P.D. in Season 5. He plays Alderman Ray Price, a shrewd, magnetic politician. He elevates every scene he’s in and it was exciting to see him go toe-to-toe with Voight. The two square off in the first episode when a member of the unit is under political fire. We’ll see Alderman Price return a few times this season when politics and policing intersect.
We also have Eriq La Salle coming on as an EP and director this season. I think many people remember Eriq from his iconic role as Dr. Peter Benton in ER. I don’t know if he’ll get out from behind the camera, but I’d love to see that.
3. Something you’ll learn about a character: With Detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), we always hinted at the emotional baggage he carries from his time as an Army Ranger. But in Season 5, we’ll get to finally see Halstead confront his military past when he goes undercover with a group of ex-servicemen.
4. An interesting case this season: We have an episode where a gay, Muslim police officer is accused of orchestrating a major terrorist attack in Chicago. Officer Burgess (Marina Squerciati), who helped train the cop, is desperate to prove his innocence, even if that means going against her superiors. She’s the newest member of Intelligence and the case will test her place in the unit.
CHICAGO P.D.
The NBC drama will bring real-world Chicago into Season 5 with stories about racial tension, terrorist activity, immigration and police reform. That means Voight’s job “just got harder,” executive producer Rick Eid previews. “There are more eyeballs on the way he does business.” Also on the sergeant’s mind: Lindsay’s departure, but he’ll deal with it differently than her ex Halstead, who is now partnered up with Det. Hailey Upton (new series regular Tracy Spiridakos). Intelligence will welcome back Det. Antonio Dawson, whose daughter is now living with him, while Burgess returns from her leave of absence with a renewed focus on her career (sorry Ruzek!). “We’re going to see a bit more of her ambition this season, trying to maybe take that next step and become a detective,” Eid shares. And although Burgess is all business these days and “Linstead” is no more, the EP does hint at “some romantic involvement” within the unit. BONUS SPOILER!: An “important” episode will find Atwater “dealing with the fact that he’s the surrogate father, so to speak, [to] his brother and sister,” Eid describes.
09/27/2017 (10:00PM - 11:00PM) (Wednesday) : WHEN A YOUNG BYSTANDER IS SHOT DURING A DIFFICULT OPERATION, THE TOP BRASS QUESTION HALSTEAD'S INVOLVEMENT - SEASON 5 PREMIERE. The district is in a state of change - Lindsay has moved to New York- and the CPD is under scrutiny about the corrupt nature of its institution. Under the watchful eye of the city, the team attempts to bust a gun deal that quickly turns dicey when innocent civilians and children get involved. Tension erupts when Chief Lugo (guest star Esai Morales) brings in Denny Woods (guest star Mykelti Williamson) to review the shootout, and Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) becomes a key player in the outcome of the case. Also starring: Jason Beghe, Jon Seda, Patrick John Flueger, Elias Koteas, Marina Squerciati, LaRoyce Hawkins, Amy Morton and Tracy Spiridakos. Guest starring: Nick Gehlfuss and Wendell Pierce.
Source to view the photos in larger size and detail: X
Quote:
Chicago PD - Episode 5.02 - Promise - Press Release
"CHICAGO PD"
"PROMISE"
10/04/2017 (10:00PM - 11:00PM) (Wednesday) : AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE MURDER OF AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IS PLAGUED WITH ROADBLOCKS AS INTELLIGENCE CONTENDS WITH THE PERCEPTION OF THE POLICE AMONG THE CITY'S IMMIGRANT POPULATION. When a young Latina woman is brutally murdered, Intelligence suspects she may have been working as a drug mule. With Antonio (Jon Seda) leading the case, the team's investigation takes them into the grim world of meat processing, and the discovery that there may be a different motive behind her death. Also starring: Jason Beghe, Jesse Lee Soffer, Patrick John Flueger, Elias Koteas, Marina Squerciati, LaRoyce Hawkins, Amy Morton and Tracy Spiridakos. Guest starring: Monica Raymund, Chris Agos and Skipp Sudduth.
What is the plan for the 100th episode of Chicago P.D.? Also, how many crossovers can we expect this season, and do any involve SVU? — Quanita
When we spoke to new P.D. showrunner Rick Eid for Fall Preview, the plan for No. 100 wasn’t yet clear. “That’s just probably a month or so out from where we are storywise on our board,” he explained. “But obviously, when you’re lucky enough to do 100 episodes, you want to make it a special one, so that will be our goal.” As for crossovers, you can blame Med’s crazy cliffhanger (and the show’s TBD premiere date) for a lack of any major ones. “It will be more mini-type [crossovers] until the new year, when we can line up the three shows,” Fire showrunner Derek Haas says. “I’m sure Dick Wolf is going to call any day now and say, ‘I want a three-way crossover,’ but it can’t be in the first six [episodes of Fire] because Med isn’t on.”
Any updates on Chicago P.D.‘s #Burzek (Burgess and Ruzek)? — Marybelle
Sounds like the exes are keeping things strictly professional — for now. “They still have pretty strong feelings for each other, and there’s still some romantic tension there that may or may not be rekindled,” showrunner Rick Eid concedes. “But I think early on [in Season 5], Burgess is more focused on doing a great job and her career.”
'Chicago P.D.': Jon Seda Talks "Bittersweet" Season 5 Return, 'Chicago Justice' Cancelation'
"[It feels like] a new show even though it's season five," the actor tells THR about the cast and showrunner changes on the upcoming season.
Jon Seda is back at Chicago P.D. for season five, but a lot has changed at the NBC cop drama since he last reported for duty at the 21st District.
The actor left midway through season four to join the new spinoff Chicago Justice as a series regular. For Seda, it meant getting to help launch the latest part of Dick Wolf's impressive NBC scripted slate, and also only have to split screen time among five series regulars rather than nine.
However, Justice was canceled in late May after just 13 episodes and now Seda returns to a very different P.D. Co-creator and longtime showrunner Matt Olmstead has since exited for a lucrative deal at ABC Studios, replaced by Rick Eid (Law & Order: SVU), and series regular Sophia Bush, who played the beloved Det. Erin Lindsay, has departed after four seasons, subsequently replaced by former Revolution star Tracy Spiridakos following a two-episode arc at the end of last season.
"It feels like I never really left yet it still feels new at the same time," Seda tells The Hollywood Reporter of the season five refresh. "It's like going back to an old team but it's new, so it's exciting."
Ahead of the show's return, Seda spoke with THR about Justice's early demise, why he was almost ready to "move on" from Antonio and a possible rekindled romance with Brett (Kara Killmer).
What was your reaction when you heard Justice wasn't coming back? How surprised were you?
I was hoping for it to come back and get another shot. We only had 13 episodes, so [it's] hard to really get the rhythm going with just 13 episodes in. It was kind of thrown all over the place where episodes we shot early appeared in the middle and some we shot late aired first. Yet it was doing pretty well, I think it was averaging six million viewers on Sunday. That said, I think had it been given another shot and another season, it would have done better. But you never want to see a show fail and not come back. But I don't think we even look at it as a failure. It just didn’t get a second season but it did well. I got to work with great people, another great group of actors who were just incredible, the crew was amazing so it was a little bittersweet. I'm a team player. I was looking at it like, 'If I can help the One Chicago [universe] going over there, that's great. I'm honored by the fact that Wolf [Films] and NBC looked at my character as a character that could help another spinoff.' So, like I said, it's bittersweet. I'm glad to be back, I'm humbled to be back, very thankful to be back but I kind of wish I could have brought everyone from Justice back with me.
How soon after Justice was canceled did you hear from producers about coming back to P.D.? How did those talks begin?
I believe it was in the same week. It was pretty quick which was cool. I was very thankful. If I had to move on, I was going to move on and then I was very thankful for the time that I had. Actors hope to get one year of a show and here I started on Fire and that turned into four years of P.D. and then Justice, so it was a great opportunity and if that was all it was going to be, I was very happy for that. But for them to come back and really show their support and wanting to have me back, it's just really incredible. I'm really thankful.
How has it been adjusting to the changes among the cast?
The great thing about it is we try and get as close to reality as we can. In reality in these departments, people change. Some move up, some come back, some leave for a certain amount of time so it's very similar. The heart of it is the unit itself and keeping that unit doing the job the best they can. So like with Sophia, [Erin] was a great character that she created and [she was] a great person to work with but you don’t look at it like you're trying to fill those shoes. You just change things around and try to keep the unit going.
How does your character come back to the unit?
I think they ran through so many different possibilities sand it came down to something kind of simple. It's, like I said earlier, in that line of work, people come and go for whatever reason. There's a case that the Intelligence team is working on in the first episode where it kind of gets stuck with the suspect and how to get close to a certain suspect and they need someone that can really do great undercover [work], and hasn't been seen by this suspect, has no connection and Antonio turns out to be that person. That leads to series of events that will land him back with Intelligence.
What can you say about that dynamic with Voight going forward? How do things change when Antonio comes back?
It's like a yin and yang type of thing. It's been five years now that they've grown with each other, from that place that they came from where Antonio arrested him. They've learned a lot with each other. Sometimes, like in life, you don't choose the family you're born into, but you get to choose the ones you call family, and who would have thought that that would be the case [here]. But yeah, they're like brothers. They're not going to agree all the time but I think that's something also that's going to be reflected in season five; they’re going to have a little more of that tension that was there between Voight and Antonio but it's going to be different now because now it's tension after five years of working with each other. It's wanting the best for each other but sometimes, the hardest person to get to understand what's the best way is that person that is so close to you. With all the changes in Chicago right now – which we are going to reflect on the show like with police reform – it's tough to be a cop in the nation, let alone in Chicago. The Intelligence Unit has operated a certain way for a while and now things have to change. How well is Voight going to deal with that? That's another big plus of having Antonio back because he's able to balance. He doesn't want to see the unit fall apart, he wants to help keep it together.
One of the things people really latched onto this last season was the Brettonio romance. What do you think brought about that reaction?
Last year when they came to me with the idea of Antonio going to Justice, that was also presented that they had come up with the idea of pairing Antonio and Brett. I remember my initial reaction was, "Wow, I didn’t see that coming." It's not something I would have thought of. And I think that actually turned out to be the beauty of it. I think the fact that they're not your typical type, that you wouldn't think to pair them – that's what made it really interesting. And Kara Killmer, she's just such a great talent and I love working with her. I think she's so great. I had a lot of fun with the Brettonio.
Has there been any talk of rekindling that this season?
There's always that possibility. I'm back, she's there. Antonio's still single and I believe she is. Look, that's not up to me but if they wanted to entertain that and bring it back, I'd have no problem with them wanting to do that so we'll see.
You also have a new showrunner this season in Rick Eid. How has it been coming back to the show but with a new voice behind the scenes? Especially after having worked with Matt on both Fire and P.D.?
Yeah, a lot of changes. I wasn't there last year when most of these changes were happening, which lends to it really feeling like a new show even though it's season five. Rick Eid is an incredible talent, he's done so many things and is so experienced with the Wolf shows. He's someone that, in regards to law enforcement, has done so many projects so this fits with him well. He's a real hands-on person, he's there, and just really wanting to make sure that the well-oiled machine that was created, not just keeps running but runs even smoother and finding different ways to get it to go faster and stronger.
We also have Eriq La Salle who has come on now, and he's not just a really good director but he's someone who, from ER, knows this world and he knows both sides of the camera. So he knows how to talk to the actors, and he really cares and nurtures the stories and tries to make sure the heart of the show, which is the stories of these people, aren’t getting lost in the action.
Source to view the photos in larger size and detail: X
Quote:
Chicago PD - Episode 5.03 - The Thing About Heroes - Press Release
"CHICAGO PD"
"THE THING ABOUT HEROES"
10/11/2017 (10:00PM - 11:00PM) (Wednesday) : A CHICAGO POLICE OFFICER BECOMES A SUSPECT IN A DEADLY TERRORIST ATTACK. After a van explodes during a Chicago street festival, a Muslim patrol officer Frank Toma (guest star Ben Youcef) goes missing and evidence quickly piles up pointing to his involvement. Burgess (Marina Squerciati) - who helped train Toma - is desperate to prove his innocence, even if that means going against her superiors. Also starring: Jason Beghe, Jon Seda, Jesse Lee Soffer, Patrick John Flueger, Elias Koteas, LaRoyce Hawkins, Amy Morton and Tracy Spiridakos. Guest starring: Yaya DaCosta, Salar Ardebili and Mykelti Williamson.
Thanks for the pics and scoops. My baby Seda is back! New girl better not get more time than my girl Kim. It's her time.
__________________
Ai lai guo rang wo wan zhen guo xin fu guo
zhen me neng qing yi jui fang ta zuo Love was here. It made me complete, happy. How could I easily let it go?
Chicago PD - Episode 5.04 - Snitch - Press Release
Quote:
"CHICAGO PD"
"SNITCH"
10/18/2017 (10:00PM - 11:00PM) (Wednesday) : A SERIES OF MURDERS HITS CLOSE TO HOME FOR ATWATER. While investigating a drug-related homicide, Intelligence is stonewalled by the 'no-snitch' culture of the neighborhood. And Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) discovers a personal connection to the case. Meanwhile, the police's own code of silence is put to the test when Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) is asked about Ruzek's (Patrick John Flueger) rough altercation with a suspect. Also starring Jason Beghe, Jon Seda, Jesse Lee Soffer, Elias Koteas, Marina Squerciati and Amy Morton. Guest starring Mykelti Williamson, Monica Barbaro and Kylen Davis.
I put this over the One Chicago board.
